JOB TITLE: Community Organizer
FT/PT: FT
LOCATION: AAFSC Brooklyn Office
150 Court Street, 3rd Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11201
REPORTS TO: Deputy Executive Director
ABOUT AAFSC: The Arab-American Family Support Center (AAFSC) is a 501(c)3 non-profit, non-sectarian organization. Established in 1994, AAFSC is the first and largest Arabic-speaking, trauma-informed social service agency in New York City. AAFSC empowers new immigrants with the tools they need to successfully acclimate to the world around them and become active participants in their communities. AAFSC is headquartered in Brooklyn, home to the 3rd largest Arab population in the entire country. As a settlement house and member of United Neighborhood Houses (UNH), AAFSC has taken the initiative in providing culturally and linguistically competent services to members of Arab, Middle-Eastern, Muslim and South Asian (AMEMSA) immigrant communities throughout the five boroughs. Our programs are designed to empower and strengthen the AMEMSA communities, while creating an environment of tolerance and understanding for all nationalities and beliefs.
The primary focus of this position is outreach to marginalized individuals. It is important for these high risk individuals to be able to tap into AAFSC’s services. Thus, expanding organizational outreach, as well as helping the organization pursues its priorities. These are:
· Reduce barriers for new immigrants—ready to learn, work, thrive, and give back.
· Develop and support multi-generational leadership through social and emotional learning.
· Foster civic engagement and economic investment in host communities.
· Raise public awareness by elevating the voices and concerns of vulnerable populations.
· Build the capacity of AAFSC to meet vision, mission and priorities.
Community Organizing Strategies, include:
· Investment – raising funds and making investments to move critical work; addressing critical problems as defined by our community members
· Convening – bringing people together to share successful strategies, promising practices, challenging barriers and new resources;
· Volunteer Service – mobilizing people to meet real community needs;
· Advocacy – eliminating systemic and policy barriers;
· Knowledge-sharing – developing tangible ways to share best practice, organize and “make meaning of” critical community data and listening and learning from community members.
Measurable outcomes may include, fixing broken social systems, bringing about meaningful changes to our community, or uniting local immigrants/citizens around a common concern, ranging from our children not being bullied at school by teachers and pees to fighting prejudice and creating community-building projects.
POSITION OBJECTIVES: To organize, grow, and mobilize an informed, active base of multi-generational community members who are fully engaged in advocacy on issues relevant to the AMEMSA immigrant communities across NYC. AAFSC places a special emphasis on elevating the voices of vulnerable community members, including youth, women, recent immigrants, refugees, low-income residents, and limited-English-proficient residents. AAFSC envisions a socially just society where AMEMSA populations can fully partake as Americans and works to reduce barriers for new immigrants and refugees so they are ready to learn, work, thrive and give back. AAFSC is committed to fighting all forms of oppression that prevent people from living a fulfilled life and deepening our collective ability to build a more just and balanced world.
JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:
· Organize, educate, and empower community members around immigrants’ rights, racial justice, anti-Muslim bigotry, hate crimes, discriminatory harassment, travel bans, discriminatory executive orders, and other issues identified by and affecting AMEMSA immigrants across New York City.
· Foster community based solutions to address root causes of injustice and overcoming structural failures.
· Coordinate regular member meetings, workshops, and other community-building and educational forums, including know your rights trainings, emergency town halls, rapid response leadership meetings, community listening tours, voter registration drives, get-out-the-vote activities, etc..
· Develop leaders in the community: identify new leaders, develop and retain relationships with leaders, engage them in dialog to help guide, ground, and shape AAFSC’s efforts.
· Facilitate the community centered strategies and campaigns.
· Monitor media and legislative issues relevant to AMEMSA immigrants; identify high priority events or situations that may require rapid response.
· Prepare talking points as needed, or make remarks as assigned to raise issues and awareness via the media.
· Develop and maintain community partnerships to increase AAFSC’s community presence
· Work cross sectors to support AAFSC’s network and increase access for our audiences.
· Organize community meeting with key audiences in order to address structural inequities facing our families.
· Promote AAFSC as a place of hope and learning, offering members tools that they need to succeed.
· Elevate the voices of families in our community, especially those that are living at the intersections of racism, xenophobia, and multiple forms of oppression that prevent them from fully participating as equals in the mainstream culture.
Outreach and Marketing
· Plan, coordinate and implement targeted outreach to community residents (i.e. develop outreach materials, supervise phone banks, conduct door-to-door outreach, plan informational sessions on key issues, place targeted ads in ethnic media, etc.).
· Deepen organizational capacity to work collaboratively with community partners to invest resources and convene, organize and support critical work that is underway; support efforts to leverage additional resources needed to support AAFSC’s advocacy work.
· Develop and manage opportunities for public presentations, to enhance public awareness of AAFSC’s programs, services and organizational initiatives; represent AAFSC at community events; attend regular community gatherings and meetings, such as faith-based gatherings, community board meetings, PTA meetings, and events organized by local elected officials; engage, mobilize, and follow-up with community members through outreach efforts; work on special projects, writing reports & proposals and other tasks as assigned.
QUALIFICATIONS/REQUIREMENTS:
Bachelors Degree or equivalent of two years of organizing and training experience is required. Applicants who are generalists, and are able to work in multiple programs and settings at any given time are encouraged to apply. Past experience in racial, social, economic justice, and immigrant issues is plus. Applicants must have experience and ability to work in multi-racial, multi-lingual settings. Arabic language fluency (written and spoken) is strongly preferred. Experience in and commitment to bottom-up organizing, grassroots leadership, and collective decision-making. Applicant must be a self-starter, and should have the ability to work independently and effectively as a member of a team. Applicants must be excellent communicator, both oral and in writing; also flexible as circumstances may require.
SALARY: $35,000 – $40,000 per annum commensurate with experience; Benefits after standard probation period
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS: Please submit a resume, thoughtful cover letter outlining how your skills and experience meet the responsibilities and qualifications of the position, and a 2 – 3 page writing sample via email to Ambreen Qureshi, Deputy Executive Director, at Ambreen@aafscny.org. No phone queries please. All cover letters and resumes must be submitted via email and please include the job title in the subject line. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.
How To Apply
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS: Please submit a resume, thoughtful cover letter outlining how your skills and experience meet the responsibilities and qualifications of the position, and a 2 – 3 page writing sample via email to Ambreen Qureshi, Deputy Executive Director, at Ambreen@aafscny.org. No phone queries please. All cover letters and resumes must be submitted via email and please include the job title in the subject line. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.
Level of Language Proficiency: Arabic language fluency (written and spoken) is strongly preferred.
Professional Level: None specified
Minimum Education Required: 4-year degree
