Summer Youth Employment Program Administrative Assistant

About DreamYard

DreamYard, founded in 1994, is a Bronx-based organization that uses the arts, social justice pedagogy, and digital and connected learning to inspire youth, public schools, and communities. DreamYard’s yearlong arts programs develop artistic voices, nurture young people’s desire to make change, and cultivate the skills necessary to reach positive goals. By committing to sustained learning opportunities along an educational pathway, with 45 partnering public schools K-12th Grade, with our own DY Prep HS School and at the DreamYard Art Center in Morrisania, DreamYard supports young people as they work toward higher learning, meaningful careers, and social action. We seek to be effective locally while having a national impact through partnerships, collaboration, and learning exchanges.

Position Description

DreamYard is currently accepting applications for a part-time, seasonal Summer Youth Employment Program Administrative Assistant (SYEP Administrative Assistant) to work on the Legacy & Internships Programs team, ensuring a high-quality and DYCD-compliant preparation, launch, operation, and audit of the Summer Youth Employment Program. This position reports to the Associate Director of Legacy & Internship Programs; responsibilities include a balance of independent data entry and direct communication with high school-aged participants. The ideal candidate is self-motivated, highly organized, skilled in communication, and committed to youth development. The SYEP Administrative Assistant will work 10-20 hours per week from early April through mid-August.

Responsibilities

• Support the LIP team to ensure DYCD-compliance through three phases of SYEP: 

• Preparation phase: assist with the coordination, execution, and tracking of participant recruitment, participant enrollment, and document collection efforts

• Program phase: coordinate, conduct, and process worksite assessments

• Audit phase: analyze and prepare DYCD documentation for audit

• Collect and input program-related data into databases and spreadsheets, ensuring completeness and accuracy; handle confidential information appropriately and with care

• Conduct outreach and respond to participant inquiries regarding program logistics, systems, pay, and documentation; provide timely and accurate information

• Maintain regular communication with program staff and participants via email and phone 

• Perform other administrative tasks as assigned by program supervisors

Qualifications

• Commitment to arts education, social justice, and the broader DreamYard mission; experience in the arts education sector is preferred, but not required

• Excellent organizational and time management skills, with the ability to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines

• Acute attention to detail and willingness to take on meticulous tasks

• Strong verbal, written, and interpersonal skills, especially in communication with youth

• Self-motivation and self-advocacy; ability to balance independent work and problem solving with a willingness to ask for support or clarification when needed

• Proficiency in Google Suite (Docs, Sheets, etc.) and prior experience with databases

• Willingness to travel via public transit to visit worksites

• Familiarity with SYEP or other DYCD-funded programs strongly preferred

• Bilingual skills (English/Spanish) strongly preferred

How to Apply

Click the “apply for the position" link and submit a resume and DreamYard-specific cover letter. 

DreamYard is an equal-opportunity employer. DreamYard prohibits unlawful discrimination against any employee or applicant for employment based on race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, age, national origin, genetic characteristics, disability, status as a special disabled veteran or veteran, marital status, sexual orientation, sexual identity or any other basis prohibited by law.

More Information

This is a temporary part-time non-exempt position that will be expected to work 10-20 hours per week from April 1, 2025-August 9, 2025. The compensation for the SYEP Administrative Assistant is $22.00 per hour. 

COVID19 Protocol

Please note that proof of vaccinations will be required as a DreamYard COVID-19 health and safety protocol.

Employment Policy

DreamYard is committed to the principles of arts education, educational reform, and social justice, and fashions its programs to specifically address the needs of urban communities that are typically underrepresented because of race, sex, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Accordingly, we welcome and encourage applications from a diverse range of individuals. Bronx-based and Spanish-speaking applicants are strongly encouraged to apply. DreamYard Project, Inc. employs without regard to race, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, age, disability, or any other attributes not related to superior performance.

More about DreamYard and the SYEP Program

DreamYard Vision:

Building Artists- Building Community- Building Dreams- To change the world.

Anti-racism Commitment:

At DreamYard, we commit to being an anti-racist organization. We lead with race because we operate in a country founded on the genocide of Indigenous people, the enslavement of African people, and the oppression of countless others. We acknowledge the role this history plays in perpetuating inequity and dominant white culture.

We are intentionally building a path toward racial equity by:

• Challenging oppression and its intersections

• Using art and education as a platform to offer a hopeful vision of the future

• Identifying and uplifting the power and cultural assets that exist within our community of educators, artists, dreamers, young people, and life-long learners

• Encouraging the principles of justice, unity, equity, creativity, and joy

• Transforming policies, procedures, practices, and programs (for example: striving for transparency and equity in pay and compensation structures regardless of race, culture, gender, ethnicity, creed, etc.)

• Understanding our staff, community members, and partners are at different levels on the anti-racist continuum and embracing that we all have a place in this work

As a DreamYard employee, we invite you to join us on this journey.

Co-Executive directors Jason Duchin and Tim Lord founded DreamYard in 1994. Over the past quarter century, DreamYard has worked with more than 100 public schools and over 100,000 young people and families. DreamYard has developed a robust educational community in the Bronx – from its in-school partnerships and launch of the DreamYard Preparatory High School to its Out of School Programs at the DreamYard Art Center in the Morrisania neighborhood of the Bronx. Our role is to nurture, resource, encourage, inspire, and sometimes simply remind our community members of the power and endless possibilities that they hold. We do so by encouraging personal stories, acknowledging and working to change oppressive conditions, and fortifying each individual’s personal power to transform.

About the Program

DreamYard summer internship programs increase access to and equity in Creative Career Pathways for Bronx youth by…

• Providing real work experiences.

• Building career awareness, readiness, and confidence.

• Unlocking industry-specific knowledge, skills, and networks.

• Fostering a trusted community of peers, mentors, and creative leaders.

• Activating both current interests and untapped visions for the future.

Salary : $22