Five C's Emotional and Social Intelligence (ESI) Coach Project CHANGE
- AmeriCorps Montgomery MD Silver Spring, MD Job Details Part-time Up to $18,000 a year 18 hours ago Benefits Health insurance Dental insurance Vision insurance Qualifications Teamwork High school diploma or GED Driver's License Working with students Empathy Full Job Description
THINGS ARE NOT RIGHT WITH THE WORLD BUT WHO CARES
The local Cafe is not any place that you expect to be worrying about but yesterday, my order was lost, the coffee was late and the staff didn't seem to care. That is not the end of the world, but you sense there is something going on in the zeitgeist. The world is a weary place making a lot of people wary right now. Something feels off. And that feeling that sits inside our hearts bleeds out into workplaces and schools and playgrounds like an infection that undermines our trust, our sense of safety, our hope. What can we do? Project CHANGE is looking for a special kind of person, someone who has a sixth sense for these sort of things
- someone who has a well developed peripheral vision to serve in a school or out of school time and do it differently.
Different" meaning being aware of all the little things that the teacher or the program staff don't see. Like the kid who always comes early or a little bit late, or the student who is always half asleep or stairing out the window, or the kid who says yes all the time, too scared to disagree with anyone about anything. No big deal, you might say, but how much do these little things reveal about a kid trying his best to grow up. It is hard to keep all that a secret from someone who knows how to be lovingly attentive. Then there is the space itself, messy or comfy, clean or dirty, cared for or just trafficked, and in that space, who is close to what, and who is turning away. The observer notes how the time progresses from beginning to middle to end, and what shifts, what grows and what runs down. Who runs out of patience, interest, value? How do students enter the space? How do they leave? Who gets greeted and who wants to be ignored? People show up in so many more ways than they usually get seen. And who sees the person who is trying hard not to be seen? Social Emotional Intelligence can't be just taught or gauged by a simple IQ test because it shows up like the weather. Some days, kids ( or teachers) are in the mood to learn and play. Other times, its dark and stormy. But who is there to even pay attention to the atmosphere that makes all the difference, the spaces in between, the beginnings and endings, the mood, the energy flows. Project CHANGE is recruiting a new breed of youth worker who sign on to be there and not necessarily do much at first
- other than take this all in and act as the weather gauge.
Yet, it is because of this gentle knowing that a member can become a mentor, being able to be the weather guide, calming the storm, being the shelter, the cheerleader, making someone seen so that they don't forget that they matter, making someone heard so that they don't forget that they do have something worth saying, leaning into a final effort so a student knows he doesn't always have to give up. The economy of this service is to always be asking, what is the smallest thing I can do that can make the biggest difference? A smile, a nod, a welcome, a wink, a moving toward or just a quiet listening. The simplest acts of love are not heroic. They are just small enough to work without anyone noticing except those that need it. No dramas, no interventions, no third degree, just a gentle noticing. Being there for that student on that particular day at that time, is teaching something as precious as math or science. It is teaching them about themelves by our simplest acts of acknowlegement and appreciation. This is the SEL that matters. Not heavy duty emotional regulation or responsible decision making
- Most of us adults don't know even know how to do that so well
- Why expect our kids to? But they need celebrate their growing identity awareness
- "this is who I am becoming" through what students learn from the feedback they receive about themselves.
It is just as important as what they learn about other subjects. Why is it then that schools rarely have time to have anyone teach students how to better know themselves, and learn self-care, self-respect, self-valuing. COVID disadvantaged all students. The current political climate is stressing families who are new to this country and adding extra burdens to kids who are trying to learn a new language and get ahead. Tests have shown students are behind. Most schools are still teaching "Catch Up." Teachers are not allowed time to ask students how they are feeling. What if they are overwhelmed? What if they are depressed, or hungry, or scared? Yet, ask any teacher who is struggling to get the class to learn. They will know what students are saying in the only way kids can speak
- through their mostly unobserved behaviors. We are not ready to learn-they are saying
- until you are ready to learn from us
- where we are and what we are going through.
One Million dead with COVID, and now thousands deported, and you presume we come ready to learn and all is normal? Can someone pay attention?
SERVING WITH PROJECT CHANGE
Project CHANGE is recruiting a team of Student Advocates and Champions
- 19 inspired members for 2026-7 who sign on to a project for a year or more to change all this.
