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Job Title: Sports & Health Lifestyles project Coordinator (elementary)

Organization: Youth Fusion

Discipline: Recreation Science, Exercise Science, Physical education, human Relations, Community Development, etc

Terms: 4 or 10-month paid internship

Job Location: James Bay Cree Nations (Northern Quebec)

Salary: $475/week, housing and transportation are provided

Application Deadline: April 1^st 2012

Dates: August 20 – December 21, with option to renew from January-June.

Job Description:

Youth Fusion is an award-winning, non-profit organization that aims to empower youth, create an engaging school environment, reduce absenteeism and increase academic success. Youth Fusion has been working in James Bay Cree Communities since January 2010. In this context, we have four main areas of activity:

1. Organizing extra-curricular activities
2. Working with teachers to develop and animate classroom activities that help make school learning more relevant for teenagers
3. Working with local organizations to help create links between the school and community
4. Providing academic support for at-risk students.

The selected candidate will live in a Cree community and work with the local high school for 4-10 months. Transportation and a shared accommodation will be provided.

As the Healthy Lifestyles project coordinator, you will develop and animate daily extra-curricular activities for youth. In a recent survey, the students indicated interest in cooking, sports, and outdoor activities. You will engage youth through physical activity such as team sports and non-competitive physical activities that will involve less athletic students (hiking, swimming, obstacle courses, scavenger hunts, etc). You are encouraged to lead games and physical activities that develop leadership, cooperation, communication skills, and build self esteem. Furthermore, you will collaborate with the community’s public health department and the culture department in order to organize weekly cooking classes that promote sound nutrition.

Academic Support: you will spend 5-10 hours per week providing academic support (tutoring, homework help, study-skills workshops, etc). This may be done during class hours, in collaboration with teachers, or after school.

Student Lounge: Additionally, you will work with another Youth Fusion project coordinator to animate a welcoming space where students can drop in and hang out between classes or after school.

We are looking for a candidate who is open to learning about Cree culture and adapting our program to the realities of a Northern community. You are encouraged to become and active participant in school life and you are welcome to propose additional activities according to your abilities and interests.

Our mission at Youth Fusion is to counter drop out rates by engaging the youth in projects that motivate them, and by creating a sense of belonging and school spirit. You will be working closely with school administration, other local organizations, and Youth Fusion’s Director of Operations to involve at-risk youth in the activities and to ensure that this project meets these objectives. This project also aims to address the high incidence of obesity and diabetes in the community by integrating physical activity and nutrition into students’ daily lives.

Duties:

• Develop and animate extra-curricular sports & physical activities at the elementary school several times per week
• Collaborate with the public health department to organize weekly healthy cooking activities for elementary students
• Recruit participants and encourage youth to become actively involved in the physical activities and cooking workshops
• Work in close contact with the teachers, administration and counselors to identify and involve at-risk students
• Respect the school’s code of conduct
• Communicate with Youth Fusion’s Director of Operations and school administration on a weekly basis
• Bi-weekly reports, mid-term and final evaluation, and contribution to Youth Fusion’s blog.

Requirements:

• Must be pursuing a degree or be a recent graduate from a Montreal university
• Must have experience working with youth
• Must be fluent in English (French is an asset)
• Experience with First Nations communities and knowledge issues that affect First Nations in Canada is an asset
• Experience working in a cross-cultural context is an asset
• The intern must have a strong desire to be a role model for the school’s students, and act as an agent of social change
• The intern must be able to work independently and as part of a team

• Motivation, initiative, persistence, communication skills, vision and imagination are essential for this internship.

** We are open to discussing how this position can be credited as an internship within your program of study**

OFFER CODE: celemspt2012