Visual Arts Activity Specialist for Richmond Hill High School chez South Asian Youth Action (SAYA)

Visual Arts Activity Specialist for Richmond Hill High School (Part-Time, 2-6 hours per week)

South Asian Youth Action (SAYA)

South Asian Youth Action (SAYA) is committed to providing its employees opportunities for growth in a supportive community environment. SAYA provides its employees a healthy work-life balance in a fast-growing youth development nonprofit.

SAYA: Belong. Grow. Thrive.

Organization Description

South Asian Youth Action (SAYA) is an inclusive, South Asian-focused 501(c)3 youth development organization. Through our innovative, holistic approach, we work toward educational equity by providing opportunities and resources to less privileged New York City youth, ensuring they are empowered academically, emotionally, and socially to become engaged community members.

Established in 1996, SAYA provides valuable life skills and holistic, impactful programming to underserved New York City youth. As one of the first South Asian organizations created in the United States, SAYA is the only organization of its kind in the NYC metropolitan area providing inclusive and secular comprehensive youth development services while centering our community’s experiences. Today, SAYA provides programming at eleven elementary, middle, and high schools in Queens and Brooklyn, along with our Elmhurst-based community center - serving a growing number of youths across all sites each year.

A key tenet of our work is cultivating vital social and emotional learning (SEL) skills such as belonging, confidence, and self-efficacy through intentionally designed, research-based curricula. Across our organization, services tailored for different age groups include leadership and identity development, academic support that bridges learning gaps, comprehensive college preparation, and activities that nurture creativity and build positive peer connections. 

NYC Community Schools Initiative

The NYC Community Schools Initiative is aimed at bridging students, families, and communities with comprehensive social, emotional, and academic support to achieve successful student outcomes. At Richmond Hill High School (RHHS), these desired outcomes include: increased attendance and student engagement; greater connectedness to adults and peers; development of social and emotional skills; greater access to mental health resources; improved academic performance; improved school culture and climate; increased family engagement; and greater collaboration among community partners and school administration.

Position Summary

The Visual Arts Activity Specialist will provide enriching activities for high school youth. In alignment with the Community School Initiative and Richmond Hill’s Instructional Focus, all activities will support the needs of social emotional learning (SEL) and culturally responsive-sustaining education (CRSE), attendance intervention, as well as family and community-building.  

The Visual Arts Activity Specialist would be responsible for supporting the planning and facilitation of sessions that cultivate student experiences in various forms of visual arts, including but not limited to sketch art; drawing; painting; arts and crafts; and other mediums. The facilitator will work with the SAYA team to ensure proper instruction, skills learned, and opportunities for students to practice skills during club sessions and at school events. 

Reports to: Community School Director

Compensation:  $30-45 per hour, commensurate with experience and qualifications. This is a school-year position through June 2026, with potential rehire for the following school year.

Responsibilities

• Must be available for hours from 2:00pm-4:00pm 2x a week

• Design and lead meaningful, engaging, and creative age-appropriate lessons plans and curriculum,  workshops, activities, events, and trips that are centering Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) within culturally responsive-sustaining education and strong social justice frameworks. Skillsets explored should include but not limited to:

  • Painting (acrylic, watercolor, other mediums)

  • Sketching & drawing

  • Arts & crafts 

  • Other visual others mediums as needed and assigned

  • Prepare and facilitate sessions arts activities throughout the school year in collaboration with student club members.

• Actively recruit and retain club student participants, and support growth and training of club student leaders

• Supervise all activities to ensure the health, safety and well-being of program participants

• Build positive relationships with youth and adults and serve as a role model in demeanor, communication and overall attitude

• Ensure proper care of all spaces, equipment and materials; organize room and report any misused or damaged materials to the Community School Director

• Complete and submit in a timely manner all program reports relative to this position, including but not limited to: supply requests, session guides, curriculum outlines, incident reports, attendance, and timesheets

• Actively participate in training sessions, designated meetings and special events.

• Monitor and support students during field trips and outside activities with adherence to SAYA’s policies and procedures

• Collaborate with SAYA team to ensure integration, facilitation, and planning of club activities in connection with wider school events and initiatives 

Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s Degree preferred

• Minimum of 2 years of experience in facilitation, or equivalent training with high school youth

• Minimum of 2 years experience in related work, skills, and/or experience to visual arts field

• Knowledge and understanding of youth development, after school and public education 

• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and manage multiple priorities, people and projects effectively

• Experience in providing individualized and group instruction to meet the needs of youth with various levels of skills

• Experience designing and teaching courses to ensure youth success and supports youth-centered learning

Key Competencies

Ideal candidate will excel in the following areas:

• Communication: The candidate will have the ability to communicate effectively with a broad range of people including youth, teachers, school administrations, parents, and other staff. They will be able to work as part of a team with the school community and other SAYA programs. They will be able to consider situations from multiple perspectives in order to avoid and manage conflict.

• Flexibility: The candidate will be comfortable adapting to changing circumstances. They will be able to work with youth of various cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds

SAYA is an Equal Opportunity Employer.