About Girls in the Game
Girls in the Game provides and promotes sports and fitness opportunities, nutrition and health education, and leadership development to enhance the overall health and well-being of girls. Our year-round continuum of programs includes after school programs for elementary and middle school girls, a six-week summer camp, clinics, team sports opportunities, and teen leadership programs. In addition to programming, Girls in the Game also offers trainings and certification programs for youth-serving organizations.
Position Summary
During the school year, the Coordinator would work primarily in our Teen Club program, which trains teen girls to lead fun, healthy lifestyle programs for elementary school girls. The Coordinator would assist the Teen Programs Manager with recruiting, selecting and training 100 Teen Club Members in 3 schools, setting up teen-led activities for younger girls, and accompanying the teens to those activities. The Teen Clubs will be visiting some of the schools where Girls in the Game holds after school programming. The Teen Coordinator will most likely coach at one weekly Girls in the Game After School site to help facilitate this connection between the two programs. The Teen Coordinator will help to lead programming at three high schools and one elementary school. Additionally, several city-wide teen events will occur during the year, in which the Teen Club Coordinator will work closely with the Manager and Senior Coordinator to involve as many Teen Club girls as possible.
In the summer, the Coordinator would help the Teen Programs Manager plan and lead Summer Squad for 30 teens, some but not all of whom would also be Teen Squad members. Summer Squad meets for about six hours a day, four days a week for six weeks, and spends a few days at overnight camp outside of the city (sleeping accommodations are cabins). Each week focuses on a different topic such as sports media or Title IX. The Coordinator would help lead daily activities for the teens and also assist in leading activities for the elementary school girls in Girls in the Game’s Summer Camp.
Throughout the year, Teen Club and Summer Squad girls also attend fun career exploration field trips where they interview women in a variety of exciting fields. The Coordinator would help set up and chaperone these field trips.
Primary Responsibilities
- Help the Teen Programs Manager recruit, train and manage Teen Club and Summer Squad members
- Lead programming for teens (curriculum is provided)
- Help set up and carry out workshops the teens will lead for elementary school girls
- Help plan and chaperone field trips
- Coach at one weekly after school site (curriculum is provided)
- Keep basic contact, enrollment and attendance information on our Salesforce.com database
- Help plan special events like the end of the year celebration
- Engage parents and caregivers through regular communications and special family programs
- Secure small donations of prizes teens earn for participating
- Other duties as assigned
Core Competencies
- Coaching/leading groups
- Youth/teen development
- Problem solving and decision making
- Supporting and developing others
- Relationship building
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree, preferably in health, youth or teen development, education or a related field
- At least two years of experience working with children and leading groups
- Athletic ability is not required, but applicants must be able to learn and demonstrate the basic skills of multiple sports and fitness activities
- Must be able to travel regularly to sites throughout Chicago, preferably by car
- Demonstrated knowledge of computer environments, e.g. Windows, Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint
Licensing Required
- Employment is contingent upon proof of eligibility to work
- Verification of degree/credentials
- Background check and fingerprint clearance
- Must be available to work occasional evenings and weekends for scheduled events
- Agreement to uphold all Girls in the Game Policies and Procedures (by signature)
Communication Skills
Ability to implement the provided curriculum for groups of youth; ability to encourage youth to participate in activities; ability to use positive language to defuse conflicts as they arise during programming; ability to communicate effectively and professionally with adults including staff, parents/guardians, teachers and school administrators, and field trip vendors and contacts; ability to communicate effectively with diverse groups
Reasoning Ability
Ability to resolve problems as they arise during programming; ability to work with part-time coaching staff to prevent and troubleshoot challenges with participants and site contacts; ability to track detailed enrollment and attendance information; ability to learn to use the Salesforce.com database