The main purpose of the Youth Recreation Coordinator is to engage and coordinate community volunteers and provide community education to support out-of-school youth sports, physical activity, education and physical well being, as a strategic piece of a holistic community approach to health, positive youth development and developing healthy relationships. This position will serve children and youth and organizational capacity, by creating and fostering relationships necessary to provide recreational opportunities for children and youth. The member will educate the public about parks and recreation opportunities year-round in Huerfano County.
The Healthy Eating AmeriCorps Member is responsible for further expanding current programming to address food insecurity in Huerfano County by:
1) facilitating the Kid Food Nation as part of the Youth Recreation 2) growing the Cooking Matters program at Washington Underground and bringing in more residents diagnosed with chronic disease to learn cooking skills 3) strengthen the connection between the hospital farm stand programming and residents with chronic disease and 4) develop a Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP):
Service Activities
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES (position 1)
o Organize and Participate in program activities.
o Help with cleaning and organizing of Boys and Girls Club Space.
o Supervise the children in the program.
o Provide guidance and assistance to young participants as required.
o Participate in team meetings and training opportunities as required.
o Adhere to the policies and procedures.
o Work with team to develop program activities for first year.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES (position 2)
o Help kids develop food skills through hands-on learning experiences related to planning, preparing, and cooking.
o Supervise & interact with children in a safe and supportive manner
o Ensure program space is clean and sanitary
o Increase SNAP and Double Up Bucks outreach to residents with chronic disease and low income families.
o Facilitate Cooking Matters Classes at Washington Underground that utilize produce from farm stand.
o Work with Washington Underground Team to start the following programs:
Summer Food Service Program (SFSP): SFSPs are run as open sites, enrolled sites or camps. Open sites serve free meals and snacks to all children in a low-income area, and enrolled sites serve free meals to all children enrolled in a program with at least 50 percent of children eligible for free or reduced-price school meals. Participating camps provide reimbursable free meals and snacks to children based on their individual eligibility.
Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP): The CACFP’s At-Risk Afterschool component provides up to one free snack and one free meal per child in attendance areas where at least 50 percent of children are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals. The program is available to OST programs during the school year, including on weekends and holidays.
Community Need Addressed
Washington Underground is dedicated to making Walsenburg a better community that is filled with pride, health and a strong sense of self-efficacy. One goal in achieving this mission is through serving their youth and families within the community. Washington Underground is in the process of starting up a Boys and Girls Club and growing their Healthy Eating Initiative program.
The first position's main purpose of the Youth Recreation Coordinator is to engage and coordinate community volunteers and provide community education to support out-of-school youth sports, physical activity, education and physical well being, as a strategic piece of a holistic community approach to health, positive youth development and developing healthy relationships. This position will serve children and youth and organizational capacity, by creating and fostering relationships necessary to provide recreational opportunities for children and youth. The member will educate the public about parks and recreation opportunities year-round in Huerfano County.
The second position is to help strengthen the Healthy Eating Initiatives program, which focuses on food insecurity, specifically addressing healthy eating issues and the reduction of future incidences of chronic disease in the county. The primary responsibilities of this position will assist with providing free snacks and meals to children who qualify for the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Other responsibilities include helping kids develop food skills through hands-on learning experiences related to planning, preparing, and cooking; supervise and interact with children in a safe and supportive manner; ensure the program space is clean and sanitary; increase SNAP and Double Up Bucks outreach to residents with chronic disease and low income families, and help increase the number of Cooking Matters Classes at Washington Underground that utilize produce from the farmers market.
Huerfano County is one of the highest ranked counties for drug overdoses in Colorado.
Evidence shows that obesity precedes many chronic illnesses. Rather than waiting until chronic disease is diagnosed, experts recommend that society promote efforts to prevent and reduce obesity as an effective method for reducing chronic illness.
However, rural areas and communities with large Hispanic populations such as Huerfano County (35.4%), struggle with these prevention efforts. This is due to 1) a lack of nutritious, fresh food, 2) socio-economic disadvantage, 3) a tendency to eat diets higher in unhealthy fat and calories and 4) high obesity rates for children in rural areas (25% higher than urban areas). Huerfano County has been the least healthy county in Colorado for the past 5 years!
Position Outcomes
With these positions we hope to educate the youth of our community on not only factors that impact our heath but also educate them about substance abuse and mental health issues. We hope to bring down the mortality rate of drug overdose in our community with education. We hope to build a healthier and more educated community. A more self-sufficient community.
Benefits
Childcare assistance if eligible, Education award upon successful completion of service, Health coverage, Living allowance, Training
Education Benefits
College Degree
Competencies You Will Develop
Communication
Demonstrate sensitivity and empathy, Lead group discussion, Listen to and consider others' viewpoints, Maintain open lines of communication with others, Speak clearly, in precise language and in a logical, organized and coherent manner, Turn taking, Write cleary and effectively
Creativity & Problem Solving
Able to identify and define the problem, Capable of generating possible solutions, Communicate the problem to appropriate personnel, Improvise, Provide relevant expertise, Select and implement well-considered solution
Teamwork
Derive consensus, Develop constructive working relationships and maintain them over time, Establish a high degree of trust and credibility with others, Interact professionally and respectfully with supervisors and co-workers, Stay positive and outcome oriented, Use appropriate strategies and solutions for dealing with conflicts and differences to maintain a smooth workflow
Decisions
Accepts responsibility, Anticipate the consequences of decisions, Identify and prioritize the key issues involved to facilitate the decision making process, Involve people appropriately in decisions that may impact them, Quickly respond with a back-up plan if a decision goes amiss
Tools
Carefully consider which tools or technological solutions are appropriate for a given job, Consistently choose the best tool or technological solution for the problem at hand, Operate tools and equipment in accordance with established operating procedures, safety standards, and ethical guidelines, Seek opportunities to improve knowledge of tools and technologies that may assist in streamlining work and improving productivity
Planning
Able to prioritize various competing tasks, Create environment of contribution, Create plan of action, schedule tasks so that work is completed on time, Demonstrate the effective allocation of time and resources efficiently, Drive decision making, Effectively delegate tasks, Facilitate group planning, Set goals
Service
Be pleasant, courteous, professional and respectful when dealing with internal and external customers or clients, Evaluate customer or client satisfaction, Honor the privilege of being able to work with and for those being served, Provide personalized, prompt, and efficient service to meet the requirements, requests and needs of customers, Recognize the importance of maintaining privacy and confidentiality of those being served, Understand and anticipate the needs of others, Understand the importance of one's role in the functioning of the organization, Understand the significance of maintaining a healthful and safe environment