Instructor:
, Phone: E-mail: mgross@burlingtonvt.gov mgross@burlingtonvt.gov |
Instructor Level
| Specialist II |
Education
| High school diploma or GED in Bachelor's degree in Anthropology | |
| 2014-2024 Experience in preparing staff to lead recreation and childcare programming for after school and summer opportunities | |
| has received formal instruction in adult education or in the facilitation of learning for adults. |
Work Experience
| Recreation Program Specialist of the Youth Service Initiative (YSI) January 2018-April 2023 Planned and implemented recreational and skill building activities to over 6 neighborhoods Trained and prepared 38 staff for summer and after school services to meet Boulder's and Colorado's standards and best practices Provided up-beat communication and initiative as a member of a driven and diverse team Collaborated with OSMP to deliver a pilot YSI Junior Ranger program to harder to reach neighborhoods and administered $10,000 dollars via volunteer stipends for middle school youth Stepped up to assist in our bilingual service delivery at the front-line in our recreation centers Adapted services to a virtual setting during the pandemic to provide body movement, learning, and friendship building opportunities to low-income, Spanish-speaking youth Assisted in grant writing and program descriptions, reported and collected data for supervisor Monitored budget changes, matured in business acumen, and reached City of Boulder standards Evaluated and monitored success of education and programming efforts Provided timely feedback to teammates to improve effectiveness of our programs Communicated unpopular changes to our families while still cultivating their buy-in Translated and communicated in Spanish and English with youth and their parents and created necessary marketing materials in both languages Committed to an intensive and collaborative Community Response and Recovery Team that surveyed harder to reach communities in order to administer COVID vaccines Intervened with parent-meetings to help determine the future success of a participant Established and branched out to our coalition of community partnerships with Wildlands Restoration Volunteers, Calwood, Thorne, AMISTAD, Studio Arts Lab, OSMP, and more. Prepared staff and volunteers in the approach of PYD and constantly evaluated our efforts Managed risk and reduced participant’s exposure to health hazards while following protocols Established and nurtured partnerships across 4.5 years with Wildlands Restoration Volunteers, TGTHR (formerly Attention Homes) Boulder, CO Direct Care Counselor May 2017-September 2017 Provided direct relief to houseless young people through programming and adult connection Preformed intake and outake paperwork to provide trauma-informed care Temporarily housed up to 20 youth at a time who were able to meet basic needs and access our employment, counseling, and education services Taught employment and education trainings with a focus on youth’s unique strengths Became the primary Overnight Specialist, 3 nights a week during 12am-8am, solely responsible for all youth mental and physical safety Successfully transitioned 4 clients into permanently affordable housing Relevant Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence (SPAN) Boulder, CO Experience: Youth Violence Prevention Educator June 2016- 2017 Taught an 8 session Youth Violence Prevention curriculum to high school and middle school youth in order to strengthen healthy dating relationships and prevent abuse in BVSD Reached 600 students with content, creating a measurable decrease in violence Participated in identity and social justice driven meetings to steer the future of the organization Lead year long Participatory Action Research Projects through the after school program, Peers Building Justice (PBJ) resulting in an annual public awareness campaign and showcase Coordinated overnight field trips and retreats for our participants, maximizing limited resources Promoted PBJ to wider community by developing relationships with Boulder High School, I “Have a Dream”, MESA, CU Boulder, YOAB, New Vista, Arapahoe Ridge, and YMCA Wrote and received grants from YOAB and Youth Roots and reported grant outcomes Coordinated PBJ meetings by organizing transportation, communication, and curriculum Recruited and retained 20 students in PBJ with diversity in age, race, ethnicity gender, sexuality, language, ability, nationality and income Assisted in evaluation and study of PBJ and reported findings to the State of Colorado Recruited, managed and trained 3 interns from CU Boulder as Youth Organizers with PBJ I Have a Dream Program, Phoenix Dreamers Boulder, CO Tutor and Curriculum Advisor Fall 2014-May 2017 Developed tools to expand upon students’ academic, organizational, and interpersonal skills Contributed to classroom curriculum for student identity meetings surrounding issues of race, class, immigration, education, and health Developed curriculum for a summer reading program about the book Mexican Whiteboy Coached summer basketball while building meaningful relationships with the athletes and encouraged their continuous engagement in the sport for 3 years Supported cross-cultural exchange by switching between Spanish and English conversations Mentored the same youth for 3 years through middle-school while forming unique connections Communicated effectively and promptly over email, text, call, and in-person Leadership: Boulder Chambers Leadership Fellows Boulder, CO Fellow August 2021-June 2022 Graduated an 11-month intensive program organizing professionals across sectors and industries that will lead Boulder County in addressing pressing racial, economic, and environmental issues | ||||||||||
| 0-5 years instructing adults. | ||||||||||
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Additional Information
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| Families and Communities (Afterschool) Healthy and Safe Environments (Afterschool) Professionalism and Program Organization (Afterschool) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Training Topics | Building Relationships with Families Respectful Communication Community Resources Networking and Collaborations Home Visiting Outdoor Learning Environments Health and Safety Physical Activity Systems Resources Ethical Conduct Professional Growth Working with Staff and Colleagues Regulatory Compliance Program Quality/Accreditation Program Assessment and Evaluation Program Administration Leadership | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Group driven activities that get us up out of our seats and interacting with the content helps everyone learn and enjoy the training! Bonding and discussing the content helps us take the learning to the children and families we serve. |
Logistics
| Poster boards, markers, & sticky notes. |