BAX is seeking GROUP LEADERS for its

2020 SUMMER ARTS PROGRAM

 

At BAX, we foster creativity, encourage exploration, and provide a positive and nurturing environment. Our School Breaks Arts Program provides enriching and fun opportunities in dance, tumbling, theater and visual arts with an emphasis on cultivating creative expression. Working with professional performing arts and visual arts specialists, students get to experience the exhilaration of being an artist whether at age 4.5 or 11.

 

SUMMER ARTS PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Monday July 6 – Friday August 21, 2020 from 9:00am to 3:00pm (7 weeks)
Regular drop-off starting from 8:30am to 9am; Early Extended Day program from 3:00 – 5:45pm.

 
Program Structure

Approx. 70 children entering Kindergarten – 6th grades (age range: 4.5 -11) separated into three total groups:
GigaBAXers – entering 4th grade – 6th grade (max group per week is 25)
MegaBAXers – entering 2nd grade – 3rd grade (max group size per week is 25)
NanoBAXers – entering Kindergarten – 1st grade (max group size per week is 20)

 

No special talent or experience is required of students – students come in with all levels of skill and interest in any given discipline.

 

Each week, the NanoBAXers investigate a different exploratory theme through daily performing arts and visual arts activities facilitated by guest arts specialists. Additional small group activities and creative play stations are designed and facilitated by the Nano core staff, appealing to visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners. These experiences culminate in an interactive gallery share with families in the BAX Theater. Exploratory themes include: Free to be you and Me!, Future Legends, Mythical Mammals, Sensory Safari, Fairy Tale Fantastic, Around the World in Five Days, Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

 

Each week, the MegaBAXers and GigaBAXers work with their own guest arts specialist as well as their core staff to explore an arts discipline. Artists work in specialty groups to cultivate new skills and manage project elements while collaborating as a larger ensemble towards a performance. Additional creative enrichments and performance activities supplement this process and are facilitated by the core staff of Mega/Giga group leaders and counselors. Mega and Giga Weekly Art Specialties Include:  Theater Mania, Tumble Moves, You’ve Gotta Have Art, Musical Madness, Dance Frenzy, and Producing Podcasts.

 

All three groups are staffed with an adult to child ratio of at least 1:6, and go to Washington Park daily for outdoor social play.

 

Outdoor and Extended Day programming takes place during a mid-day lunch w/ structured play in a local park and following regular program hours during “Extended Day” from 3:00pm to 5:45pm (registration is capped at 23-25 students and confirmed 24 hours in advance). Extended Day also provide crucial break and prep time support to regular program staff during the regular program hours and outdoor play times. During these times, all students (ranging from Nanos to Gigas) engage in structured, but flexible activities led by this staff. The outdoor play includes non-competitive recreational activities and Extended Day programming includes a range of performing arts and visual arts activities, small/large group games (board games, improve., etc.), set-building, and more. Often activities planned during the Extended day program support the week’s culminating performance and may include set/prop construction.

 

The Summer Arts Program is overseen by the School Breaks Director and Education Department staff. The Mega, Giga and Nano Groups are each staffed with a core staff made up of one Group Leader, one Lead and/or one Senior Counselor and one-to-two Junior Counselors. Group Leaders are experienced educators with a strong background working with youth as mentors/caretakers and as artist facilitators. Counselors are youth in high school or college with a background and career interest in arts education. These core staff members remain with program participants throughout the day and throughout the summer. They provide hands-on facilitation support to the guest arts specialists as well as organize and facilitate their own supplementary creative activities and projects. Similarly, there is an Outdoor and Extended Day staff that work with the children during their mid-day outdoor time. Guest arts specialists are professional artists who are highly experienced teaching artists, many of whom are on BAX’s regular teaching staff.

 

For the 2020 Summer Arts Program, BAX seeks three Group Leaders:

1 Giga Group Leader (children entering 4th-6th grade)

1 Mega Group Leader (children entering 2nd-3rd grade)

1 Outdoor & Extended Day Group Leader (all program ages, children entering K-6th)

 

GROUP LEADER POSITION DESCRIPTION

The Group Leader position is a key leadership and supervisory position within the BAX summer program. This person reports directly to the School Breaks Program Director and the BAX Education Director. Their immediate supervisory responsibility is to mentor a diverse population of student participants and high school/early college age counselor staff in their charge. Group Leaders are also the primary support to guest arts specialists who facilitate daily performing and visual arts workshops that culminate in an end-of-week group performance/gallery shares. To do this job successfully, Group Leaders must understand the educational and age appropriate needs of children in the program (ages 4.5-11) and demonstrate a collaborative, flexible spirit and willingness to engage proactively in issues of diversity and inclusion as it relates to our student and staff populations. This pivotal role carries the responsibility of making sure the daily activities, routines, procedures, artistic endeavors, and mentoring runs smoothly. Ideal candidates have a background working with youth as both teaching artists and caretakers and evidence a strong capacity for customizing, implementing, and facilitating artistic enrichment lesson plans while also employing a range of teaching/learning and student engagement strategies.

