High School Mentor

THE OPPORTUNITY

Summer Search Boston is seeking a High School Mentor to manage a caseload of approximately 40 high school students, building long‑term relationships and providing regular mentoring through a combination of groups and individual conversations from sophomore year through junior year of high school. Joining a supportive program team that will serve over 400+ high school students this coming year, this hire will have the opportunity to practice Summer Search’s unique approach to mentoring, prepare students for two challenging summer experiences, support post‑secondary readiness and matriculation, and join a team that is committed to learning, social and racial equity, and the students we serve.

Specifically, the High School Mentor will advance Summer Search’s mission through the following job responsibilities:

• Mentor a caseload of up to 44 high school participants, building relationships and conducting regular mentoring at school, in our office or by phone.
• Utilize a unique mentoring methodology based upon adolescent social‑emotional development, cultural relevance, and critical consciousness. Enable conversations that allow students to reflect upon the impact of identities and social/cultural context on their lives.
• Hold students accountable to year‑round program participation, as well as demonstrating a personal commitment to students that results in a high level of engagement throughout their Summer Search experience.
• Monitor and promote students’ academic and extracurricular participation and performance, as well as post‑secondary readiness requirements.
• Communicate with students’ families, especially regarding details about summer experiences and career opportunities.
• Conduct bi‑weekly group mentoring sessions for caseload of sophomores and juniors–in person. Build multi‑year relationships with participants and cultivate their connections with one another and Summer Search.
• Create a safe community where students can be honest with each other by ensuring each student has the space to be heard and challenged respectfully and setting up physical space that is conducive to achieving the objectives of each session.
• Recognize a student safety situation and how to respond and care for both the individual student and the group.
• Observe and respond to group needs and adapt facilitation style accordingly.

• With School and Community Engagement staff’s guidance:
  • Support and/or lead outreach presentations and application workshops for prospective students and provide 1:1 follow up as needed.
  • Establish and nurture relationships with staff partners at your partner high school(s).
  • Engage school partners proactively in supporting students and coordinating logistics.
• Respond promptly and thoughtfully to requests from school partners.
• Attend key milestone events for participants and their families throughout the school year.
• Know the resources and people available at your partner high school(s) and how these resources intersect with Summer Search.
• Connect participants to college access partner and mental health and career resources.

• Ensure meticulous data collection on a weekly basis in our program database (i.e. Salesforce) to execute organization‑wide programmatic metrics, goals and data expectations, such as outreach and mentoring touchpoints.
• Participate in ongoing observation, coaching, training, and professional development to build job‑related skills, knowledge, and capacity.
• Participate in elements of an evaluation plan designed to assess program quality, fidelity and outcomes and to inform individual staff development and continuous improvement of program model (e.g., complete feedback surveys after mentoring sessions).
• Participate in other projects as assigned.

• Attend and engage with our regional Signature Events and participant and family events about 3 times a quarter, typically in the evenings.
• Support project management of participant‑facing events (i.e. orientations, summer celebrations, etc.).
• Provide support…