Correction: VAYLA Job Announcements - Community Organizer, Health Outreach Coordinator, & Director of Youth Development
Minh Nguyen
VAYLA Job Announcements
I. Job Information:
Position: Community Organizer
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
Type of Job: Full time
Hours worked: 40/wk.
Organization and Program Description: The Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association of New Orleans (VAYLA) is a youth-led community-based organization that empowers Vietnamese American and underrepresented youth through supportive services and organizing for cultural enrichment and positive social change.
VAYLA formed in 2006 when the Versailles community of New Orleans East mobilized to protest the opening of a toxic landfill less than a mile from their neighborhood. Over the years, VAYLA has expanded into a multi-issue organization, adding education equity, health access, and civic engagement to its portfolio of youth organizing work. VAYLA works to challenge institutional forms of racism by developing youth of color as agents of social change, and by supporting multi-racial, youth-led issue campaigns that advance equitable systemic change. Alongside this strong organizing focus, VAYLA is committed to offering cultural, recreational and educational services. Particularly in a city where youth have faced both natural and man-made disasters, VAYLA has adopted a multi-pronged program that addresses the immediate social, emotional and academic needs of marginalized young people while simultaneously empowering them to mount institutional challenges and work for long-term structural change.
The Raise Your Hand Campaign (RYHC), VAYLA’s education equity program, began in May 2010 when Vietnamese, African American, and Latino youth came together to reflect on the deplorable conditions they experienced every day in New Orleans public schools. Grounded in youth voices and youth-led participatory action research, RYHC incubates and supports youth-led issue campaigns that seek to expand educational access for the city’s most vulnerable students. The program equips impacted youth with the tools to document educational inequalities, produce knowledge on prevailing conditions, and build the social and political capital necessary to advance equitable school and district policies. Through their organizing and advocacy efforts, youth leaders develop core competencies in critical thinking, applied research methods, public speaking, media design, and strategic communications.
Budgeting for Democracy Campaign is a collaboration between VAYLA and the New Orleans Coalition for Open Governance to improve openness and accountability in the New Orleans city budgeting process by increasing access to timely and accurate information needed for informed decision-making. The program equips impacted community members in the Michoud Area of New Orleans East with plain-language explanations of the process and priorities set by public officials, the ability to identify shortcomings in the openness and accountability as well as opportunities to become engaged in decision-making as the recovery moves into a new era of productivity.
Summary essentials of job description: VAYLA is seeking a bilingual (English and Vietnamese) community organizer who can identify, train, and mobilize community leaders in the development of grassroots campaigns that advance racial, social and economic justice for low-income people of color. We are looking for a dynamic individual with strong inter-personal skills, superior written and verbal communication skills, familiarity with urban policy issues, and experience working with oppressed communities to build grassroots power for structural change. This person will report to the Assistant Director and Deputy Director, and will split their time between VAYLA’s education equity program and VAYLA’s civic engagement program, supporting campaigns that seek to dismantle institutional barriers faced by youth and families inside and outside of the education system.
II. Job Duties and Responsibilities:
· Research
i. Stay informed about local policies and political processes central to VAYLA’s mission and work, including but not limited to education reform, environmental policy and urban planning, and city budgeting pertaining to youth programs.
ii. Track relevant national, state, and local policy developments that affect conditions for our constituencies, as well as the policy and political landscape surrounding our issue campaigns.
· Coalitions and Alliance Building
iii. Represent VAYLA on local and national coalitions, maintaining collaborative relationships with partner organizations.
iv. Spearhead relationship building and cultivate meaningful collaborations with community leaders, local politicians, and community-based organizations, including Vietnamese institutions and civic groups.
