Youth Retreat Coordinator

GENERAL POSITION DESCRIPTION:

The Retreat Coordinator is a core member of the Casa Romero Program Team that works together to develop and implement a wide variety of programming to forward our mission. This person currently serves as the lead staff for middle school retreats, high school retreats, several summer camps and IGNITE youth programing.  This person serves a supporting role, managing  practical details,  for other Casa Romero programs.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• A commitment to the spirit and methods of Ss Ignatius of Loyola and Óscar Romero, and the broader Catholic tradition, or an interest in learning.  A heart for the needs of youth on society’s margins, particularly Milwaukee’s Latino community.
• Bachelor’s Degree, or working toward a degree.
• Experience living or working with Latinx first and second generation youth and families; knowledgeable and sensitive to the cultural experience of Latinx, urban youth.
• Experience in youth ministry and in leading retreats.
• Program management skills, especially experience in planning, organizing, and facilitating youth workshops and retreats (particularly for boys).
• Strong written and verbal communication skills including conversational facility in Spanish.
• Ability to work with a variety of people and shows a commitment to developing the skills and talents of teens and youth facilitators.
• Be a self-starter who can work well in a team and independently.
• A good rapport with young people, understanding their interests, etc.
• Ability to communicate well with parents and students in Spanish
• Have creative, visionary mind, ready to integrate current youth issues and needs into the retreats and programs you manage
• Knowledgeable and sensitive to different cultures and the experience of first and second generation Latino immigrant families.

MAJOR POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES:

Responsibilities can include the following duties.  The duties vary per program depending upon whether a person is serving as lead staff, facilitator or program support:

• Update and Run the Leadership Formation Program for Teen Leaders

• Program Scheduling:
  • Schedule retreats / programs with the school or parish contact person.
  • Schedule the space on Casa Romero’s calendar.
  • Confirm date and details with agency contact.

• Program Facilitation:
  • Serve as the lead animator for a particular retreat/program.

• Program Materials:
  • Ensure that each of your retreats has the necessary printed materials (i.e. brochures, participant handouts, facilitator manuals).
  • Make corrections/ additions / updates to the retreat outlines and related materials as the you and the Program Staff deem necessary.
  • Ensure that the appropriate facilitators and staff receive the corrections/updates.

• Event Supplies / Food:
  • In coordination with the House Manager, ensure each of your programs have the necessary food for each scheduled event.
  • Ensure that programs have the necessary program supplies (check regularly that program boxes are stocked) for each scheduled event.

• Program Set-up & Clean up
  • Set up for each scheduled program according to program needs
  • Pick up / clean up / return program supplies following each retreat

• Evaluation System:
  • Oversee evaluations of your retreats/programs – provide forms, collect them, have them summarized, share with staff/ program team to access program outcomes and effectiveness
  • Plan and oversee an end-of-the-year evaluation meeting with your facilitation teams
  • Following each retreat hold an evaluation discussion with the facilitation team
  • Turn in program reports (list of participants, facilitators, date, theme, outcomes, anecdotes) to the Associate Director (for billing, record keeping and reporting to agencies/parishes)

• Supervision of Program Facilitators:
  • Be aware of your programs’ volunteer and facilitation needs
  • In conjunction with other staff, identify program participants who show potential to become facilitators or volunteers.
  • In conjunction with other staff and the volunteer coordinator, offer a personal invitation to become a facilitator; inform volunteers about expectations and seek a commitment to serve at Casa Romero.
  • Follow up each programming event with a discussion with your program’s facilitators to evaluate how the event was experienced by the facilitators.
  • Provide facilitators with updated manuals as needed.
  • Schedule regular planning & evaluation meetings with program teams

• Program Promotion / Recruitment / Collaborations
  • Develop partnering relationships with the Middle Schools, High Schools and community centers that serve the Latino community, learning about their services and actively seeking out opportunities for collaboration
  • Maintain already established relationships