We're hiring a program assistant for the third year of our Youth Arts Journalism Initiative! Come be a part of our team.
Founded in 2017, the Youth Arts Journalism Initiative (YAJI) is an 11-week program (a weeklong intensive followed by 10 weekly “pitch meetings”) in which 10 New Haven high school students learn the fundamentals of journalism, then turn around a total of four articles for which they are compensated.
In its third iteration, YAJI runs its weeklong intensive April 13-17, 2020, followed by weekly pitch meetings each Tuesday afternoon from 3 to 5 p.m. from April 21 through June 23. All of our meetings take place at the downtown Ives Branch of the New Haven Free Public Library. YAJI articles are typically published in the Arts Paper, the editorially independent arm of the Arts Council of Greater New Haven.
Reporting to Arts Paper Editor Lucy Gellman, the YAJI Program Assistant is responsible for the day-to-day management of this program, including prep in the months before it begins and help with final student surveys and data collection. Because assignments take place outside of pitch meeting hours, the program assistant should also expect to do some editing work on evenings and weekends. Other duties include:
- Coordinating program events, from student bus passes to in-kind food/supply donations to artists and speakers for the week-long intensive.
- Attending all dates of the intensive and all pitch meetings.
- Directly editing five of the 10 students in the program. This includes angling with them directly following each assignment, setting a deadline and keeping them on it, and returning edits to them as quickly as possible.
- Co-developing a weekly pitch document with 15-25 possible assignments for students with Lucy Gellman, editor of the Arts Paper.
Ideal candidates should have prior experience in reporting and/or working in a newsroom. Additional experience in news editing and knowledge of a foreign language is preferred. Candidates should be comfortable with both Mac and PC environments, extremely organized, reliable, and calm under pressure. Candidates should have an in-depth knowledge of New Haven’s neighborhoods and public school system.
Classification: Temporary, part-time, exempt
Work hours: Flexible starting February 1 and ending in late June
Weeklong Intensive: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 13-17, 2020
Weekly pitch meetings: 3-5 p.m. on Tuesdays from April 21 - June 23, 2020
Salary: $12,000
APPLICATION PROCESS
Email cover letter, resume and three samples of written work to Info@NewHavenArts.org with subject “Your Next YAJI Program Assistant”
Applications will be considered in the order they are received until position is filled.
ABOUT THE ARTS COUNCIL OF GREATER NEW HAVEN
The Arts Council of Greater New Haven strives to advance our communities by providing leadership and support to our diverse arts community. We envision a thriving arts community at the heart of Greater New Haven and believe that art, culture, and creativity are fundamental human rights.
We are committed to building a creative and dynamic work environment that celebrates individual differences and diversity and treats everyone with fairness and respect. We do not discriminate in practices or employment opportunities on the basis of an individual’s race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local regulations. Candidates of color, QPOC, and women are especially encouraged to apply. Equal Opportunity Employer.