BAI WRITING COACH

About the Bloomberg Arts Internship

BACKGROUND

In 2012, Bloomberg Philanthropies created the Bloomberg Arts Internship program in New York City as a pipeline for public school students to college and careers in the arts. The program’s success led the foundation to expand its reach to many more cities including Philadelphia, Baltimore, Boston, Detroit, and Washington, DC. As Baltimore enters its ninth year, Arts for Learning Maryland is in search of 50 dynamic Baltimore City Public Schools rising seniors to make up the 2025 cohort. Interns are split into two cohorts for most workshops.

THE INTERNSHIP

This is a 7.5 week, full time paid internship program for students to gain meaningful work experience at arts and cultural organizations in Baltimore, explore careers in the arts through their work + trips + connections with local artists, and gain support in considering and applying to college. You can find more details about the intern experience ON OUR WEBSITE and/or in this INFORMATION SHEET.

Our Anti-Racist Practices

• We create inclusive environments where all students’ unique gifts and talents are discovered and cultivated, and where students’ identities (racial, cultural, social, gender, etc.) are reflected all around them and matter through acknowledgment and affirmation;
• We examine biases and have an understanding of the concepts of institutional and structural racism and its impact on policies and practices, especially related to the administration of public education;
• We have a passion for students: an ability to build meaningful relationships and a desire to “go above and beyond” to create homeplaces where Black joy is cultivated and thrives;
• We have a commitment to seeing families as partners in education and communicating with them regularly.
• We are grounded in the values of: youth voice, creative expression, inclusion + accessibility, community care, intentional collaboration, and radical love.

Job Description

Writing coaches work collaboratively to build and facilitate a curriculum that includes in-class writer’s workshops crafted to develop three pieces: a personal essay connected to the arts (TBD by Writing Coaches), an artist statement, and a completed draft of their college essay. Workshops will help to build interns’ writing stamina, guide them in determining the kinds of writers they are, support them in writing with their authentic voices, and help them understand the value of revision and persistence. Writing Coaches will each have 6-8 interns in their small group and will provide feedback in those small groups, as well as written feedback through Google Docs. They will share interns’ drafts with our outside evaluators as a way to evaluate and improve the program. Weekly blog posts will create a routine that allows the students to develop writing skills in a safe and imaginative environment.

Please Note: Writing Coaches work in COLLABORATION when planning, facilitating and making decisions about individual interns. We honor process over product in order to ensure that interns are leading the work and sharing their authentic voices.

Program Dates

The program runs from June 23rd to August 13th with asynchronous and in person trainings starting in May. Hours vary. Please see the specific Dates and Details of the Program HERE and a Writing Coaches Schedule at a Glance HERE.

Responsibilities Include

• Collaboratively plan and present writing workshops to students.
• Monitor student progress and provide feedback on their drafts through Google Docs.
• Check in on student work, communicate with students to set goals for progress, determine barriers to mitigate, answer any questions, etc.
• Support interns during field trips.
• Support all staff in preparation for the final culminating event.
• Connect with all staff throughout the program, to modify the program along the way and ensure that each student is successful.

And…Each summer, one of our Writing Coaches takes the lead with our BAI Baltimore blog. What does that mean?

• This person leads the Reflecting on the Week + Introduction to the Blog Workshop during Orientation on Friday, June 27th (9:45-11:00 with one Cohort and 11:15-12:30 with the other).
• Each week, this person peruses the weekly student reflections, determines which ones to post, and posts them.
• Each Thursday during the program, this person shows off what was posted as a celebration and inspiration for what students will create this week AND supports students as they create. This takes place from 10:15-10:45 (interrupting your planning time with fellow Writing Coaches). The students will have done some reflection on the week prior to this point.

We anticipate these extra blog duties taking approximately three additional hours per week. You can indicate in the application if you have interest in this role.

Qualifications

While no one candidate will possess every quality outlined for this position, the successful candidate will fit many of the following professional qualifications and personal attributes:

• has experience facilitating writing workshops;
• is proactive, detail oriented and possesses strong communication, organizational and management skills;
• has the ability and desire to collaborate and be vulnerable with their colleagues;
• has an affinity for the nature and value of the internship program and an understanding of the needs and capacities of high school students;
• believes in holding interns to high expectations while individualizing the support to get them there;
• prioritizes humanity over agenda with both staff and students;
• has the ability to create inclusive environments where all students’ unique gifts and talents are discovered and cultivated, and where students’ identities (racial, cultural, social, gender, etc.) are reflected all around them and matter through acknowledgment and affirmation;
• has the ability to examine biases and have an understanding of the concepts of institutional and structural racism and its impact on policies and practices, especially related to the administration of public education;
• has a passion for students: an ability to build meaningful relationships and a desire to “go above and beyond” to create homeplaces where Black joy is cultivated and thrives.

Compensation

The Writing Coach position is a seasonal non exempt position and is not eligible for health benefits. Writing Coaches will work up to 190 hours @ $40/hour, with the Blog Lead accruing no more than 30 hours in addition to the other duties listed.

To Apply

For consideration, apply HERE by March 12th. All employees will be subject to a federal and state background check in accordance with state and federal law.

Interviews for selected applicants will take place on March 20 5:00-7:00 in the Zoom. Please hold this date!

Got questions? Reach out to Kristina Berdan ([email protected]) for more information!