Newcomer Youth Summer Academy LIT Peer Mentor

This job posting was opened on 3/19/25. Please note that we will be prioritizing candidates who are current IRC (and recently employed by IRC) staff before other applicants. If necessary, we will extend the opportunity to external candidates.

Background:

Since 1999, the IRC has developed partnerships with New York City public schools, community-based organizations and local colleges and universities to support the positive development of refugee youth and their communities in New York City. The Youth Education Department provides year-round programming working directly with refugee youth, their parents and families, and their schools.

Scope of Work:

The Newcomer Youth Summer Academy is a six-week program focusing on preparing newly arrived immigrant youth to succeed at their grade level in the New York City public school system. Up to 130 students ages 5 - 21 from over 20 countries will participate in academic, creative arts, physical education, and social emotional learning classes. Field Trips are held on Fridays.

Peer Mentors support the students' academic and social emotional growth during the Academy. Peer Mentorswill be placed with a single class of students for the six-week duration of the Academy, supporting all Classroom Teachers to ensure productive and enriching lessons and to serve aspositive role models for students.

Position term:Up to 2 hours of asynchronous training in late June;In-person Training July 1-3, 2025 9:00 am - 4:00 pm; Program dates: July 7 - August 15, 2025.

Hours:From Monday to Thursday, Peer Mentors work either the morning shift (8:00am to 12:00pm) or the afternoon shift (12:00pm to 4:00pm). On Fridays, all Peer Mentors work the full day (8:00am to 4:00pm) to support students and staff on field trips. All Peer Mentors must be available for all training days and for the entire duration of the program. No exceptions.

Major Responsibilities:

• Complete all staff training prior to the start of the program, as well as all program meetings and staff development activities thereafter
• Complete and submit hours on Workday on a bimonthly basis
• Act as a positive role model for students; model appropriate student behavior and academic engagement with the Academy students at all times
• Uphold and promote policies and practices necessary to create a linguistically supportive, culturally responsive, trauma-informed learning environment.
• Assist teachers and staff with classroom management, including various classroom activities, tutor students individually or in small groups at the direction of the teacher
• Assist in supervision of daily student meals and student arrival/dismissal
• Attend all field trips on Fridays and assist teachers and staff in student supervision
• Assist with arts activities
• Support students in navigating cultural differences during the school day to ensure they feel included and confident.
• Participate in one after-school parent/teacher conference evening during the academy
• Complete post-NYSA all staff evaluation
• Other tasks as assigned by Classroom Teachers and IRC staff

Qualifications:

• Must have successfully completed IRC's 2024-2025 Leaders and Training (LIT) program.
• Minimum age: 17+ and must be at least a rising high school senior
  • Undergraduate students, Graduate students, or recent graduates, preferred
• Residing in or near New York City with ability to travel to and from the site every day
• Experience or strong interest in working with refugee and immigrant communities
• Experience working with children and/or peers, preference for those with education experience
• Punctuality, excellent time management skills, and a flexible schedule
• Outstanding intercultural and interpersonal communication skills with demonstrated ability to work effectively with people from other cultural backgrounds
• Ability to maintain confidentiality regarding client information
• Excellent organizational and leadership skills
• Strong attention to detail and ability to work with minimal supervision
• Knowledge of classroom procedures; health and safety precautions a plus.
• Fluency in written and spoken English required. Second language proficiency in relevant language highly desirable (including Arabic, Dari, Farsi, French, Fulani, Haitian Creole, Mandarin, Pashto, Russian, Spanish, Ukrainian, Wolof)
• All offers are contingent on successfully passing background and criminal history checks as required by federal and state law or by IRC policy

Working Environment:

• NYSA takes place in a centrally located school (TBD) in New York City. All applicants must be willing to relocate to the New York City area for the entirety of the Academy.

Compensation: Posted pay ranges apply to US-based candidates. Ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, internal equity, and budget. Exact offers are calibrated by work location, individual candidate experience and skills relative to the defined job requirements.

Equal Opportunity Employer: IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

US Benefits: We offer a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits. In the US, these include: 10 sick days, 10 US holidays, 20-25 paid time off days depending on role and tenure, medical insurance starting at $143 per month, dental starting at $6.50 per month, and vision starting at $5 per month, FSA for healthcare and commuter costs, a 403b retirement savings plans with immediately vested matching, disability & life insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support counseling and care in times of crisis and mental health struggles.