Youth Design Educator
DownCity Design is a non-profit community design studio that empowers people to imagine and create stronger futures for their communities, using the tools of design. Our free design education programs help residents become change-makers by inviting them to create interventions that respond creatively to challenges and opportunities in their communities. Participants in our free in-school, after-school, and summer youth design programs work together to design and create amenities that make their neighborhoods better places to live, work, and learn. We also convene adult design programs and community design dialogues to help groups re-imagine public spaces and address pressing community challenges using the design process as a framework for collaborative problem solving.
Currently, DCD is searching for paid Youth Design Educators that share this vision to co-teach in our design studios. All studios take place throughout the academic school year, starting in late September and ending in early-June. Please see our program offerings for a detailed description and schedule.
Lead Design Educators will be expected to:
- Work cooperatively with a Co-Educator/Teaching Assistant and Education Director to develop curricula
- Lead design instruction for groups of up to 14 students
- Engage students and facilitate positive conflict resolution
- Lead design challenges, team building activities, reflections and critiques
- Offer one-on-one support to students
- Guide students through design principles
- Oversee completion of the project and delivery to client
- Facilitate project documentation
- Assess student performance using DCD assessment tools
- Support the growth of Teaching Assistants and Student Leaders within the program
The ideal candidate will have:
- A deep knowledge of design processes and principles and experience in a design-related field
- Teaching experience (ideally working with middle and high school students)
- Strong student engagement strategies to develop supportive and responsive relationships with students
- Comfort working closely with young people, especially those who identify as BIPOC, queer or LGBTQI, newcomers, first-generation immigrants, and neurodivergent
- Strong curriculum design skills and student engagement strategies
- Openness to creative collaboration and working as a team
- Flexibility and comfort teaching in an environment with fluctuating student attendance
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Excitement about project-based learning and social practice
Design Educators can expect:
- Monthly check-in meetings with DCD educators and staff to debrief, brainstorm, and support one another.
- On-site administrative support in curriculum planning, classroom management, and project management.
- To become familiar with the DCD Design-Thinking process and strategies.
- To get to know a team of passionate design educators and innovative students.
- To work hard and have fun!
Qualified candidates must be available for the entire academic year. Instructors are expected to coordinate or provide their own means of transportation; teaching venues are conveniently located along RIPTA bus lines. Hourly wage $20-25/hr, commensurate with experience.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Apply as soon as possible, no later than September 15, 2024. For more information on specific studio positions available and how to apply, visit https://www.downcitydesign.org/opportunities. All applications must include a resume, cover letter, and a minimum of 3 portfolio samples.