Youth Development Specialist

Comer Education Campus
Job Description
Position Title: Youth Development Specialist
Dept & Initiative: Programs General - 1000
Reports to: Program Director
Status: Part Time, Hourly, Permanent)
Schedule: Mid Day to Evening, varies based on programming needs
Gary Comer Youth Center: Having opened its doors in June 2006, the state-of-the-art Gary Comer Youth 
Center (GCYC) offers positive extracurricular alternatives in a welcoming and safe environment. The 
mission is to provide the support for all of our youth to graduate from high school, prepared to pursue 
college and careers. Located on Chicago’s South Side, the Gary Comer Youth Center draws its primary 
membership from the youth residing on the South Side of Chicago with a focus on Grand Crossing 
residents. GCYC is the oldest and largest institution sitting on the Comer Education Campus which 
includes our organizational partners Gary Comer College Prep High School, the South Shore Drill Team 
and Gary Comer Middle School. For more information, please visit: www.garycomeryouthcenter.org.
Comer Education Campus: With a comprehensive approach to education and youth development, the 
Comer Education Campus is devoted to guiding young people to and through college and into adult life. 
The campus constitutes a unique partnership between Gary Comer Youth Center, Gary Comer College 
Prep, Gary Comer Middle School, and the college success initiative UtmostU. The campus serves over 
2,000 youth from across Chicago’s South Side, offering out-of-school time enrichment, academic 
enhancement, and college success programs. Working with best-in-class partner organizations, the Comer 
Education Campus empowers young people with the tools they need for post-secondary and life success. 
For more information, please visit: http://comereducationcampus.org/
Position Summary
GCYC is looking for a dynamic, energetic youth development professional to serve in the essential role of 
Youth Development Specialist. Specialists will spend the majority of their time engaged in instruction, 
activities, and planning of programming for young people aged 11-18. With a focus on positive youth 
development, Specialists will be utilized across all 8 of GCYC’s programming areas: Media & Technology,
Culinary Arts, Sports & Recreation, Urban Agriculture, College Preparation, Arts, Civic Engagement and 
Leadership, and Youth Employment. The ideal candidate will have a genuine interest in our youth and 
their well-being and be passionate about providing them the opportunity to enrich their lives. 
The programming run at GCYC happens primarily in the after-school hours: afternoons and evenings, with 
some special events and weekends. Flexibility for school holidays, breaks, and camps is a must.
Essential Functions and Responsibilities:
• Plan and implement programming on a year-round basis to include skill development, career 
exploration, and engagement.
• Develops, implements, and evaluates related quality programming and activities to achieve 
specific goals and outcome measurement.
• Drafts and collects detailed records, program statistics and produces reports with respect to 
volunteers and participant assessments for related programs.
• Writes reports and articles, and produces program marketing materials routinely and as 
needed. 
• Maintains supply and equipment inventory.
• Responsible for the recruitment and retention of program participants, with a target 
average daily attendance at or exceeding 80%
• Organizes and conducts neighborhood school outreach and community engagement.
• Seeks out and maintains partnerships and opportunities to grow and develop their 
programming.
• Guide and foster department collaborations for specialty programming and curriculum.
• Creates lessons and opportunities for programs to hone and teach life skills
• Manages the classroom through positive youth development practices
• Other duties as assigned
•
Miscellaneous: 
• Responsible for maintaining a physically and emotionally safe environment to further ensure 
proper youth supervision and managing conduct issues and incidents.
• Attends required staff meetings and trainings.
• Works with other staff to execute effective outreach, recruitment and retention strategies.
• Responsible for accurate data collection and data entry for grant and program compliance.
• Supports the mission of GCYC.
• Works collaboratively in a team setting serving the needs of youth.
• Is committed to the safety and development of all GCYC members.
• Takes on other duties as needed.
• Serves as a role model for youth and community.
• Abides by the employee handbook and established GCYC policies and procedures.
 

Qualifications

Qualifications
• Ability to deliver age-appropriate programs and activities that lead to positive youth 
development outcomes, internal and external competencies and skills.
• Ability to develop program plans and curricula that are intentional, research-backed, and 
measurable. 
• Self-directed and motivated, able to prioritize goals and tasks, exercise efficient time 
management.
• Ability to exercise independent judgment in assigned area of responsibility.
• Ability to supervise youth and influence peers to act.
• 2+ years' experience in after-school programming or youth coaching
• 2+ years' experience in youth engagement
Education & Skill Requirements
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively with others, including Instructors, 
parents, and community partners.
• Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills necessary to interact with internal 
and external customers.
• Positive, organized, active, innovative and creative in your approach to working with youth.
• Energetic and enthusiastic about youth development theory and practice.
• Seen by youth as approachable and a valuable source of advice, even in matters not directly 
related to the course.
• Ability to stimulate, direct and pace instruction to evoke wonder and encourage consistent 
participation.
• Is consistently well prepared, provides clear objectives and makes difficult topics easy to 
understand.
• Is sensitive to youth’s motivation and differentiates instruction according to the various activity 
and ability levels of youth.
• Uses a strengths-based approach to provide consistent and critical feedback to youth.
• Uses feedback from youth and coaching from others to assess and improve instruction.
• Is goal-oriented, data-driven, and outcomes focused in your work.
Core Competencies
• Must possess genuine care and concern for youth – especially pre-teens and teens.
• Program area management skills that are engaging, non-oppressive and age appropriate.
• Strong project management and organizational skills. Must be able to initiate and finish projects.
• Able to communicate effectively with youth, co-workers, stakeholders and families in a 
respectful and culturally competent manner via written and verbal communication.
• Must enjoy working with teams but can also work independently.
• Enjoys being the leader but is also confident enough to take directions from others.
• Must be able to take initiative and problem-solve. Must be a creative thinker.
• Demonstrates strong accuracy in all areas of work.
• Must possess adaptive vitality.
• Demonstrates understanding of the positive youth development philosophy.
• Demonstrates an understanding of guidance and discipline principles & conflict resolution strategies.
• Must demonstrate cultural competency, dedication to working with youth, families and 
community members in our care.
• Must have basic computer literacy skills – including Microsoft Office, independent use of the 
internet, and ability to learn and properly utilize software systems