Youth Development Coordinator

Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition (MFFC) grew out of an effort to draw on the wonderful ethnic and cultural diversity of the Mattapan community to promote a healthy living environment, with a focus on access to healthy foods and the promotion of physical fitness for all ages. Positive changes in these areas complement other efforts to decrease health problems like diabetes, heart disease, obesity and other health conditions that plague our community. MFFC is a fiscally sponsored organization of Third Sector New England, Inc. (TSNE) (tsne.org). 

Mission Statement: MFFC builds intergenerational leadership within Mattapan’s Black and Brown community to advocate for equitable access to healthy foods and opportunities for physical activity

Vision: Mattapan is a thriving and healthy community.

Values: Equity & Antiracism, Health + Wellness, Community Ownership + Empowerment, Relationship Building Grounded in Trust, Respect, Youth Power.

The Youth Development Coordinator will lead and support the expansion of the Vigorous Youth program; strengthening the workforce readiness component of the program, strategically engaging with our partner organizations to provide more opportunities for Vigorous Youth to learn about healthcare and public health, and prepare them for a career in health.

Vigorous Youth are youth in the community aged 14-19 who have an interest in the Mattapan community and want to make a meaningful impact. Our Vigorous Youth program supports young people who work to implement health promotion activities and advocate for positive changes in the community. This includes sharing their unique perspectives and ideas on topics such as health and wellness, environmental factors that support a healthy community, and transportation. Youth are given opportunities to plan and implement health promotion.

The core responsibilities will be program development and implementation, program administration and supervision, operations, and program support. This position will play a key role in fostering meaningful connections between our youth, our organization, and the Mattapan community. The ideal person has an interest in fostering, developing, and empowering youth voices. The ideal person is also one who is a creative thinker with excellent communication skills and a deep understanding of community dynamics. Duties and projects will change over time. The Youth Development Coordinator will report directly to the Youth Development Manager.

This is a grant-funded position, funded by the Atrius Health Equity Foundation, will end in 5 years.

Essential Functions

Administrative

• Co-lead in the strategic direction and growth of the youth programs alongside the Youth Development Manager.
• Work alongside the Youth Development Manager in the planning and implementation of academic year and summer planning which includes recruitment, hiring, curriculum building, keeping track of financials, marketing and communications of the program, etc
• Maintain program records, files, and documentation and submit documentation promptly
• Support the organization's fundraising efforts and any other internal efforts that may arise
• Lead and/or attend MFFC public meetings
• Represent MFFC at related meetings, councils, coalitions, boards, etc, and share MFFC position at the city, state, and national level where appropriate
• Supervise 1-2 volunteers and/or interns
• Any other related duties as assigned

Programs

• Professional Development + Career Readiness:
• Co-lead with the Youth Development Manager to develop the career readiness component of the Vigorous Youth program which includes curriculum development, partnership building, collaboration, evaluation, etc
• Research and implement professional development opportunities
• Support and guide youth in the implementation of events, activities, and programs they may want to create
• Food Access + Nutrition Education:
• Farm Stand
• Lead or co-lead the Vigorous Youth in the setup, implementation, and breakdown of the farm stand
• Lead or co-lead harvesting days at Brookwood Community Farm
• Farmers’ Market
• Work with the Food Access Team and Youth Development Manager to lead the Vigorous Youth in the implementation of the Mattapan Square Farmers Market
• Attend farmer's market planning committee meetings
• Gardening
• Assist in the maintenance of the community gardens and food forests that the organization helps to support
• Nutrition Education
• Work with our nutrition partners to expand youth’s knowledge around nutrition and create ways for youth to share this learnings with the community.
• Physical Activity + Transportation Advocacy:
• Assist in the creation and implementation of bike repair workshops and walk audits
• Support youth in transportation advocacy efforts which include creating surveys, distributing surveys, and data analysis
• Lead or assist in the collection and evaluation of data collected during transportation-related activities and programs
• Help plan physical activity and transportation advocacy events
• Create resident-informed opportunities where residents can be involved in the transportation planning activities that are happening in the City of Boston such as public meetings
• Assist in the marketing and communications around transportation advocacy and happenings

Other related duties as assigned.

