Description

Open Books seeks an enthusiastic team member passionate about literacy in the City of Chicago to serve as its Youth Programs Coordinator. This role supports Open Books’ mission and work by implementing literacy programs and distributing resources that support youth and their families in resource withheld communities of Chicago. The Youth Programs Coordinator will be responsible for facilitating engaging learning experiences for elementary and middle school-aged children in Open Books’ priority neighborhoods, through programs such as our After School Youth Program, Open Books Mobile activations, and on- and off-site literacy workshops. Priority neighborhoods for these programs will primarily include North Lawndale, Little Village, and Englewood. They will join a team of 31 staff members who seek to transform lives through reading, writing, and the unlimited power of books. The Youth Programs Coordinator reports to the Literacy Programs Manager.

Core Responsibilities 

• Support the Open Books Program Team in goals, strategies and new literacy initiatives focusing on elementary and middle school aged students in in-school and out of school settings.  
• Develop and implement youth-centered literacy programming for elementary and middle school aged children and their families in line with Open Books’ goals and in response to community needs. Programming for this position includes, but is not limited to:
  • Coordination and instruction of the After-School Youth Program
  • Creating and leading interactive workshops and literacy experiences at partner 
    schools, community organizations, and events in North Lawndale, Little Village, and Englewood; collaboration with community partners to create and present engaging youth literacy experiences.
  • Support the creation and activation of multigenerational literacy experiences for Open Books Mobile in collaboration with the Education and Community Engagement teams.
• Coordinate logistics and communication with youth program families, schools, community organizations, and other relevant programmatic partners.
• Work alongside the Education and Community Engagement teams on executing outreach initiatives, strategies, and opportunities for youth literacy 
  engagement.  
• Support evaluation to measure impact and effectiveness of Open Books’ literacy curriculum and programs, in collaboration with Literacy Programs Manager, to meet Open Books’ education goals.
• Collaborate with the Book Access team to ensure that book access is embedded into all literacy programming and events, and that culturally relevant and developmentally appropriate books are included in all program curriculum.  
• Dedicate consistent weekend and occasional evening hours to special programs and other opportunities.
• Help to ensure the overall health, vitality, and positive morale of Open Books.
• Uphold and regularly demonstrate the core values of Open Books: Accountability, Collaboration, Empowerment, Ingenuity, and Respect. 

Requirements

• 2 years of experience and enthusiasm for developing curriculum for and working with youth audiences (elementary and middle school) and their families in an out of school capacity.  
• Enthusiasm for engaging multigenerational community members through literacy and representing Open Books to public audiences.
• Ability to be physically present at multiple program sites in North Lawndale, Little Village, Englewood, and other priority communities.
• Ability to work independently and hold self accountable for deadlines and deliverables
• Ingenuity in developing innovative, youth-driven, and community responsive ways to engage with literacy.
• Experience collaborating with youth-serving community organizations.
• Ability to communicate and collaborate across organizational departments and external partners  
• Proficiency in various technology platforms, including Google Suite (i.e., Gmail, Drive, Forms, Docs, Sheets)
• Detail orientation, especially related to scheduling and managing multiple projects simultaneously
• Knowledge of and passion for children’s literature from early readers through middle grades.  
• Consistent weekend and evening availability to deliver literacy programs.
• Preferred: Background in elementary and middle school education in school or out of school settings or similar field.  
• Preferred: Spanish fluency  
• 40 hour work week with a hybrid work schedule with in-person attendance at the North Lawndale office required on Tuesdays and Thursdays for team meetings and after school program delivery. The Education Team works from home 1-2 days a week.  
• Weekend availability required for scheduled youth literacy programs, workshops, and events.
• Attendance required at Open Books Slide Into Summer (June) and Lit Fest (August) signature events.