Details
Date: Approximately 06/22/2021 – ~08/21/2021
Hours per week: Up to 30 hours/ week
Salary: $14.75 – $15 per hour
Application: Send a cover letter and resume to David Meshoulam at [email protected]. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please include “TUTC 2021 Team Leader” in the subject line.
Information about Speak for the Trees
Speak for the Trees (SFTT) is a non-profit organization committed to improving the size and health of the urban tree canopy in Boston, especially in areas with low canopy coverage. We aim to achieve our mission through community projects at the neighborhood level. We believe that change happens when residents have ownership over their urban spaces and feel empowered to take action. Through partnerships and shared best practices, we create customized programs according to the unique needs, geography, and structure of each neighborhood. SFTT envisions a city with a healthy tree canopy that takes into account issues of equity such as diversity, race, socioeconomic status, and geography. In addition, SFTT advocates for updated municipal policies governing tree planting, neighborhood prioritization, and length of care to ensure trees are efficiently planted and strategically placed in communities that need them most.
Program Description
The Teen Urban Tree Corps (TUTC) is a youth summer employment program for approximately 20 Boston teens (ages 15-18) through the City of Boston’s Department of Youth Engagement and Employment (YEE) and John Hancock’s MLK Scholars Program. For this summer’s program teens will engage in a hands-on active learning program in which they will receive invaluable job skills and connections in the world of urban forestry. Focus will be placed on providing teens with job training and skill development in issues related to urban forestry and arboriculture. TUTC participants will create urban forest plans for a small area in Boston and engage with workforce development workshops which will allow them to bring experience to future positions in urban forestry. Youth will be trained to assess tree health, identify species, consider site characteristics, log data, plant and maintain trees, and use iTree technology.
Team Leader Responsibilities
Working under the direction of SFTT’s staff and the TUTC Program Coordinator, the TUTC Team Leader will supervise the TUTC participants. For approximately 20 hours per week, the Team Leader will work with and oversee a 4-5 person group of teens. An additional 5-10 hours per week will be spent assisting the Program Coordinator with planning curriculum and preparing material. The Team Leader will be required to complete 1 week of training in June in advance of the beginning of the program.
The Team Leader will:
- Attend a week of onboarding in June
- Assist with orientation of TUTC participants
- Assist in leading daily TUTC youth meetings
- Establish daily objectives and day-to-day area plans for TUTC Teams
- Assist coordinator in mobilizing, monitoring, and tracking TUTC team progress
- Participate in weekly TUTC staff meetings
- Establish daily objectives and day-to-day area plans for TUTC teams
- Mobilize, monitor, and track TUTC team progress
- Assist in developing educational activities, workshops, and networking events
Qualifications
Requirements:
- Experience working in diverse communities
- Experience working with or leading groups of youth
- Ability to work and solve problems independently
- Willingness to engage with residents and neighborhood representatives
- Commitment to issues of public health, environmental justice, and racial equity
Helpful Experience:
- Experience supervising and/or teaching youth preferred
AND/OR - Experience in tree care, arboriculture, or landscaping preferred
- Background or interest in environmental or sustainability issues and education
Please Note: In order to be eligible to for a program that involves potential unsupervised contact with children, applicants will be required to undergo a Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) check and a Sex Offender Registry Information (SORI) check.
SFTT celebrates justice, equity, diversity and inclusion.
We are committed to building a team that represents diverse backgrounds, perspectives, & skills.
Individuals from underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply.
