Fall Success Mentor at After School Community School PS34 (62327)

## Fall Success Mentor at After School Community School PS34

University Settlement partners with 40,000+ New Yorkers in Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn every year to build on our collective strengths as we achieve healthy, stable, and remarkable lives. For nearly 140 years, we’ve fought poverty and systemic inequality by building highly effective social services in collaboration with our neighbors. Established in 1886 as the first Settlement House in the United States, we bring the values of that movement into the 21st century by meeting New Yorkers where they live, listening deeply to all perspectives, and creating space for responsive cooperation.

Joining with our neighbors to make stable foundations where people of all ages can grow and pursue their dreams, we build community strength. We infuse a commitment to civic engagement, equality, and communal action into each of our programs, which include early childhood education, youth development, healthy aging, mental health and wellness, English classes for adult immigrants, community centers, and the arts.

**What is a Success Mentor?**

Success Mentors partner with severely chronically absent and chronically absent youth to address the barriers that keep them from attending school every day. They are caring adults that support students and help them reach their educational goals.

**Rationale**

One in five New York City students is chronically absent, missing more than 18+ days of school during the school year. Missing school drastically affects a student's learning and outcomes in academics and connectedness with their community.

Research shows that chronically absent students who have been assigned a Success Mentor gain, on average, attend 13+ days of school compared to the year prior. The significant jump helps students exit chronic absenteeism. Students who attend school regularly and are not chronically absent are more likely to have higher GPAs, more likely to attend college, and feel more connected to their school community.

**Responsibilities:**

• Meet individually with assigned mentees for at least 5-10 minutes weekly
• Provide academic support during classroom push-ins
• Connect mentee and their family network to internal and external resources based on their individual needs
• Communicate with parents/guardians about mentees progress and challenges daily/weekly
• Communicate with teachers weekly; stay abreast of mentees major projects/assignments/testing dates
• Review weekly attendance reports with the Community School Director and Social Worker
• Work with mentee to define and establish goals that will address the reasons for their severely chronically absent and chronically absenteeism, as well as any SEL needs during the school day
• Support the Attendance team with making and monitoring referrals
• Support the school and students during transition between class
• De-escalate situations and work with students on SEL activities to help them return to class
• Collect and maintain comprehensive, up-to-date, and accurate records, including attendance

**Qualifications:**

• Bachelors degree in arts, education, counseling or a related field preferred (HS diploma or HSE required)
• At least 2 years previous experience working with youth from diverse backgrounds
• Experience in conflict resolution, crisis counseling, and de-escalation strategies
• Strong background in program development, arts, curriculum design, and lesson plan writing
• Demonstrated cultural sensitivity
• Strong organizational, written, and verbal skills
• Self-directed and able to work as part of a team
• Creativity, flexibility, and commitment
• Bi-lingual Spanish a plus

**Work Schedule:** Partial Year Part Time, Monday - Friday, 9:00am - 3:00pm, 25 hours per week

*We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive community. We support a broadly diverse team who will contribute to our organization. We are an equal employment opportunity for all regardless of race, color, citizenship, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, veteran or reservist status, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law.*