Friends of the Children

Friends of the Children – Lane County is a vibrant, active chapter of a 30-year-old national professional mentoring organization. Our model is proven to break the cycle of generational poverty for children who face the most barriers, by providing paid professional mentors to work with youth for 12+ years, from kindergarten through high school graduation, no matter what.

Friends – Lane County is looking for passionate, committed, professional mentors (who we call Friends) to support our mission. We impact generational change by empowering youth who are facing the greatest obstacles, through relationships with trained full-time professional mentors—12+ years. Eligible candidates will be fierce advocates for children and will be equally effective in working with parents and caregivers to achieve their hopes and dreams.

At Friends of the Children – Lane County we put children first and use our values to change the way the world treats and views youth facing great barriers. As a Friend you will nurture long-term relationships from a foundation of love, acceptance, and culturally informed practice.

Are you looking to make a difference in the lives of children who need it most? 

We will hire extraordinary individuals who have knowledge of Lane County and are looking to develop intensive, long-term, trusting relationships with children in our innovative program. A Friend will work with eight (8) children and will:

• Set positive expectations.
• Nurture and promote the child’s individual strengths, talents, and abilities.
• Help assure physical and emotional well-being.
• Teach life and academic skills.
• Provide enrichment activities.
• Model responsible behavior.
• Simultaneously manage multiple priorities to ensure goals are met in a timely manner.

Friends spend approximately four (4) hours per week with each child and will report directly to the Program Director.

The ideal candidate will have:

• A bachelor's degree or associate degree* (*with two-plus years of professional experience)
• Significant experience working with youth who face obstacles.
• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of the child welfare system.  
• Cultural competency and experience with trauma-informed care.
• Experience with utilizing social and emotional learning curricula.
• Superior scheduling and time management skills.
• Data entry and database management skills.

What you'll experience:

• You’ll start on the ground floor of a small nonprofit, then grow with us.
• You’ll be part of a dynamic and supportive national network, with a proven, evidence-based mentoring model.
• You’ll have new challenges daily. We commit to supporting you in every way, helping you serve our kids, and keeping your batteries charged.
• You’ll be part of a friendly and collaborative workplace, where work-life balance is respected.
• Most of all, you’ll play a critical role in helping Lane County’s children facing great barriers change the trajectories of their lives!

Work hours are flexible and will vary depending on the needs of the youth. Friends must provide their own child-safe vehicle and insurance; we reimburse for mileage. 

If you are this amazing person, here’s what we have to offer:

Position Details

Salary: $44,500

Comprehensive Benefits Package including healthcare, dental, paid vacation, sick leave, and 401(k).

Intrigued? Want to know more? To learn more about the position’s responsibilities and qualifications, see below:

The following statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work to be performed by individuals assigned to this position. They are not intended as a comprehensive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified.

Core Job Accountabilities:

• Develop and sustain a long term, caring, trusting, and accepting relationship with each child. 
• Spend time with children, one-on-one and in the classroom. 
• Develop, maintain, and follow a Roadmap or Transition Plan for each child. 
• Set age-appropriate expectations and goals based on each child’s strengths, talents, abilities, and needs. 
• Teach life skills and healthy habits to contribute both to basic development and learning, and to contribute to building positive self-identity. 
• Develop a talent/skill/area of interest with each child to experience growing confidence. 
• Provide enrichment resources and activities which include opportunities for cultural awareness, diversity, and community service. 
• Contribute to children acquiring social competencies including interpersonal competence, resistance skills, peaceful conflict resolution, behavioral management skills, empathy, respect for others.
• Develop positive supports including relationships with families, teachers and others involved in each child’s life. 
• Reinforce basic academic skills and commitment to learning. 
• Model and promote positive values including good problem solving and decision-making skills.
• Participate in the programming and resources available through the organization, effectively utilizing program resources to meet the needs of each child. 
• Maintain spending within budgetary guidelines.
• Complete, distribute and collect time summaries, activity journals, short term plans, expense reports and evaluation materials accurately and in a timely manner. 
• Attend and actively participate in team meetings and staff functions.
• Provide information and support to development team and related activities as needed. 
• Fulfill other responsibilities as required. 

Essential Skills and Abilities:

• Ability to partner with parents/caregiver to provide concrete and social emotional support for the family.
• Ability to connect with and develop trusting relationships with children, families, teachers, and others involved in each child’s support network.
• Ability to relate to children and to develop and sustain trusting, supportive relationships with them. 
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Demonstrated ability to work with children in varied capacities and settings to help them learn and grow.
• 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.
• Ability to set goals and develop plans to meet those goals to ensure the development of each child.
• Ability to self-organize and create an effective system to keep track of youth and families in your cohort.
• Ability to complete administrative tasks accurately and on time.
• Ability to handle high mobility and driving demands safely and with good judgment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; organizational and time management skills.
• Basic computer and keyboarding skills, proficiency with e-mail systems, familiarity with MS Outlook and Access (or other database applications).
• Ability to exercise good judgment independently, in various situations and environments, and under varying levels of stress. 
• Bilingual or Multilingual is a plus.
• Willingness to obtain or work towards a QMHA certification.

Additional Job Requirements:

• Maintain current driver’s license, good driving record, and vehicle insurance. 
• Maintain First Aid/CPR certification. 
• Transport children in well maintained personal vehicle as required for mentoring activities. 

Working Hours and Conditions:

This is a full-time, exempt position. Due to the nature of a Friend’s role, the work hours are somewhat non-traditional, and include late afternoon and evening work.  We recognize that each Friend’s working schedule will balance the various elements of a unique role, the needs of the individual children and families, and the Chapter’s schedule.  Each Friend is expected to exercise appropriate discretion in this regard.  The Program requires that you see each of your assigned children both in and outside of school, for an average of four hours each week, although how you accomplish that is at your discretion within established Program guidelines. 

Because deep relationships will develop between the Mentor/Friend and their youth we ask that candidates be willing to commit to the work for at least three years.

Education and Experience Required:

• 2 or 4-year degree, plus one to three years’ experience working/volunteering with children, mentoring experience is preferred.
• Alternatively, at least five years of progressive experience working/volunteering with youth in a social service setting or with families impacted by systemic injustice and trauma.

Benefits:

Friends of the Children – Lane County cares about the health and well-being of our employees We offer generous vacation and sick leave paid time off, paid holidays, a comprehensive medical benefits package, a 401(k)-retirement plan, and ongoing professional development opportunities.

Employees can add optional plans, at employee expense, which include medical coverage for dependents, a Flexible Spending Account, and supplemental life insurance.

Compensation:

$44,500 annually

Location: Eugene, Oregon. Serving all of Lane County

Friends of the Children is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to addressing discriminatory practices, and to working toward racial equity. The equal employment opportunity policy of Friends of the Children is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to addressing discriminatory practices, and to working toward racial equity. The equal employment opportunity policy of Friends of the Children provides fair and equal opportunities for all employees and job applicants regardless of race, color, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, marital status, familial status, disability, or genetic information, in compliance with applicable federal, state and local law. Friends of the Children hires and promotes individuals solely on the basis of their qualifications for the job to be filled.