reDiscover is expanding and looking to hire a new Lead Facilitator. Now in its 15th year, reDiscover runs popular after school programs at the reDiscover Center in Venice and at schools around LA County. Children explore hands-on, open-ended problems as catalysts for patient problem solving, adventure, and self-directed learning. Building in wood, cardboard, and upcycled materials with hand and power tools, 5-16 year olds think, make, and tinker in a unique atmosphere of trust and responsibility.
Lead Facilitator Job Description
As Lead Facilitator, during the school year you will be in charge of one or more classes, responsible for overseeing weekly sessions for 10-20 children with ongoing support and training from reDiscover. You will prepare materials, maintain and improve the classes, create activity plans, and teach weekly at a designated site. As a Lead Facilitator, you will be eligible to lead sessions of reDiscover’s summer camps, part time or full time.
The successful candidate will be:
Good with kids. You can hold an audience of 8 year olds, patiently teach one-on-one, have eyes in the back of your head, can learn a classroom full of names overnight, keep the necessary distance to command respect, crack a joke, take a joke, ensure safety by tracking each child’s capacity, patience, and mood.
Good with tools. You know your way around a wood shop, know which side of a mark to cut, can screw together two pieces of wood, troubleshoot a rickety joint, sketch a rough diagram.
Responsible. You show up on time or early, set up efficiently, get the paperwork done without fuss, take notes, acknowledge and learn from mistakes, develop your skills, care for the organization as a whole.
Creative. You have or can develop a personal tool kit of cool projects to build that appeal to tinkering-oriented children, solve interpersonal, mechanical, and design problems on the fly, are ready to implement to reDiscover Center’s failure-positive, child-led educational philosophy.
Available. reDiscover Center holds regular classes during the school year with a typical shift being 4 hours, 1:30-5:30. New Lead Facilitators receive on site training and an apprenticeship period in our programs at schools and at reDiscover Center. Lead Facilitators also facilitate camps, classes, workshops, birthday parties, and assist in educator professional development programs. Benefits include sick days and a retirement plan with employer match.
Interested applicants will email hr@rediscovercenter.org with a resume and evidence of relevant awesomeness such as a lesson plan, a video of teaching, or artist’s/maker’s portfolio.
Assistant Facilitator
Summary: Work on a team including staff and volunteers to facilitate programs for ages 5-16 that encourage creativity using power tools and sustainable materials.
Compensation: $15/hr
Location: Positions available at our program sites including weekday and afternoon shifts at reDiscover Center in Culver City and after school shifts at our school locations on the Westside, SFV, and South Bay. Part time work available year-round and full time during the summer camp season.
Key Responsibilities:
● Facilitate child-centered creativity through open ended questions and suggestions of materials and techniques.
● Demonstrate safe and proper tool use and use of appropriate safety equipment.
● Assist the Lead Facilitator in classroom management.
● Train and assess participants’ capacity for safe tool use through group and one-on-one tutorials.
● Coordinate with other staff to match participants’ tool skills with appropriate projects.
● Inspire enthusiasm for tinkering through personal expression of the joy of making.
● Supervise warm-up and break activities.
● Coach teams of 3-5 tinkerers in design, construction, testing, and redesign.
● Monitor and address interpersonal conflicts among participants.
● Maintain a tidy workshop, efficiently set up before activities and clean up afterwards, reshelve unused materials and tools after use.
● Make periodic suggestions for organizational improvement.
● Prepare and clean the workshop and other reDiscover facilities before and after tinkering sessions.
● Report broken tools, unsafe circumstances, and injuries to senior staff immediately.
Supervised by: Director of Programs
Supervises: None
Qualifications: Experience with art, making, tinkering and/or woodworking. Public speaking skills, patience with adults and children of varying personalities and abilities, problem-solving ability, dependability. Aptitude for manual arts. Safety-oriented and able to consistently follow safe tool use protocols. Ability to lift 40 lbs. Must be able to transport four 20 gallon totes to offsite locations. Employment offers are made contingent on the results of a background check.
