AmeriCorps Summer Teen Empowerment Specialist

Salary: $780.00 Biweekly
Location : Multicultural Family Center - City of Dubuque, IA
Job Type: Ameri Corps
Job Number: 01584
Department: Community Impact Department
Opening Date: 02/24/2026
Closing Date: 5/20/2026 11:59 PM Central
FLSA: Exempt
Bargaining Unit: OTHER

Position Summary
Contract dates: May 26, 2026 - August 1, 2026 (10 Week Contract);

300 Hours Contract - Minimum of 35 hours/week

Compensation:
Living Allowance Total: $3,900 ($780.00 every 2 weeks over 10 weeks) + Education Award: $1,565.08

Opening Date: February 24, 2026

Closing Date:May 20, 2026

Description:

Ameri Corps is a national service program that takes a different approach to improve lives and fostering civic engagement. Ameri Corps Members commit their time to address critical community needs. In Dubuque, Ameri Corps Members serve at the intersection of education and mental health to help youth understand their emotions, reactions, and relationships through social-emotional learning to improve academic, career, and social success.

City of Dubuque Ameri Corps Members implement key skill-building program to have the following impacts:

Youth experience programs promoting healthy lifestyles resulting in decreased youth risk-related behaviors.

Youth development skills to build meaningful and healthy relationships while experiencing being valued and respected.

Providing every young person with the opportunity to grow up safely and access their best possible future.

The Ameri Corps Summer Teen Empowerment Specialists are a team of Ameri Corps Members that serve in two teams at the Multicultural Family Center, in the Summer Teen Empowerment Program (STEP) and the Summer Teen Empowerment Nights (STEN). These members serve alongside MFC Staff (Teen Empowerment Coordinator & Teen Night Manager) and Full-Time Ameri Corps Members (the Teen Engagement Specialist & Academic Advocate) to provide community engagement and skill-building programming.

The Summer Teen Empowerment Specialist focuses on supporting youth from marginalized communities, helping them navigate their summer in meaningful ways.

The Specialists will facilitate STEP & STEN programming for middle/high school students, build relationships with youth and their families, connect talents and interests to potential careers, and create sustainable support systems within the community.
Benefits:

• Education Award received upon successful completion of their term of service.
• Living Allowance
• Childcare coverage if the member qualifies
• Student loan forbearance and interest payments for eligible loans

Job Duties
Service Responsibilities:

Program Development and Implementation:

• Collaborate with the Teen Empowerment Coordinator and Teen Night Manager to develop and implement engaging programming and outreach initiatives for teen-aged youth in the Dubuque community.
• Hold 1 planning meeting per week

Develop and implement weekly programs for groups of approximately 40-50 students.

• Facilitate 1 program per week

Implement program curricula that focus on community engagement, healthy choices, and positive social skill development for teenagers.

• Deliver 1 curriculum module per week (total: 8 modules), rotating through the three focus areas.
• Ensure each session includes at least one interactive activity tied to these themes.

Collaborate closely with the Teen Engagement Specialist & Academic Advocate to develop individualized success plans for program participants focus on individual needs/supports. IE:
Social-Emotional Learning, College & Career Support, Healthy Habits, Life-skills, Academic Support.

• Create success plans for 100% of enrolled participants by Week 2.
• Review and update plans every 2 weeks

Plan and facilitate activities that engage teenagers, promote learning, and foster a sense of belonging and community.

• Organize 1 engagement activity per week (total: 8 activities) during the program.
• Track participant satisfaction scores of 80% or higher via post-activity surveys

Recruit and engage youth to participate in Teen Empowerment Programs throughout the summer.

• Conduct 2 outreach efforts per week (prepare social media content for staff to promote, community visits) for 8 weeks (total: 16 efforts).
• Achieve a minimum of 50 new sign-ups by Week 8.

Teen Coaching and Support:

• Coach teenagers on appropriate behaviors, conflict management, de-escalation and self-regulation practices.
• Provide coaching sessions during every program day (4 days/week) for 8 weeks (total: 32 sessions).
• Address at least 2 individual coaching interactions per day.

Provide guidance and mentorship to teens during activities, programs, and events.

• Offer mentorship touchpoints daily during activities (minimum 4 per day) for 32 program days.
• Track at least 1 meaningful mentorship conversation per teen per week.

Encourage academic engagement, recreational participation, and positive peer interactions among at-risk youth.

• Facilitate 1 structured academic engagement activity per week (total: 8 activities).
• Promote peer interaction through 2 recreational activities per week (total: 16…