Studio Justice Cohort Engagement Instructor

 

Studio Justice

Salary Range: $25.50/hr - 28.00/hr 

Hours: Contractor - up to 16 hours per week 

Expected Start Date: 11/8/24 

Expected End Date: 6/12/25

Location: All cohorts are held virtually/occasional in person

Created in 2015 by two Black women, ELSO Inc. provides culturally relevant education and leadership development opportunities that invite Youth of Color to Experience Life Science Outdoors (ELSO). Our mission is to teach and frame science and nature-based education through a lens that centers and elevates the stories, ways of knowing, individual needs, and lived experiences of Black and Brown communities. ELSO seeks to reduce the achievement gap in STEAMED (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math, Environment, Design) education and professions while creating a sense of belonging for Black, Indigenous and People of Color in the natural and built environments. ELSO uses a multi-cultural approach to STEAMED education that is rooted in environmental justice and cultural history. We are demonstrating a model for STEAMED education led by People of Color. 

ELSO’s Studio Justice (SJ) enables leadership and agency for youth ages 14-20 to use design as a tool for racial, social, economic and sustainable justice. SJ aims to expand our youth’s STEAMED career pathways to include the professions in the built environment while widening their exposure to green sector careers. Through this vital opportunity, participants will learn about their personal STEAM and social economic identities as well as be introduced, educated and mentored in designing public spaces, the power of place, and health equity for under-resourced communities. 

There are no student fees for Studio Justice program events. Instead, we ensure participants receive a scholarship stipend as a just and direct response to historic barriers, constraints and lack of investment and resources that keep Black and Brown community from pursuing careers in the Architectural, Engineering, Construction, and Design (AECD) industry. 

The Cohort Engagement Instructor (CE Instructor) will report to the Lead Instructor and receive guidance from the Program Administrator. The CE Instructor’s main responsibilities will be focused on supporting communication with any internal and external communication, which includes but is not limited to cohort participants, parents of participants, guests speakers, panelists, and team communication. 

Instructors cultivate a positive affirming culture for participants to imagine, vision and develop designs for future communities. CE Instructors will cultivate a positive and affirming culture for participants to imagine and develop their ideas into projects. CE Instructors will lead Engagement 8-9 weeks of cohorts consisting of 15-18 young adults between the ages of 14-20. The CE Instructors will be in charge of coordinating with guest professionals, panelists, and any visitors of the cohort. 

2828 NE Alberta St

Portland, OR 97211 

jobs@campelso.org 

With the supervision and guidance of the PA and Lead Instructor, CE Instructors will teach and demonstrate Studio Justice program values, lead participants in restorative justice practice for conflict resolution. ELSO temporary staff members and volunteers are responsible and positive role models who reflect the diversity of the cohort participants. 

Work with Program Administrator and Lead Instructor to develop the syllabus & curriculum, collaboration with community partners, youth participant recruitment, and any public events. 

● Weekly responsibilities: work with Lead Instructor to manage PowerPoint slides, manage documents (cohort outlines, participant work, etc), and aid in guest instructors’ material and setup. 

● Support the PA in Identifying key industry and community leaders to be guest instructors. ● Support coordination of team meetings and ensure all documents and contracts are established with the ELSO Special Operations Team. 

● Support logistics and planning of the public Vital Voices final presentation (ie, outreach to schools, youth, parents, etc., for the success of attendance). 

Instruct class of up to 15 youth participants over 8 weeks 

● Be in charge of recording each zoom session and storing them in the ELSO cloud storage, encouraging “camera on” meetings. 

● Be responsible for setting up Zoom links, storage of Zoom recordings, and preparing all materials (PowerPoints, weekly cohort outline). 

● Ensure cohort session and general outline align. 

● Solicit and respond to feedback from youth participants to continue to grow the cultural competency of the program. 

● Participant Mail: 

○ Youth Design Kit: Ensure kits materials  are delivered and communicate issues or concerns to PD and PA  

● Weekly cohort recap email: 

○ CE Instructor will be responsible for sending weekly recaps of the cohort to you, recapping topics covered, links shared, and any information discussed during the session that needs to be shared. ● Guest Coordination: with support from the Lead Instructor, CE Instructor will be responsible for coordinating with guests who align with the weekly subject, as well as facilitating the communication process for candidates and selected panelists for the final week presentation. 

● Support the PA with parent and family communication regarding participants 

● Coordinate with Operations Team to submit paperwork and billing information for participant stipends, guest speaker honorariums, partner payments, purchasing, etc. 

● Support administrative and technical training/support to guest educators, instructors, and youth 

● Enforce Community Agreements as needed, follow behavioral management and safety protocols, assume responsibility for behavioral management of participants and problem solving issues as they arise using a Restorative Justice approach 

2828 NE Alberta St

Portland, OR 97211 

jobs@campelso.org 

● Ensure health and safety of participants (including emotional, and physical well being) with practices such as listening, watching, reporting any safety or behavior issues that interfere with youth’s ability to participate fully in the program 

● Positively represent ELSO, Inc. and support the ongoing health and vitality of the organization as a whole ● Maintain professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops, reviewing professional publications, establishing personal networks, participating in professional societies, etc. 

● Support maintenance of ELSO branding, supplies, office space, and administrative systems by understanding and following policies, processes, and procedures for supply organization, file storage and naming conventions, branding guidelines, communications logs, departmental budgets, purchase and reimbursement requests, etc. 

● Be friendly, accessible, and responsive to the public in all aspects of job duties, including communicating professionally and knowledgeably about ELSO Inc.’s mission, fundraising efforts, and programming. ● Commit to following ELSO, Inc.’s approach to problem-solving both internally as well as with partners, contractors, volunteers, program participants, funders, donors, and the general public. 

● Other duties as assigned 

● 21 High School Graduate, or GED complete, can be currently in college, with design experience ● Experience in learning, designing, and implementing curriculum and programming for youth ages 14-20 ● Volunteer and/or work experience with youth ages 14-20 in an after school or classroom setting and/ or outdoor setting 

● Experience working with culturally competent lessons and activities for Youth of Color from diverse backgrounds 

● Proficiency with, or willingness to learn, Zoom, Adobe Acrobat, Google applications such as gmail, drive, docs, sheets, slides, forms, etc., as well as presentation and instructional software such as Miro and Sketchup. ● Must be able to pass a background check as required by the Oregon Department of Education for positions that work directly with youth (Oregon State Department of Education Disqualifying Crimes 342.143) and have a clean driving record for 1 year prior to application 

● Passion and experience in guiding BIPOC youth through student-driven learning experiences ● Experience in Design/ Construction Industries including, but not limited to: architecture, engineering, landscape, development, planning, construction 

● Familiarity with Justice & Design Frameworks including Critical Race Theory, Trauma Informed Care, Design as Protest, and Black Space Manifesto 

● Flexible Schedule ● Intuitive Holiday Schedule ● ELSO will supply subscriptions to required 

software 

Send a resume and communication of interest (cover letter, email and videos are accepted) to jobs@campelso.org