We will consider exceptional candidates who demonstrate a strong combination of the specific qualifications and skills described below.

• A bachelor’s or associate degree in a related field and 3 years’ experience working with middle school and high school youth in urban settings and running a youth-related program or 4-5 years’ experience working with middle school and high school youth in urban settings and running youth-related programs in urban settings
• Is familiar with the challenges and assets of Mattapan or similar communities
• Flexible and able to work Saturdays and evenings
• Interest in youth development, food justice, transportation justice, and/or community-based work
• Ability to form relationships and communicate appropriately with parents/adult caregivers and set appropriate boundaries and relationships with youth
• Comfortable representing MFFC at MFFC-related activities and engaging with the community
• Able to use PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Constant Contact, social media, Canva, etc
• Willingness to be a co-learner; demonstrated comfort with ambiguity (recognizes that youth bring talents/skills/knowledge, and they have to stretch out of doing what's comfortable; food access and transportation)
• Able to work independently, take initiative, and work collaboratively with diverse groups of people
• Some familiarity with restorative practices; problem-solving and conflict resolution
• Possesses strong organizational skills oral, written, and communication skills
• Detailed-oriented and able to complete work by deadlines
• Ability to be a future-forward thinker and to think outside the box
• Bilingual (Haitian Creole and/or Spanish) or willing to learn
• Able to travel via public transit, car, bike

Please note that MFFC is an active organization. Staff participate in physical activity i.e. biking, gardening, farming, walking, etc.

Physical Demands/Work Environment

The physical demands described here are representative of those for this position. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. Work is performed in an office environment and in close proximity to other workers.

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is required to:

• Handle, or feel objects, tools or controls;
• Reach; traverse; sit (usually for longer periods of time); occasionally ascend/descend; and position self (to) move;
• Occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds;
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate;
• Job is not subject to significant occupational or environmental hazards;
• Likelihood of personal injury would be relatively slight;
• Environmental and work hazards are not present to a measurable degree.

Compensation and Benefits

Location: Work will be primarily performed Hybrid - onsite in Mattapan, MA. 

Compensation: The hourly range for this position is $19.00 - $22.00/hour and is commensurate with experience.

Schedule: Temporary part-time with the possibility to increase hours. Expected to work some evenings and weekends to accommodate youth and community availability

Benefits: This position is eligible for a full benefits package including:

• Generous Paid-Time-Off (PTO): twelve paid holidays, three weeks of vacation, one week of personal holiday, and ability to accrue up to 487.5 hours of health leave time for benefited staff.
• 80% Employer-paid, offering some $0 deductible Health Insurance through Harvard Pilgrim along with several low-deductible plans;
• Low-cost Guardian Dental and Vision.
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) for Health and Dependent Care.
• Employer-paid Life, Long- and Short-Term Disability Insurance.
• Employer-paid Pension and Employee-paid 403b plan through TIAA.
• ...and more!

TSNE/MFFC strives to achieve excellence through a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment that embraces all of our individual and collective differences. Black, Indigenous, People of Color, Middle Eastern and North African, Bilingual and/or Bicultural candidates, and LGBTQ2SIA+ candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. We value and honor the unique talents, learning styles, and lived experiences of each individual that enrich and strengthen our workplace culture, and we are proud to be an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer.

All employment conditions are based on an individual’s performance and job qualifications. TSNE/MFFC prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, creed, color, religion, native language, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, physical or mental disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, parental status, pregnancy, race-based hairstyles, or any other protected characteristic stated by federal and state law. Regardless of any class’ protection under the law or lack thereof, TSNE/MFFC celebrates diversity and values the strengths that come with having a diverse team of employees. It is represented in our workplace culture, and it is who we are.

TSNE/MFFC's EEO statement extends to volunteers, interns, contractors, vendors, and clients.