Interested in Working with YA-YA?

  • Position Title: Organizing Coordinator 

    Location: Hybrid / Primarily In-person 

    Schedule: 35 hours per week. Some nights and weekends required.

    We have two main seasons: school-year and summer. The schedule is subject to change, but generally follows our operating schedule. 

    • School-year (September to June): Monday through Friday, 12 pm to 7 pm 

    • Summer (July to August): Monday through Thursday, 9 am to 5 pm 

    Reporting To: Co-Executive Directors 

    Start Date: ASAP

    Salary: $60,000

    ABOUT YA-YA NETWORK

    YA-YA Network prepares young people (ages 15-19) to be activists and organizers in the movement for social and economic justice. Using youth organizing as a strategy for youth development and social transformation, we build young people's capacity to influence policy, improve institutions, and change systems that directly impact youth, their families, and the communities in which they live. 

    We offer a holistic program that prepares young people to take on leadership roles in policy-making and advocacy spaces and to become lifelong activists in whatever career they choose. Our model consists of four annual recurring programs (three school-year programs and one summer program) rooted in popular education that train young people to become effective and transformative organizers. 

    YA-YAs, our youth, have led and contributed to several winning campaigns. Our ongoing Education Justice campaigns include advocating for an end to the school-to-prison pipeline, police-free schools, fully funding restorative justice programs, and increasing youth leadership in schools and communities. 

    ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY

    The YA-YA Network seeks an Organizing Coordinator to transform NYC young people into powerful and effective organizers, advocates, and policy experts. You will lead education justice campaigns that achieve big wins toward creating truly safe schools and a real youth voice in policy decision-making. This role will build and develop our base of youth engaged in our youth-led education justice campaigns. The Organizing Coordinator will be responsible for leading Action Committee (AC), the organizing group open to youth with more experience in student activism or social justice. Under the direction of the Co-Executive Directors, this includes implementing campaign strategies, creating and delivering training workshops on key organizing skills, and leadership development for YA-YAs. The Organizing Coordinator will work closely with coalition partners and allies to advance our work and serve as a key external representative. 

    This is an exciting opportunity to further young people’s capabilities and leadership as community leaders, organizers, and advocates. 

    AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY 

    Program Leadership

    • Serve on the Program Team, collaborating closely with the Director of Youth Development to co-create program goals, curriculum, and maintain focus on core competencies. 

    • Manage day-to-day program operations for Action Committee, including roster maintenance and record keeping, and communications systems.

    • Co-manage the Squad program and Summer Social Justice Institute with the Director of Youth Development. 

    • Recruit and onboard young people for Action Committee, our issue-based campaigns, and other programs, with a focus on young people of color ages 15-19, using various outreach strategies. 

    • Provide guidance and mentorship to youth to successfully build their skills as organizers. 

    • Inform strategies for growing our programming. 

    Advocacy & Campaigns 

    • Organize public actions, events, and campaigns around education and racial justice,  working closely with other youth leaders and allied stakeholders.

    • Manage campaign progress and develop action plans that align with our strategic priorities. 

    • Build relationships with schools, faith institutions, and local organizations to support campaign work.

    • Represent YA-YA Network in coalition spaces and foster existing and new partnerships to advance policy work.

    • Be active and visible in NYC organizing and nonprofit circles, maintaining our presence across our key issue areas, by attending intersectional issue-based events or actions, conferences, and other learning opportunities. 

    • Maintain evaluation processes for measuring programmatic and campaign effectiveness. 

    • Grow and maintain a working knowledge of issues related to YA-YA’s mission, programs, and issue areas. 

    Org-wide Support

    • Support development and communication activities with timely reports, data, and other grant management needs related to our programs and campaigns. 

    • Provide general office support for maintenance of the space and for operations. 

    • Participate in organization-wide events, campaigns, and initiatives as appropriate.

    • Other duties as assigned. 

    Requirements:

    • 0.5-1 year of experience working with youth, ages 14-20

    • 1 year of experience in youth organizing or community organizing

    • Strong relationship-building, communication, and facilitation skills

    • Passion for social justice and youth leadership development

    • Ability to work evenings and weekends as necessary

    • Residency Rule: Must be a resident of the NYC metro area and able to be physically present in areas across NYC for work responsibilities on short notice. 

    COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

    $60,000. The compensation for this role is fixed to ensure pay equity across our team. It is non-negotiable.

    Benefits include comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans (with one plan option at 100% employer-covered), commuter benefits account, and significant Paid Time Off. 


    YA-YA Network is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, national origin, age, military service eligibility, veteran status, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, or any other category protected by law. We recognize that people from historically marginalized groups may be less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every qualification described in a job description. We encourage people of all races, ethnicities, cultures, backgrounds, and experiences to apply, even if you don’t believe you meet every one of the qualifications. Black, Indigenous, and other people of color, immigrants, women and gender nonbinary people, LGBTQ people, and people with disabilities are especially encouraged to apply.

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YA-YA Network is for you if you are:

  • Mission and Values Aligned: All candidates should embrace YA-YA’s mission and model of building youth power. You should demonstrate a commitment to economic, racial, and social justice, respect, and willingness to learn from differing perspectives, voices, and backgrounds.

  • Driven by Inclusive Engagement and Sustainable Impact: You have a keen understanding of and track record in inspiring stakeholder engagement, social change, and youth leadership development. Through prior efforts you’ve led, you can demonstrate policy and systems changes that yield better outcomes for young people.

  • A Vibrant and Engaging Facilitator: You can develop and lead immersive programs and workshops for youth at various stages of their leadership and community-organizing development. You challenge assumptions, elevate the experiences of people in the room who are impacted by the systems YA-YA Network seeks to transform, and lead participants in achieving common goals.

  • A Visionary and Systems Thinker: You balance vision with strategy. You have current or prior experience in community or political organizing, coalition building, program design, management, and evaluation. In your previous work, you have developed innovative solutions to complex problems and galvanized support across multiple organizations, city agencies, and communities.

  • An Expert in Partnership Development and Management: You have experience mobilizing partners and networks to implement new ideas and innovative approaches. You can demonstrate knowledge and success in partnership development. You see youth as integral partners in your work. You can align resources with priorities and goals. 

  • People and Team Management: You have built or managed cross-functional teams that are values-driven, results-oriented, and collaborative. Your prior experience includes recognizing the potential of individuals and coaching them toward their personal and professional goals.

  • An Effective Communicator with All Stakeholders: You can comfortably lead conversations with community members, staff, board members, funders, partners, and other key stakeholders with confidence, credibility, and high emotional intelligence (including possessing self and social awareness).