Affinity Group Leader

The Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund (DMSF) is Chicago’s largest high school scholarship organization serving high potential students from limited resourced communities. DMSF provides financial and programmatic support to scholars to attend and excel at top tier high schools in the Chicago area and at boarding schools around the country.

DMSF seeks to hire an Affinity Group Leader (AGL) to oversee one Affinity Group. Affinity Groups meet twice monthly on Saturdays and participate in approx. 5 training sessions and planning meetings throughout the school year.

The Affinity Group Program provides a community of support to help Scholars achieve academic success, develop leadership skills, and grow in confidence so that they are successful in high school, college, and beyond.

Affinity Groups are generally made up of 12-17 Scholars in grades 9 through 12.

Goals of the Affinity Group Program include

- Creating a sense of community and belonging among members of the group
- Providing a space for dialogue and support to help Scholars achieve academic

success

- Developing leadership ability and an understanding of its importance
- Building a sense of self-worth, possibility, and confidence in Scholars
- Assisting Scholars as they build their social, racial, and cultural identities
- Promoting a sense of belonging and a long term attachment to DMSF

The main responsibility of the Affinity Group Leader is to organize and facilitate the twice monthly meetings of Scholars.

Responsibilities include

● Helping develop and refine curriculum for the Affinity Group Program sessions in

accordance with the program’s objectives and budget

● Coordinating speakers, outings, workshops, and activities that support the goals of

the program, including collaborating with other AGLs

● Leading the Saturday sessions for one Affinity Group, supervising Scholars during

concerns, growth areas, and achievements

● Maintaining prompt, frequent and direct communication with DMSF staff and

Scholars in regards to Scholar related concerns, needs, and requests

expenses for Scholars

Responsibilities

Developing close trustworthy relationships with Affinity Group members; Enforcing DMSF policies and procedures and reporting on Scholar development,

Requirements

Undergraduate degree required; Excellent supervisory and communication skills required; Experience in education/counseling/psychology or in leading an affinity group, ideally

Nice to have

Experience in youth development or working with youth; Ability to identify with the challenges facing DMSF Scholars; Knowledge of the Chicago private school system is preferred; Intent on staying in the Chicago area for the next three years; AGLs are paid a monthly stipend over the eight months of programming; AGLs are provided with a yearly budget allotted to cover activities, field trips, and food