What are the responsibilities and job description for the Activity Coordinator position at ZABS Place?
About Our Organization:
Friendship Circle, a sister affiliate of ZABS Place, is an organization with a unique approach to supporting children with special needs because our focus is on Friendship. We know that the power of a true friendship is greater than what can be accomplished by the best educators, therapists, and doctors. Though their peers may enjoy regular play-dates, children and teens with special needs often experience loneliness and isolation because of a lack of meaningful social opportunities.
Our programming is designed to fill this void by nurturing enduring and genuine friendships between those with special needs, our “Special Friends”, and typically-developing teens, our “Teen Friends”. We believe that everyone is created with a G-dly purpose and they have something to contribute to the world. We see our Special Friends as having the unique ability to influence our society and teach us what really matters in life. In fact, inspired by their Special Friends, many of our Teen Friends have felt more empowered to face peer-pressure and tackle stigmas they encounter in school or with their other friends.
Until recently, Friendship Circle did not have a dedicated building of its own. With group programs held in the multi-purpose rooms of a preschool or at specialty venues (bowling, skating, museums, etc.) we were limited in the number of friends we could include and the overall growth of our organization. We now have a brand new building with an indoor park, music & movement room, art room, and “hangout” library loft. The completion of our new “Inclusive Fun Zone” enables us to serve the Greater Charlotte community in ways which, until now, were never possible for us.
We’re ready to take our programming to a whole new level and are looking for an Activity Coordinator to help us maximize this opportunity. This position requires planning programs that foster connection and promote interaction between friends, offer quality fun for friends of different levels of ability, and create meaningful experiences for everyone involved.
Our Ideal Candidate Is:
- Adaptable
- Fun and Friendly
- A good communicator and well organized
- Comfortable taking initiative and ready to roll up their sleeves
- Experienced playing with differently-abled children and teens
- A creative thinker and detailed planner
- Respectful of a budget and can stretch dollars (or find them growing on trees ;-) )
- Comfortable with technology (Wordpress, Mailchimp, Canva, G-Suite, Social Media, etc.)
Activity Coordinator Responsibilities Include:
- Understanding Friendship Circle’s mission, vision, and unique approach and ensuring activities align.
- Becoming familiar with existing programs and the interests of our Friends.
- Planning & overseeing multiple weekly programs for a variety of ages and interest groups.
- Researching and scheduling program specialists/leaders and communicating the Friendship Circle culture to ensure success.
- Arranging for necessary supplies and setup.
- Creating/coordinating community volunteer involvement.
- Being comfortable working with leadership-oriented Teens.
- Collaborating and communicating with other staff in a leadership role.
- Working on Sundays to oversee weekend activities.
- Posting activities on various web-based channels including: Wordpress, Email, G-Suite, and Social Media platforms.
- Scaling programming to accommodate & foster growth.
If you're ready for a fun and meaningful job in a warm but professional environment, we'd love to meet you and see if we're a good fit.