· Base-building and Leadership Development
v. Expand VAYLA’s membership base through aggressive outreach efforts, including neighborhood walks, phone banking and one-on-one meetings with New Orleans East residents.
vi. Mobilize community members to community meetings, town hall meetings, public events, issue-based actions, and other VAYLA activities.
vii. Identify and train community leaders to take control of local campaigns and initiatives; develop member and community leadership capacity through one-on-ones and targeted trainings.
viii. Engage the Vietnamese parents and students in the Raise Your Hand Campaign’s ELL rights initiative, as well as other education issue campaigns seeking equitable school and system-level policy changes.
ix. Engage the Vietnamese parents and students in VAYLA’s Budgeting for Democracy campaign, as well as other civic engagement initiatives focusing on the local environment and neighborhood infrastructure.
· Campaign Development
x. Work with student and community leaders to strengthen and develop successful issue campaigns related to education equity, participatory city budgeting, neighborhood infrastructure, and environmental degradation.
xi. Support participatory action research and collective issue identification processes, policy research, target research, and power mapping.
xii. Support implementation of campaign plans by providing logistical and program coordination for key activities/events, monitoring and delegating task lists, facilitating campaign steering committee meetings, etc.
· Administrative
xiii. Manage and coordinate weekly reports, evaluations, and documentation of Budget for Democracy activities.
xiv. Manage and coordinate weekly reports, evaluations and documentation of Raise Your Hand Campaign activities
xv. Meet with the Assistant Director and Deputy Director once a week to develop work-plans and discuss individual support needs
xvi. Meet once a week as a group to report progress, challenges, support needs, and next steps.
III. Qualifications/Skills:
· Understanding and analysis of the systemic nature of oppression, particularly the intersection of gender, race, sexuality, and class; this position requires a commitment to and passion for social, economic and racial justice.
· Excellent community organizing skills; demonstrated success in organizing, strategizing, and following through on organizing campaigns.
· Excellent individual and group communication skills (written and verbal); finesse in applying these skills across a range of relationships and environments, including with program participants, co-workers, and other colleagues in the field.
· Strong program planning and evaluation skills.
· Ability to handle a variety of projects and assignments at once with attention to detail.
· Excellent time management, project management, and delegation skills.
· Ability to work both independently and as a team member.
· Ability to apply creative and critical thinking to improve existing programming.
· Familiarity with the New Orleans public school system and local government preferred.
· Comfort working in underserved communities of color.
· Knowledge of youth development models and experience supporting leadership development of young people.
· Desire for and comfort with young people taking the lead; the candidate must be able to motivate youth and support youth self-determination while also creating and enforcing systems of accountability.
· Flexibility and willingness to grow in response to youth needs or changes in the field.
IV. Compensation: $24,000 – $26,000 plus benefits depending on experience.
I. Job Information:
Position: Health Outreach Coordinator
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
Type of job: Full time
Hours worked: 40/wk.
Organization: The Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association of New Orleans (VAYLA) is a youth-led community-based organization that empowers Vietnamese American and underrepresented youth through supportive services and organizing for cultural enrichment and positive social change.
VAYLA formed in 2006 when the Versailles community of New Orleans East mobilized to protest the opening of a toxic landfill less than a mile from their neighborhood. Over the years, VAYLA has expanded into a multi-issue organization, adding education equity, health access, and civic engagement to its portfolio of youth organizing work. VAYLA works to challenge institutional forms of racism by developing youth of color as agents of social change, and by supporting multi-racial, youth-led issue campaigns that advance equitable systemic change. Alongside this strong organizing focus, VAYLA is committed to offering cultural, recreational and educational services. Particularly in a city where youth have faced both natural and man-made disasters, VAYLA has adopted a multi-pronged program that addresses the immediate social, emotional and academic needs of marginalized young people while simultaneously empowering them to mount institutional challenges and work for long-term structural change.
Purpose of position: To raise public awareness about behavioral and mental health issues and services through planning and implementation of various outreach activities and tools aiming to increase participation of community members in behavioral and mental health advocacy
Summary essentials of job description: The Health Outreach Coordinator will be responsible for our community education initiative, which seeks to raise awareness about mental health issues, educate young people on mental health symptoms and conditions, and support young people in seeking positive interventions and programs. The Health Outreach Coordinator will report to the Health Director, and will be responsible for: researching and creating presentations on mental health and PTSD, particularly as they relate to the Vietnamese community in New Orleans East; delivering presentations to various audiences and target groups; developing and managing social media tools to deliver campaign message and content; branding campaign and creating easily distinguished visual elements; building and developing relationships with partners organizations to expand campaign reach.
