Mentor Corps Fellow: Big Cousin

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee

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Job Summary

JOB TITLE:  Mentor Corps Fellow     

REPORTS TO: Youth Engagement Manager

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: No

FLSA STATUS: Part-time, non-exempt

SALARY: $13.50/hour (20 hours/week)

LOCATION: Metro Nashville/Davidson County

 

BIGGER AND BETTER TOGETHER

About Us

For over 50 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee has served young people in the Middle TN region. Our work supports our belief that every child has the ability to succeed and thrive in life. Big Brothers Big Sisters makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers (Bigs) and youth (Littles). Through our commitment to quality, innovation, and the passion we have for our work, we develop and sustain positive, life-changing relationships that have a direct and lasting impact on the lives of our youth and the adults who mentor them.

Our Mission is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. As noted by our Vision, we are driven by a future in which all youth achieve their full potential.

WE ARE AN AGENCY THAT CELEBRATES DIFFERENCES

We show each other dignity through our partnerships, decisions, and language.

We intentionally engage, represent, and partner with our diverse communities.

We demonstrate our values by learning together with staff, board, volunteers, youth, families, and investors to think and act with sensitivity and intentionality.

Driven by the voice of our stakeholders, our agency develops responsive and respectful programming and builds strategic and thoughtful alliances.

We want people of all backgrounds to see themselves represented and included in our work, so we actively seek to diversify our team and bring more voices to the table. We know that teams perform at their highest when they feel supported and that they belong. Each of our team members brings unique perspectives and skills, and we are committed to building a culture where voices are heard, differences are celebrated, and everyone has the opportunity to do meaningful work. At Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle TN, you will be inspired by talented, passionate colleagues who will motivate you to do and be your best. We are bigger and better together! 

 

About the Role

Day to day: 

As a youth serving agency, we work at the request of the young people enrolled in our programs to find them the mentors that they want and need – mentors that can ignite and empower their promise and potential. In order to meet the needs of our clients – the youth we serve, we have launched a new initiative: The Mentor Corps Fellowship. The Mentor Corps Fellowship is a paid, paraprofessional fellowship that seeks to multiply the impact of highly-sought-after mentors by matching them 1-to-1 with multiple Littles in our program(s) and to eliminate the need for our clients to wait before experiencing the benefits of BBBS mentoring.

To this end, we are excited to be seeking candidates for a new BBBS mentoring initiative, Big Cousins. The Big Cousins initiative has been developed to respond to our Littles’ most frequent request: Bigs who truly relate to their experiences as Girls and Young Women of Color and who understand what it’s like to walk in their shoes

Using a near-peer mentoring model, a Big Cousin provides one-to-one mentoring to each member of a team of Littles during the pre-match period in our community-based program. Through meaningful, engaging, and culturally competent virtual interactions with each Little weekly and once a month group activities inspired by their team, a Big Cousin will:

• Build healthy relationships with each Little to promote positive development
• Create a sense of belonging on their “teams” by supporting peer relationships, personal growth, and encouraging the voice of each Little to lead in the process of creating and designing activities for engagement.

This Big Cousin will be responsible for assisting in development of focused programming for youth living in South Nashville and Rutherford County, including but not limited to Antioch, Smyrna, Murfreesboro, and LaVergne. Additionally, this Big Cousin will assist in completing intakes for families and youth enrolling into our programs.

Job Responsibilities

Key Responsibilities

• Engage with each Little weekly via virtual mentoring platforms.
• Find ways to cultivate and amplify youth voice on your team.
• Once a month, facilitate safe, entertaining, and engaging group activities inspired and/or planned by your team of Littles through various mentoring platforms for activities; not limited to: video gaming, outdoor sports, and designated social media.
• Develop activities to help expose youth to new connections and experiences.
• Be a supportive, positive role model.
• Exhibit open and affirming behavior and active listening.
• Apply best practices for child safety, interaction, and engagement with Littles
• Acknowledge Littles strengths, talents, and gifts and encourage them to find ways to use them.
• Display enthusiasm, patience, and understanding of Littles
• Maintain positive and productive relationships with parents.
• Participate in monthly match support with BBBS staff and accept coaching, feedback and training as needed
• Highlight the accomplishments and celebrate your Littles on designated and approved social media.
• In collaboration with Family and Child Coordinator, screen youth for BBBSMT programs as parents/guardians inquire, and signing them up for orientation when they meet eligibility requirements.
• Provide high-level customer service in all interactions with youth and families, connecting them with other family-oriented community partners as needed.

Qualifications

About You

This Job May Be For You…

• Women of Color between ages 18-24, (near-peer mentoring model)
• Previous experience mentoring in some capacity, e.g. school setting, neighborhood, sports team, younger family member
• Willingness to provide emotional, social, and practical support within limits
• Cultural competence
• Knowledge of one’s boundaries and ability to set limits with others
• Ambitious and goal driven
• Healthy identifiable lifestyle
• A commitment to the BBBS mission and core values

Qualifications

• Willingness to complete a background check and training (criminal background will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Criminal record will not automatically disqualify applicants.)
• Commitment to serve for 12 months after date of hire
• Ability to allocate 20 hours to program requirements
• Availability nights and weekends

Additional Information

Benefits

How to Apply

Additional Information

Americans with Disabilities Act

Employee must be able to perform all essential job functions, with or without reasonable accommodation.

BBBSMT Covid-19 Vaccination Policy

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle TN has implemented a mandatory vaccination policy effective June 8, 2021, requiring Covid-19 vaccination(s) for all new employees. All employees hired after June 8, 2021, must be vaccinated before their start date. If completion of the vaccination(s) is not possible prior to the start date, new employees must inform the agency’s Chief Operating Officer. Individuals seeking an exemption from this requirement for medical or religious reasons should request an accommodation form and submit the form to the Chief Operating Officer.

Job Responsibilities

The above statements reflect the general duties, responsibilities, and competencies necessary to perform the job's essential duties and responsibilities. They should not be regarded as a detailed description of all the work requirements of the position. BBBSMT may change the specific job duties with or without prior notice based on the organization's needs.

To see more of the impact we are making: http://www.mentorakid.org

If this sounds like the position and organization for you, please submit a resume to careers@mentorakid.org with “Your Name – Mentor Corps Fellow: Big Cousins” in the subject line. Please include in the email your response to the following question: Why is mentoring important?

No phone calls, please. Applicants selected for an interview will be contacted.

Big Brothers Big sisters of Middle Tennessee celebrates diversity and is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

Details

• Date Posted: November 16, 2021
• Type: Part-Time
• Job Function: Programs and Service Delivery
• Service Area: Children / Youth
• Salary Range: 13.50/hour