Cool Facilitation Opportunity for New Yorkers
I received an email yesterday from Karly Li at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum in New York City. The museum recently created a dialogue program called "Kitchen Conversations" for their public tour visitors. They are very excited about this program as it is the first ongoing public dialogue program ever conducted at the museum, and one of only two such programs in the country. They are currently looking to hire facilitators for the program, and wanted to reach out to the NCDD community. Click below for the full announcement.
Lower East Side Tenement Museum
Dialogue Facilitator
The Lower East Side Tenement Museum was founded in 1988 to "promote tolerance and historical perspective through the presentation and interpretation of the variety of immigrant and migrant experiences on Manhattan's Lower East Side." The heart of the Tenement Museum is its landmark tenement building, home to 7,000 people, immigrants from over 20 nations, from 1863 to 1935. In addition to offering public and group tours of its tenement, living history programs, and neighborhood walking tours, the Museum is committed to using history to foster dialogue on contemporary immigration-related issues.
The Museum is seeking part-time facilitators for the "Kitchen Conversations" public dialogue program, a one-hour, facilitated discussion available to visitors after their tour. The goals of the program are to:
- engage visitors in dialogue that uses the stories on the tour as the starting point for them to share their own related experiences, as well as their feelings and opinions about larger immigration issues today;
- help participants gain new perspective on contemporary questions by looking at how they were answered in the past, through the stories of former residents of 97 Orchard;
- help participants gain new perspective by learning about each other's personal experiences;
- inspire visitors to find out more or act on contemporary immigration-related issues
Facilitators will use discussion guidelines developed by the Museum to conduct focused discussions with groups of 10-15 visitors at the Museum about their personal experiences, responses to the tour, and larger immigration related issues. The facilitator will report to the Museum's Interpretation Associate.
Additional Responsibilities include:
- Maintaining and setting up dialogue space for discussion
- Tracking visitor's attendance and response to the dialogue
- Working with Visitor Center staff to announce the program to visitors
- Giving weekly public tours of the Tenement Museum
Candidates must possess the following qualifications:
- Previous experience facilitating dialogues or mediating discussions
- Experience working with a diverse group of people
- Excellent communication and organizational skills
- Ability to speak comfortably in front of groups
- Be able to work in a team environment as well as independently
- Ability to be articulate, enthusiastic and engaging
- A love of immigrant history and a strong awareness of contemporary immigrant issues
- Ability to work flexible hours
This opportunity is ideal for self-motivated candidates interested in engaging the public on social issues, while working in a professional and challenging environment.
Schedule: Thurs and Fri from 12:00PM-6:00PM, Sat and Sun from 12:00PM-5:00PM. Candidates able to work all of those days preferred, though candidates able to work full shifts on at least two days will be considered.
Compensation: $15 per hour
How to Apply:
Please send fax or e-mail cover letter and resume to Karly Li, Interpretation Associate, (212) 431-0402 or . NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE!
