Youth Power Strategist

Make the Road States (MRstates) is the national home for the second-generation Make the Road family of organizations in Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Nevada, this in addition to New York, that serves to uplift the voices of working-class, immigrants, women, LGBTQIA people, and people of color across the Make the Roads umbrella. From an operational spectrum it serves as the Finance and Human Resources Compliance Officers for the umbrella at large.

Make the Road Connecticut is a statewide organization that builds the power of immigrants and low-income Latinx in Hartford and Bridgeport to achieve dignity and justice. We do this by community organizing, legal and survival services, transformative education, and policy innovation. We tackle the issues that directly impact our communities of color: immigration reform, economic justice, education equity, LGBTQ justice, womxn’s justice and youth justice. Make the Road Connecticut is a project of Make the Road States.

Make the Road Action (MRA), a 501(c)(4) organization is committed to building power for justice in immigrant and low-income working-class communities of color. MRA operates in five states - New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Nevada, and Pennsylvania. We work to create social change, connect voters to the candidates and issues that are most important to them, and work hands-on in a fast-paced environment to create long-term impact in the communities that need it most.

Current Opening:

The entry level Youth Power Strategist develops and grows an ambitious program that centers youth leadership and decision making. Youth Power Strategist fosters relationships with students in the K-12 ages as well as with Bridgeport Public school district staff. The Youth Power Strategist works to grow the Youth Power Committee. This position reports to the Co-Deputy Director.

Key Responsibilities but not limited to:

• Plan and facilitate youth power committee meetings and work with members to facilitate meetings
• Develop and lead a SSC pilot program in MRCT office that includes, but not limited, the following: Schedule one-on-one and group support to navigate the college and financial aid application process including monthly financial aid clinics, weekly college access/readiness workshops, college tours, and campus-wide college awareness events.
• Build relationship with staff from the Bridgeport Public School district
• Create outreach materials for presentations at schools
• Participate in school based and partner meetings, events and activities as needed
• Coordinate and conduct outreach for workshops/events for parents and guardians to foster a high level of parent engagement in the college process
• Develop and implement a campaign to win a College and Career Readiness Program at Bridgeport Public Schools (BPS) for the school year 2025-2026, following the Make The Road’s Student Success Center (SSC) model
• Lead the Summer Youth Academy
• Given the experience meets the yearly requirements of base building and leadership development to grow the youth organizing following the organizer standards of an entry level organizer.
• Meet any grant deliverables
• Attend all required staff meetings and trainings
• Work with the Organizing team to meet goals for; team events, actions or various activities that will move the organizational vision forward and make a positive impact on the organizational health.

Requirements:

• Eligible to work in the US
• Have a minimum of an Associate Degree or Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
• Demonstrated commitment to social justice, community organizing, leadership development and the elevation of directly impacted and marginalized people to create change
• Speaking and writing in English/Spanish is required.
• At least 2-3 years of experience in community, labor, or other relevant organizing fields.
• Experience in leading and winning issue campaigns or other related campaign experience.
• A driver’s license and a car is required.
• Be open to working evenings and weekends
• A high level of self-motivation and a proven ability to work independently as well as collaboratively;
• Ability to manage work in a fast-paced environment at a growing organization.
• Ability to travel between Hartford and Bridgeport when necessary.
• Required to be fully vaccinated with COVID-19 vaccine prior to employment at MRCT/MRStates.
• Required to work from home and satellite offices as needed.

Job Competencies:

• Self-starter with strong organizational skills and strong attention to detail
• Be highly professional and team oriented with a passion for excellence and eagerness to help the department meet our goals.
• Ability to multi-task, prioritize, and complete assignments under strict deadlines with minimal supervision in a fast paced environment.
• Ability to work under pressure required.
• Have a working knowledge of spreadsheets, Microsoft Office suite, and using a database (ideally Salesforce) to run reports.
• Flexible work schedule, some evenings or weekends required
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• High level of accountability and initiative; needs to be a self-starter and eager to do team work to support the organization as a whole

Salary and Benefits:

MRStates offers an excellent benefit package including health insurance, 401K, and generous paid vacation, sick, personal days. The salary range for this position is from $55,700 to $64,700.

Make the Road believes that social change is best achieved through grassroots community-based organizing that flows directly from and engages the community demanding the change. As a membership-based organization, we are committed to providing equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, criminal history, or Veteran status. We strongly encourage those from historically excluded groups to apply.