To apply, email a cover letter describing your interest and experience (1) working with children and (2) hands-on making (woodworking, sewing, crafting, robotics, etc.) to hr@rediscovercenter.org. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
Tinkering School LA by reDiscover Center is expanding and looking to hire a new Lead Facilitator. Now in its ninth year, Tinkering School LA is a popular day camp at reDiscover Center in Venice and at sites around LA. At Tinkering School LA, children explore hands-on, open-ended problems as catalysts for patient problem solving, adventure, and self-directed learning. Building in wood, cardboard, and upcycled materials with hand and power tools to solve various challenges, 5-16 year olds experience a unique atmosphere of trust and responsibility.
Lead Facilitator Job Description
As Lead Facilitator, you will be in charge of a camp location responsible for overseeing week long programs for 10-15 campers with the support and training of previous Tinkering School LA staff. You will orient and coordinate 2-4 counselors, prepare materials, maintain and improve the workshop, create daily and weekly activity plans, and teach camp daily at a designated site on the Westside.
The successful candidate will be:
Good with kids. You can hold an audience of 8 year olds, patiently teach one-on-one, have eyes in the back of your head, learn a classroom full of names overnight, keep the necessary distance to command respect, crack a joke, take a joke, ensure safety by tracking each child’s capacity, patience, and mood.
Good with tools. You know your way around a wood shop, can screw together two pieces of wood, know which side of a mark to cut, troubleshoot a rickety joint, sketch a rough diagram.
Responsible. You show up on time or early, set up efficiently, get the paperwork done without fuss, take notes, acknowledge and learn from mistakes, deploy staff to best effect and develop their skills, care for the organization as a whole.
Creative. You have or can develop a personal tool kit of cool projects to build that appeal to tinkering-oriented children, solve interpersonal, mechanical, and design problems on the fly, are ready to implement to Tinkering School LA’s failure-positive, child-led educational philosophy.
Available. Tinkering School LA runs a ten week summer season, June-August, plus a week of set up and 3 days of training and planning sessions through the spring. Shorter summer seasons are available to accommodate our Facilitators’ schedules.
Interested applicants will email hr@rediscovercenter.org with a resume and evidence of relevant awesomeness such as curricula, a video of teaching, or artist’s/maker’s portfolio.
Intern Facilitator
Purpose: The position of Intern Facilitator supports the Site Lead Facilitator to facilitate safe tool use and creative child-centered tinkering in programs at reDiscover Center.
Location: Intern Facilitator positions are available in Venice.
Dates: Intern Facilitator positions are available year round.
Key Responsibilities:
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Demonstrates safe and proper tool use.
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Assesses participants’ capacity for safe tool use through one-on-one tutorials and trains participants in safe tool use.
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Communicates with other Facilitators about individual participants’ tool skills.
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Assists the Lead Facilitator in classroom management to assure all participants receive key safety information.
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Facilitates child-centered creativity through open ended questions and suggestions of materials and techniques.
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Inspires enthusiasm for tinkering by expressing the joy of making.
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Explores creative possibilities of unusual materials.
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Monitors and resolves interpersonal conflicts among participants.
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Understands the layout of the workshop and placement of materials and tools.
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Maintains a clean workshop, including reshelving unused materials and tools after use and cleaning the facility at the close of each day.
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Encourages participants to maintain a tidy and clean workshop.
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Reports broken tools, unsafe circumstances, and injuries to Lead Facilitator immediately.
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Other duties as assigned.
Reports to: Lead Facilitator
Time Commitment: Minimum three weeks, non-consecutive OK. Preference for 5+ week commitments.
Acknowledgement of volunteer hours served for community service or school requirements can be provided.
Qualifications: Ability to lift 25 lbs. Pleasant manner, patience with children of varying personalities and abilities, problem-solving ability, dependability. Safety-oriented and able to consistently follow safe tool use protocols.
Support: Training for this position will be provided. In addition, the Lead Facilitator will be on site at all times for questions and assistance. Interns receive daily training in facilitation and maker techniques at the post-camp staff meeting and mentoring from the Lead Facilitator on developing as an educator and a maker.
Age Requirement: 14 and up.
Dress Code: Staff t-shirt or apron, closed toe shoes, long hair tied back, work clothes that can get dirty.
Interested? Please email hr@rediscovercenter.org with a description of (1) your experience as a maker and (2) your experience helping or teaching children in the age range of 5-12.
We love volunteers and have many opportunities!
If you like to roll up your sleeves and dive in, fill out the form at the link below! We'd love to have you!