II. Job Duties and Responsibilities:
· Develop and implement outreach plans to raise public awareness about behavioral and mental health issues and services in the community.
· Develop and implement all outreach activities, campaigns, and strategies to raise awareness about mental health issues and services in the community. This can be done through personal contacts, brochures, public presentations, special events, social media, Internet, etc.
· Develop and implement innovative community education and engagement activities to stimulate participation in targeted groups and communities
· Develop, organize, implement, and coordinate community outreach events and forums
· Research, develop, create, and distribute public announcements, press releases, brochures, and other materials and literature relating to various mental health issues
· Provide public presentations to community members and groups
· Evaluate the effectiveness of communication campaign and outreach activities and provide recommendations for adjusting the campaign and activities as necessary
· Identify and manage relationships with families and individuals interested in behavioral and mental health programs, provide resources, and refer them to appropriate services
· Prepare regular reports to Health Program Director
· Participate in weekly staff meetings and regularly scheduled meetings with Health Program Director
· Performed related tasks and duties as required/assigned
III. Qualifications/Skills:
· Bachelor’s degree, preferably in social services, journalism, public relations, marketing/advertising, business, public administration, or related fields
· Experience with developing, implementing, and promoting outreach activities, communication campaigns, and special events
· Experience with project management
· Experience with community organizing and working with community leaders and community organizations
· Excellent interpersonal and motivational skills; strong written and oral communication skills
· Strong research and organization skills; strong multi-tasking skills
· Demonstrated ability to work across cultures and with diverse community groups
· Strong ability to work independently or with others to manage multiple tasks and handle multiple responsibilities
· Proficiency in MS Office Applications, desktop publishing programs, database and spreadsheet software; knowledge of social media
· Strong interest in mental health issues and advocacy
IV. Compensation: $14/hr.
I. Job Information:
Position: Director of Youth Development
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
Type of Job: Full time
Hours worked: 40/wk.
Organization: The Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association of New Orleans (VAYLA) is a youth-led community-based organization that empowers Vietnamese American and underrepresented youth through supportive services and organizing for cultural enrichment and positive social change.
VAYLA formed in 2006 when the Versailles community of New Orleans East mobilized to protest the opening of a toxic landfill less than a mile from their neighborhood. Over the years, VAYLA has expanded into a multi-issue organization, adding education equity, health access, and civic engagement to its portfolio of youth organizing work. VAYLA works to challenge institutional forms of racism by developing youth of color as agents of social change, and by supporting multi-racial, youth-led issue campaigns that advance system-level solutions. Alongside this strong organizing focus, VAYLA is committed to offering cultural, recreational and educational services. Particularly in a city where youth have faced both natural and man-made disasters, VAYLA has adopted a multi-pronged program that addresses the immediate social, emotional and academic needs of marginalized young people while simultaneously empowering them to mount institutional challenges and work for long-term structural change.
Summary essentials of job description: VAYLA seeks a dynamic Director of Youth Development. This person will lead the development and expansion of VAYLA’s Organizing Training Institute, a program that equips low-income youth of color with the organizing skills and political education necessary to mobilize their communities in service of progressive social change. Under this person’s leadership, VAYLA’s Organizing Training Institute will become a “first-stop” in VAYLA’s leadership development pipeline, strengthening our base of youth leaders and expanding the capacity of young people working on Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) projects and issue campaigns. The Director of Youth Development will be the lead trainer and curriculum developer for VAYLA’s Organizing Training Institute, and will also train, mentor and supervise youth trainers as they transfer organizing know-how to middle school students in an afterschool program setting. As needed, the Director of Youth Development will develop and facilitate in-house trainings for VAYLA’s more seasoned organizers and staff team, and will provide technical assistance on YPAR, base-building, and campaign-development to youth organizing committees that are immersed in praxis.