GROUP LEADER RESPONSIBILTIES: (subject to slight changes depending assigned group)

Participate in two weeks of training, which will occur in the evenings and select weekend dates during the two weeks prior to the start of the program (Weeks of June 22-July 3, 2020; specific schedule TBA);

Work with Program Director, Education Director, and other Edu Admin to conceive, plan, and facilitate pre-program and ongoing staff training;
Build an inclusive program (student, group, and staff) culture and student engagement style; creating and facilitating curriculum that is adaptive and can be modified based on students’ needs (and/or disabilities); and invoking teaching/learning and mentorship strategies to meet children (and support staff) where they are rather than where they might be “expected” to be;
Establish the daily schedule, including arrival and departure procedures, workshop transitions, travel to and from the park for lunch for outdoor play, snacks and clean-up;
Plan and facilitate original artistic Group Leader-led lesson plans and activities (“GLA”) that supplement weekly performing arts curriculum, is age appropriate, and appeals to different types of learning.
Help the support staff develop and confidently facilitate their own creative counselor-led activities (“CLA”);
Provide direction and support during guest arts specialist workshops, including hands-on facilitation support; collaborating and building on specialist lessons and performance planning during GLA workshops; building a team ethic, exchanging information and advising support staff and specialists working with students; conveying a calm dependability and competence under stress, promoting a safe and supportive learning environment.

Address concerns of parents, staff and children and resolve problems while maintaining confidentiality; communicate incidents (physical, emotional, etc.) that take place during program hours to Program Director and/or caregivers directly;
Meet with the Program Director regularly to discuss program logistics, scheduling changes/flow, staff development, group management, and any concerns;
Assist in leading weekly staff meetings & provide staff development as needed.

 

DAILY HOURS:

Mega and Giga Group Leader hours are typically 7:30am – 4/5:00pm (flexibility depending post-program meetings), Monday-Friday (hours for Giga counselors regularly on Fridays will be 8:00-6:00pm). Outdoor and Extended Day Group Leader hours are typically: 10:00am-6:30pm.

 

PROGRAM DURATION:

Monday July 6 – Friday August 21; candidates must be able to commit to full program duration.

 

COMPENSATION:

An all-inclusive fee (which includes two-week training period of June 22-July 3 before program begins - specific schedule TBD; daily planning, and pre-program preparations) at $5,750-$6,000 commensurate with experience.

 

QUALIFICATIONS:

At least two years of college with experience and/or expertise in a specific arts or recreational discipline, including as a teaching artist, proven leadership ability, experience supervising a diverse staff and population of children and possess a collaborative, flexible spirit, and a has a willingness to engage proactively in issues of diversity and inclusion as it relates to our population. Prior experience in a leadership position within a summer camp and/or classroom setting is strongly preferred. Experience working with children with disabilities a strong plus.

 

TO APPLY:

Please send the following materials via e-mail only, and address to Director of Education & Community Engagement, Lucia Scheckner: education@bax.org. Please write “Group Leader SAP 2020” in the subject line. You will receive an auto-reply confirming our receipt. Due to high volume of applicants, however, we will only contact candidates we are inviting to interview. No phone calls. Applications received in January/February will receive priority attention and will continue to be accepted until all positions are filled.

Include:

A cover letter including the specific Group Leader position you are interested in and citing specific professional experiences that make you qualified for this particular leadership position;

A current resume highlighting your related experience and education;
Two Employment/Character references with titles, addresses, contact numbers and/or emails.

 

The most successful applicants will become familiar with BAX, our education philosophy, and our summer program. More information is available on our website: http://youth.bax.org/general-information/school-breaks/  

ABOUT BAX/Brooklyn Arts Exchange:
BAX welcomes students, families, faculty, and artists to BAX, an organization with a core commitment to social justice. In keeping with BAX’s mission to “encourage artistic risk taking and stimulate dialogue among diverse constituencies” we intentionally and purposefully support the voices of under-represented individuals and groups of all origins, ages, abilities, races, sexual orientations, and genders – including trans identified individuals, or those with varied immigration statuses. All our constituents join an organization whose staff and Board is actively engaged in challenging the manifestations of whiteness, able-bodiedness and privilege as part of our ongoing anti-racist efforts and our other anti-oppression, pro-inclusion work. As an equal opportunity employer committed to creating and developing an inclusive staff team, people of color and individuals of diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.