Teen REACH Counselor

Company: Greater Peoria Family YMCA
Location: Peoria
Posted on: April 17, 2025

Job Description:

Under the direction of the Teen REACH coordinator, staff will guide the Teen REACH/Achievers Program. This program is designed to enrich the lives of middle school students through life skills, recreation, academic enrichment, career building, character education, and service learning. He/she understands character development is a chief mission of the YMCA and personally exhibits a commitment to this goal in all YMCA operations. He/she will work with and be accessible to the volunteers/parents and youth participants in the Teen REACH Program. The program runs during the school year Monday-Friday August-May from 2:30-6:00pm, then during the summer and school break sessions Monday-Friday 8:00am-6:00pm. He/she will lead a small group of students through their work during the after-school program, summer camp, or school break sessions, working together with the rest of the staff team to create a safe, fun, and learning-centered experience for everyone.
The effect of a competent Teen reach Assistant will be a well-administered program that influences the children in the areas that reflect the YMCA core values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility. Children will be encouraged and motivated to achieve and parents will be satisfied with the quality care their child is receiving. Complaints and concerns from parents will be resolved immediately.

Core Responsibilities-What will you be doing? - Assist the Teen REACH Coordinator in implementing parent's meetings, tours, visits, recreation, and tutoring for the students. - Supervise and discipline youth during schedule program activities. - Be responsible for the safety and well-being of participants to participate in the Teen REACH Program. - Serve as the key leader for the 7-10 students in your group each week, guiding them through activities on the scheduled curriculum. - Keep your students engaged during the duration of the program, personalizing each activity to maximize their enjoyment and participation. Create activities that are fun as well as therapeutic, educational, and promote participants skills and ability levels. - Create a sufficient variety of experiences that will allow participants to exercise their own creativity and imaginations. - Lead several activities with your group each day, including group discussions, high-energy games, focus time, low energy activities, and free time. - Coach your students through conversations, building relationships, corrections (as needed) and leading by example in how to represent themselves, their community, family and the YMCA - Partner with the other counselors on your team to create a safe, fun, enriching environment for your students. - Help your students grow in their journey by building a relationship with each student and their parents to assess the needs of the students and learn the best way to meet those needs. - Keep areas of use clean and safe. - Teach and show respect for all equipment and return it to its proper location. - Responsible for request and care of needed equipment, supplies, and program concerns. - Transport youth to recreational and educational activities. - Maintain control of group at all times, especially when riding in bus or van - Know and enforce all rules and regulations and share these with your group on a daily basis. - Report to your leadership team any serious problems that develop with any child. - Report in written form all accidents, injuries, and discipline procedures - Turn in required forms and paperwork, including but not limited to, time sheets, attendance sheets, irregularity reports, discipline reports, incident reports and weekly schedules. - Perform other related duties as assigned.
Key Result Areas - How will you know you're doing a great job? - Your students are engaged all day long in each activity. They gladly participate in whatever is happening because you make the program fun for each of them. - Your students are always safe from all kinds of physical, emotional, social, and spiritual harm. You are quick to celebrate their positive characteristics, and quick to correct negative behaviors before they escalate. - You stay in-tune with each of your student's needs and work together with the other staff to make their experience great. You don't wait to step in and help when you see a student or a staff member in need.
Commitments - What do we expect from you? - Work at least 5 weeks of the summer session plus 2-3 days of mandatory staff training (a combination of online, videos, and in person) - Regular work hours of Monday-Friday each week between the hours of 8:30am-4:30pm during the school year. - Demonstrate a life of integrity at work, home and in the community, taking focus on the YMCA values. - Must attend all field trips. - Must attend all staff meetings and training courses. - Must keep a friendly, professional attitude toward students, parents, and fellow staff - Agree with and sign the Teen Reach statement of faith. - Follow the Teen Reach employee handbook, conduct agreement, and all rules.
Preferred skills and Qualifications- Are you the right fit for this position? - Current high school and college students may apply minimum age 18, two years of college experience preferred, but experience is counted for working with youth and teens in organized activities. - Proven personal growth and development. - Certifications: CPR, AED, Basic First Aid, Child Abuse prevention, mandated reporter, CDL's and other appropriate YMCA youth work training within 30 days of hire - Must have internet access, a personal email address and cell phone. We use email to communicate announcements, scheduling, training, etc. - Must have knowledge of working with teens between ages 10-15. - Must understand the problems and issues of minority and low-income students in the education and work arenas. - Must be able to maintain control of large groups of children. - Ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints from students. Ability to effectively present information to students and the Teen REACH Coordinator. - Ability to work with and apply mathematical concepts such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, percentages, ratios and proportions to practical situations. - Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts and draw valid conclusions. - Ability to interpret an extensive variety of instructions.
Working Conditions:1. Ability to walk, stand, hear, and sit (including on the floor) frequently for long periods of time.2. Exposure to possible communicable diseases and bodily fluids.3. Must be able to lift and carry supplies weighing up to 20 pounds.4. Ability to stand or sit while maintaining alertness for several hours at a time.5. Position may require bending, leaning, kneeling, and walking.6. Ability to speak concisely and effectively communicate.1. 7 Visual and auditory ability to respond to critical situations and physical ability to act swiftly in an emergency. Vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision and depth perception.7. Ability to interact with and demonstrate program activities to youth.8. While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be exposed to warm or cold conditions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate to loud.



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Keywords: Greater Peoria Family YMCA, Springfield , Teen REACH Counselor, Other , Peoria, Illinois