Through the innovative yet simple SEL instrument MyScore that Project CHANGE has developed over the last 9 years, Project CHANGE is striving to bring the students back into the conversation about their lives. The standardized tests want to know if you can write and read, ( That is Their Score) but we are interested in 'How Confident, How Curious, How Collaborative, How Courageous, How Career and future
- focused you are
- (That is MyScore.
) These 5C's are more predictive of a successful Life Learner (SLL) than any test result. They show up in telltale behaviors long before a kid scores the test. We know which students are struggling because they tell us. We can support them to persevere and grow. We know which class is stuck because most students we observe are bored or struggling, or feel alone. And we know which students are thriving and who we can invite to help us build a climate of learning. Together with their teachers and their classmates, we can better support those who might be behind. MyScore allows us to build an environment for learning and growing. We lift up every voice. This seems so obvious. Yet it represents a radically different approach to student welfare that has never been tried before until Project CHANGE decided to democratize education and re-center the curriculum on life and self as the ultimate lesson. After the pandemic, and in our out-of-joint times, it is critical to place the student voice back at the center of the conversation about education. And it is vital to have somone paying attention to the climate of learning, before it becomes a storm.
WHO IS PROJECT CHANGE?
Project CHANGE is the original AmeriCorps Montgomery County program that for 25 years, has been serving Montgomery County students. Every year, we look at the emerging needs and search for Children's Champions who ready and able to respond. Project CHANGE's unique Social Emotional Learning Approach is based around stories . We focus on "the story that a student is telling themselves about themselves" their value, their talents, their chances for success and their future. Our student-friendly tool called MyScore gets students to focus on growing in the 5Cs of confidence, curiosity, collaboration, courage and career-future focus. Members are trained to become SEL specialists using this tool and shape interventions around the student's sense of self. Imagine being the difference between a student passing or failing? Imagine being the difference between a student believing in herself and a student acting out their despair? Imagine helping a teacher or program leader create the safety net and the trust where children can thrive and feel the thrill of being alive.
DO YOU QUALIFY
Requirements for AmeriCorps members in
Project Change:
1. At least 18 years of age and up to 110 2. High School Diploma or GED 3. Drivers license/access to a vehicle 4. Able to work in the US as a citizen-permanent resident 5. Able to devote between 25-37 hours a week 6. Experience working with children/youth 7. Willing to have a criminal background check 8 Able to serve for a full uninterrupted 12 months
BENEFITS
In return, AmeriCorps members receive: Professional Development weekly training on Fridays $18,000 for 1200 hours/yr, and $22,500 for 1700 hours/yr in living stipend $7,395 educational scholarship upon completion Health benefits
- insurance includes vision and dental for full time members worth over $7000 Professional mentoring Peer support network and connection to AmeriCorps alumni Preference in hiring for many organizations The positions offer an overall life-changing experience. Most positions are full-time (1700 hours during a 12-month term) beginning late August 2026
- mid August 2027 and most positions are three quarter-time (1200 hours during a 12-month term).
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BACKGROUND
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) with almost 160,000 Students shut down on March 2020, leaving kids cut off from their peers, depriving them of normal healthy social outlets. School returned with students eager to connect and get back to learning but they are still behind. Now, the political climate is casting a shadow over many students from minority communities. How can you learn when you your future is at risk? In these circumstances, Social/Emotional learning becomes paramount. How will students learn to cope, to believe in themselves, to not give up hope? These are the skills and attitudes that students need most to succeed in life. This is where YOU come in. Your role in the school or after school program will be as a mentor and coach to students who need it the most, and for you to model for them ways to
- Actively engage and problem-solve physical, psychological, social and disciplinary issues that affect themselves and the community.
- Take responsibility for their actions.
- Set themselves up for learning success Project CHANGE Montgomery began in 2001 as the original Montgomery County MD program of AmeriCorps, America's "Domestic Peace Corps.
" Places are available from late August 2026 to mid-August 2027 and AmeriCorps members serve the county's most under-served K-12+ students.
Job Type:
Part-time Pay:
Up to $18,000.00 per year Application Question(s): Serving vulnerable populations means you must clear a background criminal check. Are you willing to consent to that? Are you a US citizen or a permanent resident with a valid Green Card? Since struggling students rely on consistency of care, can you commit to a year of uninterrupted service that will not be diverted by any other matters?
Education:
High school or equivalent (Required)
License/Certification:
Driver's License (Required)
Work Location:
In person
