Position Title: Credible Messenger

Terms of Employment: This is a grant-funded position; contract renewal is based on performance review and availability of funds. Per the department of justice terms, grant-funded employees should not work more than

20% of their time on non-grant activities.

Reports To: Director of Culture and Climate

To Apply: Please visit the Chester Community Charter School website and click on Staff – Employment Opportunities

Job Summary:

Qualified applicants will work as credible messengers within the Violence-Free Zone (VFZ) network in a middle school setting. Credible Messengers will work as mentors, tutors, hall monitors, and staff/student or peer mediators to establish order, minimize class disruptions, and reduce school violence. Credible Messengers will provide special attention to the character building of the "high needs" students as identified by school administrators, teachers, counselors, and climate staff. Credible Messengers will also work with families (i.e., parents, guardians, caregivers) of "high needs" students to provide constructive feedback, recommendations, and information on available community resources.

Essential Functions:

• Implements the VFZ curriculum to target a caseload of students at least three times weekly
• Assists school personnel in the monitoring and regulation of student conduct in large group settings such as the hallways, cafeteria, and arrival and dismissal of students
• Advises youth of positive ways to manage conflicts and encourages positive interaction with both peers and school staff
• Supports and implements incentive programs to encourage good student conduct on a program- wide basis
• Attends and participates in, as needed, relevant school-wide meetings and events
• Encourages and assists youth in exchanging negative behaviors for positive behaviors and accesses other school-based supplemental services, such as sports teams, after-school enrichment activities, tutoring, or formal guidance-office counseling
• Engages in relationship-building strategies with "high-needs" and otherwise identified students to allow them to prevent student conflicts and incidents of violence or other severe disruptions before they occur
• Models appropriate communication skills and provides redirection techniques to address inappropriate behaviors that maintain the dignity of and respect for youth participating in the

VFZ movement

• Assists youth in cultivating positive alternatives to anti-social lifestyles, gang activity, or any activity that is counter-productive to achieving positive educational outcomes
• Complies with confidentiality, licensing, and legal requirements, as well as the school's code of ethics
• Complies with all program monitoring/reporting criteria as set by the grant terms
• Reaches out to parents and other community-based individuals who are capable of positively influencing a student's behavior
• Meets and networks with police, active and inactive gang members, local service agencies, and residents of the surrounding communities to address issues and promotes opportunities that will improve the quality of the environment for the school
• Performs other related duties as assigned

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university, preferred,
• 1-3 years’ experience working with parents, guardians, caregivers, and high-needs students, preferred
• Pennsylvania Criminal Record Check Clearance
• Pennsylvania Child Abuse Clearance
• FBI Criminal Background Clearance

Demonstrated Knowledge of:

• Basic typing abilities, basic computer literacy (Word, Excel, e-mail)
• Strong communications and presentation skills and ability to speak in front of groups
• Response to Interventions (RTII)
• Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS)
• Google Suite
• Power Point

Demonstrated Ability to:

• Make deep connections in urban communities, including but not limited to interacting with prospective and active gang members to understand violent activities taking place in the school
• Manage multiple priorities under changing deadlines
• Empower students to persevere adverse life conditions
• Make deep connections in urban communities, including but not limited to interacting with prospective and/or active gang members to understand violent activities taking place in the school
• Manage multiple priorities under changing deadlines
• Work well with others
• Make decisions and recommendations
• Communicate and strong ability to speak in front of groups
• Be well organized and detail-oriented
• Empower students to persevere adverse life conditions
• Work independently and collaboratively

Note: CCCS has the exclusive right to alter this job description at any time. This job description is not an employment agreement or contract.