Youth Fellow

Ignite Afterschool; Minneapolis (MN); On-site; USD 28,000 - 33,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

ESST (Earned Sick and Safe Time)

Retirement plan 3% employer match

Tuition discounts at MACC partner St. 

Internships/field practice access

Job summary

Ignite Afterschool is seeking 2 Youth Fellows to educate and engage Minnesota youth on social media advocacy issues and to support Fund IRL and YNLC programming. The role includes facilitating youth leadership activities and amplifying youth voices to strengthen community impact.

Ideal candidates are actively enrolled in a Minnesota high school with experience in afterschool programs and strong communication skills.

Qualifications

• Active enrollment in Minnesota High School is required.
• Experience in afterschool/summer programs or related activities is preferred.
• Ability to work well with other youth and facilitate group activities.
• Participation in Ignite’s Young Nonprofit Leaders Club is highly preferred.
• Prior involvement in youth leadership or advocacy initiatives is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Educate Minnesota youth about social media advocacy issues.
• Support Fund IRL and YNLC programming and activities.
• Facilitate youth leadership activities and empower youth voices.
• Plan and lead youth listening sessions and community engagement events.
• Gather youth perspectives to inform advocacy priorities.
• Represent youth perspectives in meetings and public events.

Skills

Youth program experience

Strong communication

Team collaboration

Public policy interest

Job description

Description

Who We Are

At Ignite Afterschool, we believe that every youth in every community will benefit from the power of afterschool. In 2004, Minnesota’s afterschool community recognized that the need for all youth throughout Minnesota to have access to quality afterschool programs was too important for one organization alone. Thus, a statewide network called Youth Community Connections and later the Minnesota Afterschool Network was formed. In 2013 we became Ignite Afterschool, taking on a name that reflects our desire to ignite the shared commitment to young people that reside in every corner of Minnesota.

Why You’ll Love Working Here

We bring together the best for Minnesota’s Youth.

Partnership

We bring together resources, expertise, and best practices to improve afterschool funding, access, and quality across the state.

Education

We coordinate professional development and trainings to help youth workers be their very best (so youth get the most out of their afterschool experiences).

Advocacy

We listen to the broad field of afterschool to identify our most urgent shared needs, then work together to advocate for solutions that make the greatest impact.

Wages

$20.00 per hour

• Earned Sick and Safe Time (ESST)
• Ignite Afterschool sponsors a retirement plan with a 3% employer match and immediate vesting

Because Ignite Afterschool is a member with Metropolitan Alliance of Connected Communities (MACC) who partners with St. Mary’s University, Ignite Afterschool employees and their spouses are also eligible for the following benefits at St. Mary’s University:

• Discounted tuition for Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate programs
• Access to advancement (internships, job placement, field practice)

Schedule

This is a temporary, part‑time position that will work 8 hours per week.

Job Summary

Ignite Afterschool is hiring 2 Youth Fellows to educate and engage Minnesota young people on social media advocacy issues, supporting Fund IRL and YNLC programming, facilitating youth leadership activities, and amplifying youth voices to strengthen community impact and policy efforts.

Responsibilities

• Educate young people in Minnesota about state social media lawsuits.
• Support youth advocacy efforts related to the Fund IRL initiative.
• Engage young people in conversations about youth well‑being, social connection, and afterschool opportunities.
• Assist in planning and facilitating youth listening sessions, meetings, and community engagement activities.
• Gather and elevate youth perspectives to inform advocacy priorities and campaign strategies.
• Represent youth voices during meetings, presentations, and community events when appropriate.
• Build relationships with youth leaders and partner organizations.
• Learn and support revisions and final course materials for weekly YNLC sessions.
• Support youth attendance taking and data collection for YNLC weekly sessions.
• Co‑facilitate portions of weekly YNLC sessions.
• Support, help facilitate, and participate in evaluation and reflection sessions around YNLC to improve the program.
• Participate in Youth Fellow staff meetings, reflection sessions, and skill‑building activities.
• Contribute ideas for strengthening youth engagement and advocacy efforts.

What You Bring

• You must be actively enrolled in a Minnesota High School.
• Demonstrated experience participating in an afterschool or summer program or extracurricular program.
• Previous experience working well with other young people and/or facilitating other young people in group activities.
• Past completion of Ignite’s Young Nonprofit Leaders Club program is highly preferred.
• Previous participation in youth leadership, youth councils, advocacy initiatives, community organizing, or volunteer leadership is preferred but not required.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• The ability to engage and collaborate with diverse groups of people.
• The ability to work independently and manage multiple responsibilities.
• Strong organizational and time‑management skills.
• A demonstrated interest in public policy, youth voice, and community impact.
• Demonstrated comfort with learning new technology platforms and communication tools.
• The ability to maintain confidentiality when appropriate.

Diversity and open expression are fundamental to the work of Ignite Afterschool. We are passionate about building and sustaining an inclusive and equitable working environment where everyone can belong. Every member of our team enriches our work by exposing us to a broad range of ways to understand and engage with the world, identify challenges, and to discover, design, and deliver solutions. We welcome everyone to apply, especially those individuals who are underrepresented in our sector: individuals who identify as BIPOC, Indigenous or people of culture, LGBTQI+ and gender fluid or gender nonconforming, individuals with disabilities (both seen and unseen), veterans, people of any age or family status. We encourage you to apply even if you feel like you don't fit 100% of the technical requirements. Equal Opportunity Employer: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, ancestry, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, familial status, disability, age, marital status, membership or activity in a local human rights commission, status with regard to public assistance, criminal history (justice-impacted status), housing or homelessness status, height, or weight.

Our organization has a partnership with Metropolitan Alliance of Connected Communities (MACC) to provide administrative services including management of the hiring process. If you apply for this position, you may see references to MACC in some online materials.

Equal Opportunity Employer

This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.