Position title: Western PA Youth Civics Coordinator

Position term: The contract will last through June 30, with an opportunity to renew if mutually desired and funding is available.

Background: The decline of civics education in American schools is well-documented. The National Conference of State Legislatures has reported that less than 30% of middle and high school students are proficient in civics. 1-in-4 Americans can’t name the three branches of government (Annenberg Public Policy Center). Trust in our civic institutions (government, media, religion) has declined rapidly since the 1960s (Pew Research Center). There is an urgent need to reverse these trends; it starts by investing in our democracy’s future voters. Engaging young people before they have the right to vote allows them to learn how the process works and gain memorable experiences that foster lifetime habits of engaged citizenship.

The Committee of Seventy (C70), a nonpartisan, good-government nonprofit based in Philadelphia, has launched an initiative to address these challenges. Our youth civics program brings a comprehensive Elections & Voting curriculum to classrooms across the Commonwealth. Lessons are supported by project-based activities like a mock election, student candidate interviews, a 17+ poll worker program, and deliberative democracy activities for K-8 students.

C70 has received funding from the Grable Foundation to implement this program in Allegheny County, and we are pursuing additional funding that will allow it to grow into Greene, Washington, and Fayette Counties.

Position description: C70’s youth civics coordinator will:

•  Promote C70’s educational resources to teachers in the region. The coordinator will then help
  teachers use our Elections & Voting curriculum in their class and our corresponding
  project-based learning materials.
•  Help C70 grow and manage community partnerships in the region. C70 aspires to collaborate
  with a number of partners to share materials, contact lists, and programming opportunities.
• Work with and staff meetings of C70’s burgeoning Teacher Advisory Council, which will
  provide feedback on the program and recruit participants from their own network.
• Administer surveys measuring impact with classrooms where we are supporting mappers,
  compile summaries of findings into succinct memos for colleagues and funders.
•  Travel to schools if in-person support is necessary. (We anticipate most recruitment and
  support can be done virtually.)

Skills necessary:

Ideal candidates should have:

• Experience in SWPA’s educational community. Experience in social studies and/or civic
  engagement is preferred but not required.
• A passion for engaging young people in civics, politics, and government.
• Creative marketing skills and an ability to quickly incorporate feedback.
• Professional communication skills, initiative and an ability to independently move from strategy to execution, particularly around partner development and engagement with diverse audiences.

Reports to: The coordinator will be supervised by Director of Civic Education, Justin Villere.

Compensation: $2,500/month, for approximately 20 hours/week. The coordinator will be considered
an independent contractor, not an employee, of the Committee of Seventy.
It is the Committee of Seventy’s view that government and politics work when everyone is
empowered to participate, and that is how we strive to treat the people who work with us. C70 is
committed to making diversity, equity, and inclusion a priority for our organization.

How to Apply: Email a resume and short cover letter to Justin Villere at jvillere@seventy.org by
Monday, January 31st.