YOUTH PROGRAM COORDINATOR

Job Description÷as it is, January 2005.Ê Ron McClain

The Youth Program Coordinator is appointed by executive committee.Ê The current preference is that the Coordinator not serve for more than 3 consecutive years.Ê The YPC is most immediately responsible for making sure that there is a well-organized, engaging program for children ages 3 to 12 from 9am to 12noon each morning of the conference.Ê I will describe current practice in this area and other areas where the YPC may have some involvement.

Currently the YPC arranges the hiring of the teachers who will run the morning childrenâs program.Ê The YPC may do this solo or might work with a small committee of other parents or experienced teachers or youth who will help share the work. We have been fortunate during the past 3 years to hire experienced conference members, some with children in the program, with an enormous range of skills.Ê We generally hire 1 teacher for each 5 or 6 children.Ê Some of the teachers have been college age and we used a couple of younger folks as aides.Ê The younger people have often helped with the littlest children who require a higher ratio of supervision.Ê Sometimes we hire outsiders to do some of the teaching÷there is often high turnover when this is the case.

Recently the teachers have taken responsibility for devising the curriculum during the week, which usually consists of a series of rounds through arts, crafts, musical, athletic and other activities (i.e. snacking).Ê For the past 3 years weâve had a head teacher (stipend of 500), 3 or 4 adult teachers (stipend 300), and college and h.s. teachers (stipends 200, 150, 100).Ê Adult teachers (college and older) are also given room and board at conference and have half the cost of their childrenâs room and board covered as well.

In addition to stipends and room and board costs the conference has been budgeting 250 to 400 a summer for supplies recently and 400 to 500 for the cost of outdoor activities for the older youth.Ê Weâve had great experiences with both the ____________ and the less expensive and more convenient (they have their own van for driving our kids) __________________.Ê In 2004 the budget for stipends was 2k, room and board 2k, materials and outdoor education 750.

During the week the YPC meets with the executive committee and regularly with the head teacher or staff of childrenâs program to make sure that all is going well.Ê Iâve also planned the outdoor education events, including transportation, getting lunches arranged, etc.

Other Areas where YPC may have input.

1. Afternoon sports and other activities: these are of course of interest to children.Ê The program chairs have sometimes appointment other conference members to run afternoon sports.Ê These include activities for children (either collectively or broken by age) that take place between 1 and 2 pm, sometimes at 4:30, before dinner, and at other odd times depending on the activity (perhaps a capture the flag game supervised during the annual meeting for instance).

2. The YPC might have considerable input regarding activities planned for teens.Ê These can include sports ideas during the idea, teen talk discussions, outdoor education trainings (currently arranged for by the YPC), the participation of teens in the family structure of the morning (transition family within childrenâs program, advise on how to integrate teens in adult families).

3. The YPC may take some interest in the workshop planning for the afternoon, to insure that there are activities that will be of interest to young people/ multigenerational activities.

4. The YPC may help families find babysitters from within or without the community or encourage families to share sitting responsibilities during the day.