II. Job Duties and Responsibilities:
· Work with directors, campaign coordinators, and staff to identify gaps in membership’s capacity and to assess skill development needs amongst our base.
· Refine and expand community organizing and political education curriculum for VAYLA’s Organizing Training Institute (OTI), which targets high school and college-aged youth entering our leadership development pipeline.
· Direct and serve as lead facilitator for the OTI program, which takes place twice a year in the summer and winter.
· Identify, train and supervise youth trainers to facilitate an OTI-style afterschool program for middle school students.
· Develop an accelerated “orientation” program on youth organizing, social justice, and YPAR for all new members entering VAYLA’s space.
· Develop resource-sharing partnerships with other organizations, locally and nationally, to strengthen our in-house training program and to stay abreast of best practices literature in related fields.
· Outreach to local high schools and youth groups to recruit participants for our OTI program and to strengthen VAYLA’s base.
· Develop communications materials (flyers, applications, brochures, e-invitations, etc.) to promote the Organizing Training Institute program.
· Coordinate application process for OTI program.
· Manage OTI program budget, as well as OTI.
· Develop youth-friendly training materials that can be applied and referenced by youth organizers in their day-to-day initiatives and issue campaigns.
· When needed, provide technical assistance and tailored trainings on base building and campaign development to youth-led initiatives engaged in praxis.
· Develop tools and trainings in Youth Participatory Action Research, and provide technical assistance to youth initiatives interested in applying YPAR model in their ongoing social change initiatives.
III. Skills/ Qualifications:
• Understanding and analysis of the systemic nature of oppression, particularly the intersection of gender, race, sexuality, and class; this position requires a commitment to and passion for social, economic and racial justice.
• Excellent community organizing skills; demonstrated success in organizing, strategizing, and following through on organizing campaigns.
• At least two years of experience developing and leading trainings on community organizing concepts and techniques within oppressed communities.
• Excellent individual and group communication skills (written and verbal); finesse in applying these skills across a range of relationships and environments, including with program participants, co-workers, and other colleagues in the field.
• Strong program planning and evaluation skills.
• Ability to handle a variety of projects and assignments at once with attention to detail.
• Excellent time management, project management, and delegation skills.
• Ability to work both independently and as a team member.
• Ability to apply creative and critical thinking to improve existing programming.
• Familiarity with the New Orleans public school system and local government preferred.
• Experience designing and executing Youth Participatory Action Research projects preferred.
• Comfort working in underserved communities of color.
• Knowledge of youth development models and experience supporting leadership development of young people.
IV. Compensation: $35,000 - $40,000 plus benefits depending on experience.
To apply, please submit a cover letter and resume to dire...@vayla-no.org by Tuesday, July 3, 2012.
Minh Thanh Nguyen
Executive Director, Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association of New Orleans
Fellow, 2012 New Leaders Council Institute
Board Member, Asian Pacific American Society of New Orleans
Board Member, JACL - New Orleans Chapter
Board Member, EngageNOLA
4646 Michoud Blvd. Suite D2
New Orleans, LA 70129-1816
minhn...@vayla-no.org | www.vayla-no.org
Office: 504-253-6000
Fax: 504-754-7762
Cell: 504-931-5878
Follow us:
www.vayla-no.org
www.facebook.com/vaylano
www.twitter.com/vaylanola
www.youtube.com/vaylano
Minh Thanh Nguyen
Executive Director, Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association of New Orleans
Fellow, 2012 New Leaders Council Institute
Board Member, Asian Pacific American Society of New Orleans
Board Member, JACL - New Orleans Chapter
Board Member, EngageNOLA
4646 Michoud Blvd. Suite D2
New Orleans, LA 70129-1816
minhn...@vayla-no.org | www.vayla-no.org
Office: 504-253-6000
Fax: 504-754-7762
Cell: 504-931-5878
Follow us:
www.vayla-no.org
www.facebook.com/vaylano
www.twitter.com/vaylanola
www.youtube.com/vaylano