Employment Opportunities

Facilitator Position Description

Position Overview
The Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI) of Alexandria is a 20-week adventure to reinforce parent involvement in the civic arena. PLTI integrates child and family dynamics, leadership and a civic tool kit into its curriculum. Participants attend a 20-week program with family supports such as childcare, meals, translation and transportation.

Position Description
Dynamic facilitators are needed to deliver the PLTI curriculum for the four phases of the program including:

  1. A retreat to develop group and define mission
  2. A 10-week course on parent leadership
  3. A 10-week study of government, policy, and media
  4. A community project to practice the learning within a community context

The PLTI curriculum includes: understanding personal history and its impact on perceptions of leadership; thriving and working with diversity; assessing and defining problems; utilizing the media; speaking publicly; utilizing benchmarks and outcome measures; forming useful coalitions and building community; understanding policy and program budgets, and becoming familiar with city, state and federal law. Parents define the curriculum and participate in its evaluation and outcomes. Classes begin in Fall 2007.

# of Positions to Fill
There are three facilitator positions available:

  1. Retreat (3 positions)
  2. Parent Leadership Classes 1-10 Facilitator (2 positions)
  3. Civic Change Classes 11-20 Facilitator (1 position)

Experience Requirements for All Facilitators

  • Understands civics
  • Embraces diversity
  • High level of training and experience in group dynamics
  • High level facilitation and communications skills
  • Strong commitment to community capacity-building
  • Skilled in conflict resolution
  • Skilled in moving groups forward and inspiring
  • Comfortable working with a co-facilitator
  • Understands the need for parent engagement in community
  • Sees parents as community assets
  • Punctual
  • Flexible
  • A team player
  • Ethical and maintains dignity at all times
  • Additionally all facilitators must complete a 3-day training class.

Retreat and Parent Leadership Facilitator Requirements

  • Teach the PLTI curriculum one evening per week during Weeks 1-10
  • High level of facilitation and group process skills
  • Keen understanding of difference and diversity
  • Highly capable of coalescing groups towards common goals
  • Can handle and help people work through conflict
  • Experienced in taking motivation to actualization
  • Understanding of adult learning principles

Civic Change Facilitator Requirements

  • Teach the PLTI curriculum one evening per week during Weeks 11-20
  • Excellent facilitator and communicator
  • Strong understanding of the democratic process and practice
  • Sharp awareness of how change occurs in policy on the local, regional, state and federal levels
  • Skilled in strategic thinking and planning for constructive change
  • Capable of communicating high level policy and budget skills in lay language
  • Commitment to community and parent leadership and capacity for children
  • Knowledgeable about state and community civic and policy issues
  • Capable of cultivating current issues for class example and practice
  • Skilled in teaching through modeling and creating practice situations for optimal learning

Education Requirements
There is no minimum education requirement. Employment is contingent on the candidate's interview and the completion of the 3-day facilitator training in Connecticut or Florida if selected.

Salary/Benefits
Facilitators will be paid a $50 per hour stipend for class time only. This will include the dinner hour, if any. Travel, hotel, and training fee paid by PLTI for the 3 day training in Connecticut and Florida. Facilitators are private contractors/consultants and will receive a 1099.

Closing Date
June 10, 2007

Contact Information:
Email Adrienne Fikes, PLTI of Alexandria Design Team Member for more information or to obtain the Facilitator Application Form.

About PLTI of Alexandria
The Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI) of Alexandria teaches adults raising children, who wish to improve the lifelong health, safety and learning of children, how to become practiced change agents for the next generation. In 1992 the Connecticut Commission on Children, the American Leadership Forum, and Leadership Connecticut designed PLTI to help parents become the leaders they would like to be and expand the capacity of parents as change agents for children and families.

PLTI expanded in the fall of 2006 to develop a community of parent leaders within the City of Alexandria, Virginia that will support one another in skills development and successful parent action for children. Each class of parents will mentor the next class, creating an enhanced effect of community caring and developing a coalition of parent leaders.

Download Application


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