South Portland Middle School – Restorative Justice Fellow

Jump into the inner workings of a middle school! Mentor students, lead restorative practices, and foster a sense of connection, accountability, and community.

Two hours north of Boston, the city of South Portland, Maine, is uniquely situated between beautiful beaches to the east and the cultural hub and food-centric city of Portland 10 minutes to the north. Home to families who have lived in Maine for generations as well as hundreds of new Mainers from around the globe, South Portland is a welcoming community. In the fall of 2023, South Portland opened a brand-new middle school, serving students grades 5-8. It is a Community School, with embedded family and community programming at its center. We focus on being a student-centered, equity focused school with high expectations for learning AND joy!

As a Restorative Justice Fellow at South Portland Middle School, the member supports the school’s mission to foster a safe, respectful, and inclusive community for grades 5–8. By implementing evidence-based youth development strategies – including PBIS, restorative justice, and trauma-informed practices – the member addresses students’ social-emotional needs, helps reduce behavioral and emotional risk factors, and promotes resilience and positive relationships. Through mentoring, conflict mediation, student support plans, and collaboration with teachers and staff, the member strengthens the school’s capacity to provide targeted interventions and enrichment opportunities, advancing both student well-being and long-term public health outcomes for a diverse student population.

As a Restorative Justice Fellow (RJF), the AmeriCorps member in this role will:

• Facilitate cohort-based programming to engage middle school youth
• Create safe spaces for youth to take risks, reflect, and share personal experiences
• Keep student information confidential
• Encourage peer-to-peer engagement and inspire problem-solving and active listening skills
• Mentor and build relationships with a portfolio of youth using a strength-based approach
• Apply evidence-based strategies (e.g., Clover Model) to support youth development
• Promote social-emotional development and resilience through experiential learning, goal setting, and reflection
• Foster extended learning opportunities, college readiness, and career awareness
• Collect, track, and report data to inform programming and measure outcomes
• Develop and maintain relationships with parents, teachers, counselors, and community partners
• Connect students with intensive services such as mentoring, academic support, and community engagement projects
• Contribute to designing intentional program delivery systems for long-term youth engagement
• Support family engagement and foster safe, inclusive learning environments
• Develop a skilled network of caring adult and peer mentors

In addition to AmeriCorps benefits, including a stipend, education award, and health insurance, site benefits include access to South Portland Rec Facilities, including pool and gym, free admission to SPSD athletic events, free golf at South Portland’s 9-hole course, unlimited free coffee, and staff training and professional development.

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