Youth Programs Associate, Part-time

Reports to: Manager, Youth and Family Programs

Schedule: Saturday, Sunday:10:00 AM - 5:00 PM; additional hours, as needed, during holiday breaks, for special events and outreach opportunities.

Compensation: $18 per hour

The Junior Docent Program is an award-winning, after-school youth development and teen leadership program that serves students (Grades 9–12) from public high schools throughout Yonkers. Extending over four years, the Program expands students’ knowledge of art, science, and history while strengthening skills in communication, critical thinking, and leadership. Junior Docents attend weekly training sessions led by the Manager, Youth and Family Programs and have the opportunity to work with curators, educators, artists, scientists, and leading professionals in many fields, take trips to other museums in connection with current HRM exhibits, themes, and collections, and use Museum resources to create tours and facilitate art- and science-based projects and demonstrations for peers and families, both onsite and virtually.

The Youth Programs Associate supervises the Junior Docents on weekend days at the Museum, overseeing their facilitation of the Weekend Family Workshops, and reporting to the Manager, Youth and Family Programs. H/she/they provides exceptional visitor engagement for participants in public programs, especially the aforementioned Junior Docent-led Family Art and Science Workshops, and works with visiting artists and presenters who conduct public programs in the Education Center and the Museum galleries. The Youth Programs Associate also assists the Manager, Youth and Family Programs on long-term projects related to Junior Docent activities, administrative tasks, planning of Junior Docent meetings, programs, and outreach events to increase the visibility of the Museum.

Responsibilities

• Oversee Junior Docents and assign roles in their facilitation of the Family Art and Science Workshop projects for Museum visitors, and tours as instructed by the Manager, Youth and Family Programs.
• Observe and record evidence of Junior Docent performance in the Museum’s public programming; monitor and track Junior Docent attendance.
• Collect visitor attendance data at Junior Docent-facilitated programs.
• Supervise Junior Docent behavior, ensuring that students are focused and engaged with visitors, and maintaining order and cleanliness in the workshops and office.
• Distribute snacks for Junior Docents to ensure healthy and nutritional options.
• Facilitate learning strategies and team-building exercises to help Junior Docents develop skills in public engagement.
• Help to guide and mentor Junior Docents through leadership and communication training.
• Collect and track college applications acceptance and scholarship information on the graduating seniors.
• Conduct icebreaker and end-of-day activities with Junior Docents.
• Conduct end-of-day weekend reports to monitor workshop facilitation and Junior Docent feedback.
• Monitor supply of workshop materials, maintaining organization.
• Ensure all Junior Docents have safely departed the Museum for the day.
• Assist in writing program-related grant proposals, monthly reports, and other administrative assignments.
• Other tasks as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Current enrollment as an undergraduate at an accredited college/university, or recent college graduate
• Availability to work weekends
• Demonstrated ability to supervise and lead high school-age teens
• Excellent organizational skills
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and the Google Suite
• Ability to speak Spanish a plus
• Junior Docent alumni are encouraged to apply

Benefits:

• Discount in the Museum Gift Shop
• Hudson River Museum ID card, which provides free access to many museums
• Standard worker’s compensation, short-term disability and unemployment insurance.

HRM provides paid sick leave (“PSL”) in compliance with New York State’s Permanent Paid Sick Leave law providing 1 hour of PSL per 30 hours worked for part-time employees.

About the Museum

The Hudson River Museum (hrm.org) is a preeminent cultural institution in Westchester County and the New York Metropolitan area. Situated on the banks of the Hudson River in Yonkers, New York, the HRM’s mission is to engage, inspire, and connect diverse communities through the power of the arts, sciences, and history.

The Museum offers engaging experiences for nearly every age and interest, with an ever-growing collection of American art; dynamic exhibitions that range from notable nineteenth-century paintings to contemporary art installations; Glenview, an 1877 house on the National Register of Historic Places; a state-of-the-art Planetarium; and an outdoor Amphitheater. Accredited by the American Association of Museums (AAM), the Museum is dedicated to collecting, preserving, exhibiting, and interpreting these multi-disciplinary offerings, which are complemented by an array of public programs that encourage creative expression, collaboration, and artistic and scientific discovery.