Portland Housing Authority – Student Engagement Specialist

Support minority youth growing up in poverty to overcome systemic inequality! Serve with our community education spaces in low-income housing around Portland, ME. Grow your skills & experience as an educator, mentor, and leader.

Together with its community partners, the Portland Housing Authority (PHA) provides and expands affordable housing and services that improve quality of life, build community, enhance safety, and promote personal success for the people served and the neighborhoods in which they reside. AmeriCorps members at PHA serve in one of the organization’s three education centers, where the collective goal is to help students succeed. Afternoons are drop-in time for youth and blend academic support with social emotional engagement and creative expression. The centers are communal spaces for educational assistance for residents of all ages, resource centers for exploring post-secondary opportunities, and hubs for youth leadership development and community service. Members are responsible for supervising and maintaining a safe, comfortable environment where students of all ages and developmental levels can thrive both academically and socially. Members work together with staff to plan and facilitate supplemental educational and aspirational programming as well as build and maintain relationships with families, volunteers, service providers, and schools. Mentoring is the backbone of our programming with intentional efforts to support basic needs beyond academic support such as food access, social emotional support, and life skills development.

GoodHealth Works AmeriCorps places members with community organizations in Maine to address CDC-determined public health needs for the most underserved populations. PHA members increase social-emotional skills and academic engagement among youth, including immigrant and refugee youth, who have been impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Members are responsible for maintaining a safe environment where marginalized students of all ages and developmental levels can thrive. Members serve alongside staff in our public housing communities to plan and lead supplemental educational and aspirational programming, while building and maintaining relationships with families, volunteers, service providers, and schools. Mentoring is central to our programming with intentional efforts to support basic needs beyond academic support (food access, social emotional support, and life skills development). 

As the Student Engagement Specialist, the AmeriCorps member(s) in this role will:

• Conduct community outreach through multiple channels, including social media marketing, website updates and push notifications, newsletter content creation, door-to-door outreach and flyering, and phone calls and text messaging
• Support food security and nutrition initiatives, including assisting food pantries and distributions, preparing, delivering, and serving meals, and facilitating cooking and nutrition education classes
• Develop, implement, and evaluate enrichment activities based on youth needs and interests
• Encourage parent and family engagement through regular communication and programming
• Provide direct service to diverse youth through after-school, summer, and drop-in programming
• Facilitate youth development opportunities, including teen leadership development, soft skills and academic enrichment, literacy and educational activities, and sports and physical enrichment
• Assist in delivering community-based services, including, community meals and food distributions, healthy snacks and USDA meal programs, mental health awareness and destigmatization activities, computer literacy and digital skills support, and English language learning support for adult participants
• Collaborate with community partners, schools, and organizations to expand programming and resources
• Support capacity-building efforts, including strengthening family engagement initiatives, building partnerships with nonprofits and schools, and assisting with grant writing and program development
• Serve alongside the Education Specialists and Service Coordinators to connect youth and families with supportive services and referrals
• Maintain daily upkeep of program space, including sweeping, mopping, cleaning surfaces, and organizing materials

In addition to AmeriCorps benefits, including a stipend, education award, and health insurance, site benefits include mileage reimbursement for host site required travel, free groceries though our food pantries and food distributions, free tax preparation for income qualified members, bus passes for members who rely on public transit for host site required travel, and opportunities catered to member specific goals to learn more about affordable housing development, subsidy program management, non-profit work, grant writing and management, trauma informed practices, social services work, federal compliance, and more.

Already have a MyAmeriCorps account and want to apply for this specific role? You can find that listing on MyAmeriCorps here.