Role Overview
Organizational Summary:
Rainier Athletes' (RA) mission is to affirm historically marginalized youth’s sense of purpose and belonging by intentionally connecting their core community of teachers, coaches, families, and mentors! Once selected, each student is paired with a dedicated one-on-one mentor in elementary and middle school and a Squad Leader in high school. Each student is also sponsored to participate in sports/extra-curricular activities year-round throughout their duration with Rainer Athletes. Students are selected to join our organization in 4th and 5th grade and continue to be served through high school graduation!
Within ten years, Rainier Athletes has become Bellevue’s fastest growing non-profit. We serve over 100 students and their families across 12 Bellevue based schools, partnering with over 400 teachers on a daily basis. Our vision is an engaged community where all kids belong.
High School Squad Leader (SL): Role Summary
To sustain our impact with the growing number of Rainier Athletes high school students and families, we are seeking enthusiastic, dedicated individuals to serve as Squad Leaders for small groups of high school students. Squads consist of four or five students of similar ages. Squad Leaders are tasked with building relationships with students in their squad(s) as well as their students’ families, teachers, and others in the community. This job requires your heart and mind; Squad Leaders love building community!
Responsibilities
Squad Leaders are responsible for leading one or more Rainier Athletes High School Squad. Responsibilities include coordinating logistics and prepping for weekly hour-long Squad Meet-Ups. These Squad Meet-Ups may include topical discussions, study sessions, or other activities to strengthen relationships and build towards each student’s next step plan after high school. Collaboration is a key element to the program’s success; Squad Leaders will have hour-long weekly formal opportunities to connect with other Squad Leaders and RA’s High School Lead to share highlights, challenges, and best practices.
- Mentorship
- Encourage self-discovery in conversations with students by focusing on self-reliance and critical thinking in order for students to find their own voice and solutions
- Provide social and emotional support
- Serve as accountability and development coach for short and long term goals
- Academics
- Continuously track students’ class specifics and discuss opportunities for improvement with students
- Build relationships with teachers and support students in connecting with their teachers
- Encourage and connect to academic supports including school staff and/or other tutoring as applicable
- Community
- Build relationships with parents/guardians and others in the students’ families
- Connect with students’ coaches and attend sporting events in support of students that are playing on teams
- Encourage and support the passions of each student by attending art shows, musical or theatrical performances and/or other events
- Connect with community resources in support of student and family needs as applicable
Timeline Overview: The Rainier Athletes high school program begins in the summer prior to the new school year. Below is an overview of a year as a Squad Leader:
- Community Building (approximately July through October)
- Mentor and Squad Leader training
- Retreat with fellow Squad Leaders, RA Staff, and high school students (tentatively an overnight)
- Larger group weekly sessions at centralized locations with RA staff support
- Strengthen and grow (approximately November through June)
- Small group weekly squad sessions including goal setting, community service, and more
- Academic check-in and follow ups with students and their core supporters
- Discussion and planning with students around after high school plans (Next Step)
- Celebrate (ongoing throughout the full year)
- Squad and individual student milestone celebrations
- Community activities (RA program events, games, sporting events, etc)
Must Haves
- Teachable, humble, heart for all people, willingness to go above and beyond the basic requirements to serve students and families
- Consistency and follow through
- Proactive communication
- Willingness to have challenging conversations and face confrontations
- Flexible schedule (average weekly time commitment is 4 hours)
- Access to personal vehicle
- Access to personal computer
- Inspired by our mission to affirm a student's sense of purpose and belonging by connecting their core community
Nice to Haves
- Prior experience mentoring youth and working with groups
- Familiarity with communication platforms such as Gmail and Basecamp
- Familiarity with tracking and storage platforms such as Google Drive and Smartsheets
- Language proficiency in Spanish, Arabic, Punjabi, and/or other languages
Benefits
- Leadership development
- Team-based progressive environment
- Coaching and mentoring
- Community partner-based benefits/discounts
- Volunteer experience
To Apply
If interested, please click “respond” and we will follow up with more information about how to.
