Girl Be Heard seeks Teaching Artists for its Community Based Weekend Workshop Programs. The selected Teaching Artists will work with 15 youth to create a safe space and work with a strong ensemble of artivists using Girl Be Heard’s listening model. Teaching Artists will give participants a foundation in writing and performance-based storytelling, and cultivate an understanding of social justice and issues affecting women, girls, and gender expansive youth around the world. They will also lead participants through the creative process of writing and performing two original performances, which will be performed by the students, and an end of year community engagement event.

Girl Be Heard’s mission is to develop, amplify, and celebrate the voices of young women through socially conscious theatre-making. We bring global issues affecting girls center stage by creating cutting-edge, cause-related theatre – inspired, written and performed by youth (12-21) — that is thought-provoking and actionable. Our shows give voice to issues that girls care about most (such as bullying, body image, and self harm). Our company also takes on global issues affecting girls worldwide such as sex trafficking, forced child marriage, and gender-based violence; and regularly performs our acclaimed shows at the United Nations, TED conferences, and The White House.

Girl Be Heard’s education curriculum encourages young people to think critically about social justice, challenge stereotypes, foster friendships, and build tools for bringing about positive change in their communities. Our programs are housed in 12 sites in NYC (10 Title schools and two community-based programs). We also launched the first after-school program abroad in Trinidad and Tobago in 2017.

Position Summary:

Ideal candidates will have a strong background in planning and leading performance, spoken word and theatre education, and must be passionate about developing girls’/gender non-conforming voices. We particularly seek artists with strong personal artistice practice rooted in performance based storytelling including acting, theatre and spoken word. Girl Be Heard’s Teaching Artists foster healthy relationships amongst the group, making explicit connections to leadership and youth development. TA’s should be comfortable tackling social justice topics and seamlessly integrate performance-based exercises into every session. Lastly, TA’s facilitate an environment for play, community building and building critical consciousness.  All Teaching Artists will be trained throughout the year.

Weekend Workshop Teaching Artists will be hired for the current program cycle which runs to June 2022.  Sunday Workshop meets weekly for 2 hours Sunday OR Saturday from 2pm-4pm, eastern standard time. In addition to the weekly workshops with participants, teaching artists will be expected to attend Teaching Artist Training and all regularly scheduled TA meetings. The weekly commitment for this role is 5 hours per week.

Qualifications:

• Experience in creating lesson plans and/or curriculum writing, facilitating a variety of hands-on, interactive workshops with diverse populations, i.e., students with disabilities, English Language Learners, different socioeconomic backgrounds, etc.
• A demonstrated artistic practice in theatre and/or writing for performance.
• Availability for all scheduled sessions, training, and meetings.
• An understanding of dismantling racism and trauma-informed care is essential.
• Strong organization and administrative skills. Applicants must have the ability to work with minimal supervision, be highly detail-oriented, diligent, able to adapt easily to change, and able to work in a high-paced environment.
• Ability to reach all students based on an understanding of diverse developmental levels.
• Proven experience with effective classroom management strategies.
• Ability to plan with others and articulate goals and objectives.
• Ability to communicate and work collaboratively with site contacts.
• 4 years of equivalent relevant work experience preferred, in the areas of Education and/or the Arts or Bachelor’s degree. 
• Demonstrated commitment to an understanding of issues of social justice and girls’ empowerment.
• Willingness to engage with participants above and beyond time spent in workshops.
• Strong knowledge of, or experience with, the NYC public school system.
• Experience with playwriting, devising, editing, and/or dramaturgical work preferred.

Compensation: $37.50/hour (5-7 hours per week) 

Responsibilities: 

• Serve as a positive, engaging role model for a diverse group of young people as they explore personal identity and global issues through theater.
• Create a safe space for youth to share and grow.
• Learn the Girl Be Heard curricula and plan lessons to serve the group(s) you are working with that meet the goals of the curricula.
• Utilize your background (performing arts, visual arts, writing) to create adaptable lesson plans and special projects/activities for students.
• Complete all required paperwork in a timely manner to support programming, administration, and monitoring and evaluation, including weekly session reports.
• Maintain communication with school officials and foster a deeper relationship with the school community as a whole.
• Support the organization at fundraisers, cultivation events, and other outreach opportunities.
• Attend all required trainings.
• Participate in all TA meetings.

TA must be available to support sessions on Monday’s 3:30pm-5:00pm and Tuesdays 6:00pm-7:30pm

Submit resume to jobs@girlbeheard.org.  Include subject line: BRONX/MANHATTAN Teaching Artist