Southern California Local Community Organizer

Job Title: Local Community Organizer – Los Angeles

Reports To: Ronnie Veliz, Southern California Program Manager

Status: Full-Time, Exempt

Salary: Salary commensurate with experience, plus generous benefits package including health, dental, vision, and retirement benefits

Southern California Local Community Organizer

Organization

GSA Network is guided by our vision of full equality and social justice for all LGBTQ people. We have developed a model of grassroots organizing that trains youth activists to understand and challenge multiple systems of oppressions, in order to develop LGBTQ and allied leaders with a vision for broad social justice. Grounded in this model, GSA Network is building the GSA movement by providing resources, training, and grassroots organizing support to GSA clubs working to educate schools about LGBT issues and change public policy as well as to emerging GSA Networks in states around the U.S. As leader of the National Association of GSA Networks we bring together youth and adult leaders from state and regional GSA Networks to share best practices for GSA organizing. As a national leader in the LGBT, safe schools, and education justice movements, this is an exciting time for GSA Network as we expand our impact in California and nationally, and grow our team. You can learn more about our work at www.gsanetwork.org.

Position

GSA Network is seeking an experienced youth organizer or activist to serve as GSA Network’s Local Community Organizer in Los Angeles area. This position will support the work of our Southern CA programming and build a base of youth activists engaged in advancing policy issues at the intersections of LGBTQ student safety and economic and racial justice in schools. This position will lead in our coalition work in the Building Healthy Communities (BHC) initiatives in Boyle Heights and Long Beach. To learn more about these initiatives, please visit: http://www.calendow.org/healthycommunities/

GSA Network’s Local Community Organizer will be responsible for providing program support to youth leaders to participate actively in our coalition efforts. The Local Community Organizer will focus on youth organizing and leadership development on intersectional issues facing LGBTQ youth of color through trainings, workshops, coalition and youth council meetings. Along with the regional staff, the Local Community Organizer will support our participation in our local and statewide campaigns. This position will lead our youth council and annual summer activist camp.

In conjunction with the Southern CA Program staff, the Local Community Organizer will be responsible for conducting site visits and building relationships with target schools at BHC areas (Boyle Heights and Long Beach), trainings and engaging youth in other GSA Network programming.

The Local Community Organizer must have demonstrated passion for LGBTQ youth leadership and empowerment, extensive knowledge or personal experience with the intersectional issues facing low-income LGBTQ youth of color, and a commitment to social justice are required for this position.

Principal Responsibilities

• Build an organizing strategy to maintain an active base of at youth leaders from all target BHC areas (Boyle Heights and Long Beach)

• Throughout the year, enlist 25 youth leaders, providing them leadership opportunities in our coalition work, training them and supporting their politicization

• Help represent GSA Network on BHC coalition meetings in Long Beach and Boyle Heights

• Help prep youth leaders to participate and represent the needs of LGBTQ youth of color at Boyle Heights and Long Beach BHC coalitions

• Provide regular contact and relationship development in target schools

• Help run campaigns being conducted by the BHC Coalitions with GSAs in target schools

• Conduct workshops for LGBTQ youth and GSA leaders on educational justice and other issues at the intersections of racial, economic and queer justice

• Lead the coordination of GSA Summer Activist Camp – guaranteeing participation of queer youth and allies from BHC target areas

• Lead the coordination and support of Southern CA Youth Council – guaranteeing participation of queer youth and allies from BHC target areas

• Assist other members of the Southern CA team through: trainings and facilitation, workshop & curriculum development as needed

• Assist in the creation of blog posts, videos and other media about the intersectional issues facing queer youth of color in Los Angeles School District as well as Long Beach School district

• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of experience as a youth activist and organizer

• Proven leadership skills – having built a base of individuals to create change

• A minimum of 3 years of experience working with LGBTQ youth of color and straight allies

• Deep and demonstrable knowledge of the issues facing low income LGBTQ youth of color in schools

• Deep and demonstrable knowledge of the concepts and policies behind the school-to-prison pipeline

• A minimum of 3 years of experience with non-profits, community organizing and coalition building

• Solid time management skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple projects

• Good written and verbal communication skills

• Proven facilitation skills around topics and issues of racial, economic and queer justice

• Commitment to social justice, intersectional anti-oppression work, and LGBTQ justice

• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team, with people from a variety of different, racial, ethnic, socio-economic, educational, religious, sexual, gender, and generational backgrounds

• Able to work some nights and weekends

• Ability to meet GSA Network’s criminal background check standards

• Valid California Driver’s License, clean driving record, reliable access to a car with insurance

• Willingness and ability to travel statewide and nationally, including some travel on short notice

The post Southern California Local Community Organizer appeared first on Seasons of Pride.