Program Lead, Black + Mental Health + Matters Canada

Who We Are

Art With Impact is a nonprofit that promotes mental wellness by creating space for young people to learn and connect through art and media. We serve students by partnering with colleges and universities to offer arts-based workshops that are designed to raise awareness about mental health, increase empathy in campus communities, and reduce the stigma around reaching out for support.

Black + Mental Health + Matters (BMHM) is a 1.5-hour, circle-based artistic practice centering Black mental health, tenderness, and healing. The workshop is designed to be a place of refuge for Black students. Knowing that Black people in Canada face unique and specific barriers to mental wellness, this workshop provides a place for Black students to be seen and heard, both collectively and individually. It equips participants with tools to help them heal and thrive, while providing allies the opportunity to learn how to engage Black mental health without transferring labor onto Black participants. 

Who You Are

You are a passionate leader and strategic thinker. You love working with people, listening to them, and letting them lead the way as you provide the container for discussion. You are comfortable with public speaking, discussing mental health and Blackness and are an engaging and energetic person, with a strong presence. As a team player, you can adhere to deadlines, maintain regular communication with the AWI team, and can make meaningful connections with the staff and students at the campuses we serve. You will be able to take our curriculum model and apply it successfully, while creatively observing yourself, the workshops, and participant responses to discover areas of possible improvement and innovation.  You have excellent communication skills and enjoy working as part of a team to grow this one-of-a-kind program.

Here’s What You’ll Do

The Program Lead will: 

• Understand the curriculum;
• Act as the primary facilitator for BMHM Canada;
• Hire and train new facilitators; 
• Travel to the facilitators first workshop to support and ensure things go well; 
• Co-facilitate formal and informal monthly skillshare sessions;
• Attend monthly workshop coordination meetings with the core team;
• Review the “facilitator reflections” document after each workshop, note any trends, and respond to any issues raised. 

Workshops can be in the morning, afternoon or evening, and are almost always on weekdays. Some workshops might require overnight travel, depending on the location of the workshop and where you live. This position is best suited for someone with a flexible schedule and an aptitude for travel. Workshops will be held both virtually and in person. 

Skills and Experience

Required Skills and Experience

• Excellent public speaking and engagement skills
• Lived experience working with Black community directly
• Experience facilitating or leading groups of people in dialogue-based learning digitally and in-person
• Willingness and ability to travel throughout Canada to college campuses to support workshops
• Strong organizational skills, experience coordinating events and keeping track of many details at once
• Ability to work independently while keeping team members and other stakeholders informed and up to date with project-specific information
• Either lived or professional experience with mental illness and/or maintaining mental wellness
• Art background or experience
• Strong commitment to fostering mental wellness in college students
• A firm understanding of intersectionality and healing justice 

Preferred Skills and Experience

• College / university teaching or facilitation experience
• Marketing experience, including direct outreach
• Google Suite and ease with using technology (digital platforms: Zoom, Meet etc) 

If you do not have experience in everything above, but believe you would be a good candidate for the role, we encourage you to apply.

Additional Information

We value an inclusive work culture with a diversity of students and stakeholders, and therefore are looking for applicants who can reflect the identities of those we serve. Black, Indigenous, people of color, people with disabilities, people from working class backgrounds, first generation college students, LGBTQIA+, and immigrants to the United States are especially encouraged to apply.

Compensation and Benefits

As a Program Lead, you will be paid a rate of $40. All of the admin work and post-workshop wrapup tasks will be paid at an hourly rate of $30.  AWIC covers all travel expenses including meals, lodging, and transportation for in person workshops.

🏠  Stipends

• $250 / year to deck out and set up equipment for your remote working space
• $40 / month internet subsidy (applicable only for months in which online workshops are facilitated)

✈️  Annual Retreats

When we can, we meet twice per year in Los Angeles and San Francisco for a film festival and all-staff retreat. 

How to Apply

Video

To apply, please record a 90-second video* of you sharing your thoughts on the following: 

In the face of the many ways anti-Blackness can show up, how might you manage the efficacy and integrity of the program while building relationships? Upload the video to YouTube or Vimeo, as an unlisted or public video. 

*  This role requires being able to hold conversations surrounding mental health through workshop facilitation and supporting others who will do the same. Your video submission will help us get a sense of how you speak to these topics. If you have accessibility concerns and would like to apply, please email us and we will work with you to arrive at a solution.

Note: If your video’s settings are set to “Private,” please be sure to give us a password to access it. Applications with private / un-viewable videos will not be considered.

Resume & Cover Letter

Please address your cover letter to Natalie Patterson. Combine your resume and cover letter into one PDF titled “[Your Name] Program Lead – November 2022”. 

Submission

To apply, submit your PDF cover letter and resume, as well as a link to your 90-second video at this link by 11:59pm Pacific time on December 12, 2022. Incomplete applications will not be considered. If you’re unable to use a Google account to access this form, please send your materials to [email protected] with the title “Program Lead – [Your Name]” instead; otherwise, please do not send your application materials via email. 

For those with whom we would like to continue the conversation, we will send you a short practical exercise to get a sense of your critical thinking and communication skills. Candidates with strong responses will go through two interview rounds with different members of our team. We’ll ask for references from our top candidates, and make an official offer. All applicants will be contacted by the end of January 2023 regardless of status. Contact [email protected] with any questions.

Apply Here