Overview

Friends of the Children – Utah is a nonprofit organization with more than 30 years of evidence showing that our innovative model works. Our mission is to impact generational change by empowering youth who face the greatest obstacles through relationships with professional mentors called "Friends." Moving mentorship beyond the volunteer realm, Friends – Utah commits to walk alongside youth from kindergarten through high school graduation, a 12+ year commitment, no matter what. Professional Mentors/Friends support youth to set and accomplish academic and individual developmental goals, while consistently navigating systemic barriers and the unique challenges they may face. Over the long-term, our goal is to ensure youth graduate from high school with a clear plan for what comes next (whether that's post-secondary education, employment, or military service), stay out of the juvenile justice system, set positive life goals, and build healthy, sustainable lifestyles. Ultimately, our long-term, trauma-informed approach supports youth to develop skills for self-sufficiency, break cycles of generational poverty and adversity, and grow to thrive as empowered members of society.

Basic Function:

A Friend works intensively with eight (8) children as a positive adult role model to develop a caring, trusting and sustained relationship with each child. For each child, a Friend will set positive expectations; nurture and promote their strengths, talents and abilities; help assure physical and emotional well-being; teach life and academic skills; provide enrichment activities; and model responsible behavior. A Friend will fully document youth and caregiver interactions and activities and participate in an ongoing evaluation process. Friends will work primarily one-on-one with their children. A Friend must also know, understand, honor and support the organization’s mission, vision, values, principles and policies, and be able to clearly articulate the organization’s function.

Essential Responsibilities

• Develop and sustain a long-term, caring, protective, and loving relationship with each child.
• Spend 3-4 hours each week with each of the 8 youth on your roster in home, school, and in the community.
• In collaboration with youth and caregivers, set goals and develop plans to meet those goals to ensure the development of each child’s strengths, talents, abilities, and needs.
• Teach life skills and help develop a talent/skill/area of interest with each child along with healthy habits to contribute both to basic development and learning, and to contribute to building positive self-esteem.
• Provide enrichment resources and activities that include opportunities for cultural awareness
• Support child’s development of behavioral management skills, emotional regulation, and prosocial behavior.
• Model and promote good problem solving and decision making skills.
• Develop positive relationships with families, teachers, and others involved in each child’s life
• Advocate to secure additional resources, opportunities, and services for youth as appropriate
• Assist with systems navigation in schools to secure conditions for optimal academic success
• Participate in programming and resources available through the organization, effectively utilizing program resources to meet the needs of each child.
• Reinforce basic academic skills and learning.
• Work a fulltime non-traditional schedule, including afternoons, evenings, and some weekends, adjusting hours as needed to meet the needs of youth and families.
• Manage allocated budget
• Complete, distribute, and collect interaction summaries, expense reports, assessments, and evaluation materials accurately and in a timely manner
• Attend and actively participate in team meetings and staff functions
• Provide information and support to the development and executive team on related activities
• Fulfill other responsibilities as required.

Required Skills

• Ability to cultivate trusting relationships with children, parents, teachers, and community members.
• Bilingual English/Spanish preferred to communicate with Spanish speaking youth and families.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work with children in varied capacities and settings.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and communicate appropriately within the workplace.
• Ability to use creativity and initiative in planning activities to continually develop children.
• Ability to work independently in diverse environments with limited supervision.
• Ability to work as a team player.
• Ability to manage several concurrent issues and solve problems effectively exercising appropriate discretion and judgment.
• Partner with parents/caregivers to provide concrete and social emotional supports for the family.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Ability to complete administrative tasks accurately and on time.
• Attention to detail and accuracy.
• Ability to handle high mobility and driving demands safely and with good judgment.
• A sense of humor is a plus.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree preferred. A combination of relevant education and professional experience will be considered.
• At least 2 years of experience working with children and families. Mentoring experience with children preferred.
• Willingness to commit for a minimum of three years.
• Ability to pass a full criminal background investigation and Motor Vehicle Record check.
• Maintain current driver’s license, good driving record, and vehicle insurance.
• Have a safe and reliable personal vehicle for driving to work locations and transporting youth.
• Proficiency in Microsoft applications; familiarity with databases, office functions and data reporting.
• Maintain First Aid/CPR certification.

Working Hours

This is a full-time, exempt position. Due to the nature of a Friend’s role, the work hours are somewhat nontraditional and include late afternoon and evening work. During the school year, the general workweek is Tuesday through Saturday, with Sunday and Monday off. During summer, spring and winter breaks, Friends may work a standard Monday through Friday workweek. Friends are required to spend three to four hours each week with each assigned child, engaging with them both in and outside of home, school, and the community.

Benefits

• 95% Employer paid medical & 100% Employer paid dental and vision
• 100% Employer paid Long Term Disability, AD&D, and Life Insurance
• Three weeks paid vacation, two weeks paid sick leave, 12 paid holidays, with progressive increases for longevity
• 401(k) with 3% employer match (immediately 100% vested)
• 8 weeks of paid parental leave (birth, adoption, foster)
• Cell Phone Stipend
• Employee Assistance Program for staff and their families to support in times of crisis and mental health needs.
• Flexible scheduling with partial remote work

Friends of the Children is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to addressing discriminatory practices. The equal employment opportunity policy of Friends of the Children - Utah provides fair and equal opportunities for all employees and job applicants. Friends of the Children hires and promotes individuals solely on the basis of their qualifications for the job to be filled.