Community-Based Behavioral Health SEL Team Lead - One Common Unity

About Us:

One Common Unity (OCU) breaks cycles of violence and builds compassionate, healthy communities through the transformative power of music, arts, and peace education. Founded in 2000 following a string of school shootings in Washington, DC, OCU is a collaborative effort between educators, artists, and health practitioners dedicated to preventing violence and improving life outcomes for youth and families. Currently based in 23 schools throughout Washington, DC, we provide behavioral health services and train the next generation of youth leaders in social emotional literacy, arts expression, and conflict transformation and support them to create positive social change and healing in their communities. Over the past 19 years, we have impacted over 32,500 youth and families, trained over 11,500 teachers, hosted over 81 public concerts and performances, and recently were awarded the Mayor’s Arts Award for Excellence in the Humanities.

Our Community-Based Behavioral Health Program continues this mission by serving DC youth, communities, and families through art-expressive centered mental health services.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM:

PEACE TOGETHER: THERAPEUTIC INTENTIONS TO PROMOTE PEACEFUL FUTURES

Peace Together ensures that young people ages 24 and under, who are impacted by gun violence, receive therapeutic interventions to support their healing journeys. Our model emphasizes individualized, holistic therapeutic supports, grounded in the healing power of arts, nature, and social justice practices.

Funded through the Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants (OVSJG), the Peace Together program aims to build safe spaces for young people to use their creativity and self-expressive skills to heal in the aftermath of violent incidents. Peace Together staff partner with trusted adults within young peoples’ communities — building off of the strong relationships that already exist. Peace Together’s interventions empower youth to apply skills that they have learned to build peaceful communities and cope with grief, loss, and trauma. The Peace Together team provides on-site interventions in the aftermath of community-based incidents of gun violence.

The main objectives of the program are to help youth:

• Express their thoughts and feelings, while exploring the impact of community gun violence.
• Build an ability and desire to engage conflicts peacefully.
• Gain an understanding of the Arts as tools for self-expression and cultural change.
• Hone their ability to critically connect with their environment and people of different racial, ethnic, socio-economic, and cultural perspectives.
• Experience an increased feeling of self-confidence, value, worth, and empowerment.
• Engage in social justice projects in their communities.
• Build an appreciation and love for nature.
• Establish positive relationships with peers, artists, educators, counselors, and community members.

ABOUT THE POSITION:

The Community-Based Behavioral Health SEL Team Lead implements arts-driven social emotional literacy programming. This position is for a full-time (40 hours/week) role, including the summer season, focused on programming such as camps and retreats. In addition to in-community programming (ex: schools, community centers, etc.), facilitators dedicate time in the OCU office to engage in team meetings, trainings, and to complete required administrative duties.

The SEL Team Lead will use One Common Unity’s Fly By Light curriculum as a guide in helping participants learn about the arts and integrate lessons on emotional literacy, issues related to gun violence, and social justice. Artist-educators will have creative input over individual workshops, though they must adhere to the program requirements as determined by the Community-Based Behavioral Health Director.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Recruiting and interviewing students for the program at various sites and working alongside community-based staff to plan partnerships.
• Creating and implementing innovative workshops for youth, faculty, and parents on social-emotional skills, mindfulness, conflict resolution skills, nonviolent communication, creative expression, therapeutic arts, restorative justice, and other related topics.
• Community organizing.
• Facilitating engaging, arts-based workshops with youth.
• Facilitating a minimum of 2 therapeutic group activities with youth per day, or 10 per week
• Facilitating restorative justice interventions with youth, community members, and/or staff.
• Organizing social justice advocacy campaigns, art showcases, field trips, guest speakers and pop-up art events with your participants.
• Providing as-needed support for students and community-based staff outside of the workshops.
• Communicating with students’ families about program-based events.
• Using sound judgment and following risk management protocol as outlined by the program to ensure program safety.
• Attending required staff meetings at the OCU main office and/or virtually.
• Relaying information from the OCU main office to youth and their families.
• Facilitating professional development workshops for community-based staff in SEL related topics.
• Implementing evidence-based interventions to groups.
• Supporting the planning and implementation of an Intention/Peace Room and integration of arts-based healing into the space.
• Developing and implementing Professional Development Training.
• Providing ongoing feedback on One Common Unity's programmatic interventions and curriculums to strengthen OCU.
• Develop new workshops and curriculum as needed.
• Setting program site goals and monitor progress on an ongoing basis.
• Managing all participant records, registration forms, surveys and other administrative needs using the database, while maintaining all HIPAA requirements.

REPORTING:

This position reports directly to the Community-Based Behavioral Health Director.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• 5+ years of experience in facilitating one or more forms of artistic expression, peace education, environmental education, restorative justice, yoga, or mindfulness practices.
• 2+ years’ experience with teaching youth and leading youth programming in an urban setting.
• Commitment to social justice, environmentalism, and nonviolence.
• Positive, team-oriented attitude, as well as a passion for youth and community development.
• Self-motivated, organized, willing to help with any project.
• Have a strong desire to make a difference, a passion for OCU’s mission, and a positive attitude.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills.
• A deep understanding of, and experience with, cultural humility-based, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive approaches to youth work.
• Engages in anti-racist and anti-oppressive frameworks regarding organizational culture (peer relationships, supervisory relationships, etc.).
• The ability to handle multiple tasks and meet deadlines with attention to detail.
• Experience connecting with youth who have been impacted by gun violence, preferred.
• CPR and First Aid (WFA); Mandated Reporter training, DCPS clearance, FBI background check, and NSO registry clearance required before first day of work.
• OCU follows DC Government and DC Public School guidelines on vaccination and requires healthcare workers to provide proof of vaccination or a qualified exemption. More information on vaccine mandates can be found here: https://coronavirus.dc.gov/release/mayor-bowser-and-dc-health-announce-vaccination-requirement-district-health-professionals
• Experience in teaching social-emotional skills, restorative justice, mindfulness, conflict resolution skills, nonviolent communication, or other related topics.

COMPENSATION:

Salary range for this position: $60,000-$75,000 (Compensation commensurate with experience)

OCU offers a competitive benefits package with health and dental coverage for employee (and buy-in option for family members); retirement benefits after first year; 14 paid holidays; continuing education stipend; and a PTO package.

OCU recently introduced a paid "Invest in Yourself Day" the last Friday of every month to do "what renews and inspires you."

This position is contingent on grant funding. Currently confirmed funding allows for contracts starting immediately and continuing through September 30, 2022, with a strong likelihood for renewal.

Physical Requirement of the Job:

The environmental factors and/or physical requirements of this position include the following: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to have ordinary ambulatory skills sufficient to visit other locations; and the ability to stand, walk, stoop, kneel, crouch, and manipulate (lift, carry, move) light to medium weights of 10-25 pounds. Requires good hand-eye coordination, arm, hand and finger dexterity, including ability to grasp, and visual acuity to use a keyboard. The employee frequently is required to be in one position for long periods of screen use, reach with hands and arms, talk and hear both in person and over devices. The employee interacts in close spaces and frequently with other workers, vendors, and clients. The position works in a school or office environment with artificial light and air.

TO APPLY:

Submit a CV or resume, 3 references, and thoughtful cover letter outlining your interest in this position via Job Score. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis.

One Common Unity is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer and encourages applications from people of color, women, differently abled, LGBTQIA, and other groups that have historically been subject to discrimination.