Job Opportunities at Sportsmen’s
Youth & Family Social Worker
December 2023
Agency Overview
Sportsmen’s Tennis & Enrichment Center (Sportsmen’s) is a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to build leaders on the court, in the classroom and in the greater community. Founded in 1961, we were the first non-profit tennis club in the United States formed by and for the African-American community in Boston. We maintain a focus on equity and access and welcome all individuals and continue to be a leader and innovator in transforming the community in which we reside.
We provide academic, wellness and social development programs alongside recreational and competitive tennis instruction for youth and adults. Sportsmen’s is committed to improving life opportunities for youth in Boston’s Blue Hill Corridor while welcoming a diverse community from the Greater Boston area. We provide competitive and community tennis programs for over 5,000 young people annually, of all races, ethnicities and socio-economic backgrounds. Sportsmen’s offers adult leagues and lessons, recreational tennis and competitive tournament play. To learn more about Sportsmen’s, see www.sportsmentstennis.org
The Center for Community Wellness at Sportsmen’s (CCW) mission is to advance the health and health equity in Boston’s communities of Dorchester, Mattapan and Roxbury. Partially funded by Brigham and Women’s Hospital and partnering with community residents, we promote antiracist work in healthcare and provide resources for health and wellness, collaborating with other organizations to dismantle the structural barriers and injustices that contribute to health disparities. To learn more about the CCW, visit www.bwhccw.org
Through The Learning Center at Sportsmen’s (TLC) we partner with four area schools where students are performing below grade level, with performance rates among the lowest in the state. TLC is a comprehensive suite of year-round academic support and enrichment programs, working to give youth the skills and support they need to succeed in school and beyond. Using a proprietary curriculum, TLC programs provide individualized academic support combined with social emotional learning, enrichment and tennis to help students meet and often exceed grade level benchmarks.
Our facility, which houses 14 tennis courts, 3 classrooms, a fitness center and a clubhouse with showers and lockers, is located on 4 acres near the Dorchester and Mattapan line. Sportsmen’s provides and leverages high quality tennis, academic and social programs to engage with youth and improve their academic outcomes, and open doors of opportunity for college and beyond.
Boston’s Blue Hill Corridor community (the Corridor), comprising Dorchester, Mattapan and Roxbury, is located just a few short miles from the world-class healthcare institutions, but is one of the less privileged and under-resourced communities in Boston. With higher rates of unemployment (11%), family poverty (21%) and food insecurity (30%), these social determinants of health contribute to the outsized burden of chronic diseases- obesity and metabolic disease (65%), heart disease (117 per 10,000), and asthma (15%)- afflicting local residents, many of whom benefit from more knowledge, behavioral support or access to pursue a healthier life.
One of our largest community assets is the wide range of nonprofits working to create opportunities for those who live along the Corridor. They include community health organizations, faith institutions, housing and youth development organizations, those addressing food security and more. Sportsmen’s has a longstanding history of working with these organizations and bringing them together to address community challenges.
Our community is one of the most diverse communities in Boston with more foreign-born residents than any other Boston community. Residents come from across the Caribbean, Africa and Asia. 94% are people of color and 83% of Corridor households speak a language other than English. According to the 2020 Census, the Corridor’s population is growing overall with the most notable increases in its Asian, Hispanic and Latino populations. The census also revealed the area is Boston’s “cradle of youth” with more children and youth than any other community. At the other end of the spectrum, it is also home to more 65+ adults than any other Boston neighborhood. This growth and diversity is an asset as it presents opportunities for learning and change.
Position Overview
Sportsmen’s is committed to improving the quality of life along the Corridor, an area that faces many challenges. The social worker will work with and support the leadership team in all program areas, initially within TLC and our summer camp program students and families to integrate health and wellness considerations, including crisis management, mental health, family stability, and resources for problem management, before expanding work with the CCW as well.
Specific Responsibilities Include:
Systems Development
Create systems, practices and policies that reinforce positive behaviors throughout TLC and in our students classroom and camp experiences
Work with staff to integrate principles of de-escalation into programming
Recognize the effects of individual and systemic racism and share resources to ameliorate those effects, including restorative justice practices and culturally and linguistically competent care
Build relationships within the Boston Public Schools (BPS) at the school and district level to support student success and further our academic programs
Create and manage systems to address crises
Program Administration
Facilitate educational classes and share resources with adults, parents, students and staff to address social emotional learning, mental health, individual and systemic racism and reinforce positive behaviors
Create and oversee a social work intern program providing hands on support to TLC, summer programs, Volley Against Violence (see www.sportsmenstennis.org) and the CCW
Promote and utilize an asset-based growth mindset approach with staff and management
Demonstrate humility and openness when collaborating to facilitate conversations of race and culture with urban youth, adults and families
Direct Support
Provide differentiated experiences, support and resources as required by our population
Motivate, challenge, gauge participation and adapt plans, curriculum and services based on participant responses
Create an environment where backgrounds, culture, race, and strengths are treasured, and challenges are acknowledged, shown understanding and support
Continually show consistency and clarity in communication and interactions with students, parents, adults and staff
Quickly assess and problem solve; demonstrate de-escalation, mediation skills
Key Knowledge, Skills and Values
Exhibit knowledge of child development and family dynamics
Demonstrate leadership skills and ability to move people towards a common goal
Ability to work collaboratively
Knowledge of individual and population barriers of social/emotional growth, mental health, and issues related to individual and systemic racism, and create programming and education to ameliorate such barriers
Skilled in assessing and using network of resources to refer those who request or would benefit from resources
Works proactively
Excellent organizational skills
Strong verbal, public speaking and communication skills
Politically savvy and able to work with diverse populations and cultures
Committed to work with students and families, utilizing growth mindset and serving as an advocate for all
Change agent- fosters environment of change, builds consensus among various groups for a common goal
Practices as a lifelong learner and reflective professional
Reporting Structure
The social worker will report to the Chief Program Officer and collaborate closely with the CCW leadership.
Required Qualifications
Master’s degree in Social Work from an accredited program
Minimum 5 years experience in the nonprofit sector in direct service organizations, including engagement at some level with Boston Public Schools and agencies addressing physical and mental health and critical resource generation
Experience supervising staff and volunteers
Familiarity with neighborhoods in an urban setting, either similar to or including those along the Blue Hill Corridor (Dorchester, Mattapan and Roxbury)
Preferred Qualifications
Licensure in social work (LCSW, LICSW)
5+ years of experience
Bilingual; English and Spanish or Haitian Creole
Sportsmen’s Tennis & Enrichment Center is an equal opportunity employer and will not discriminate against any individual, employee, or application for employment on the basis of race, color, marital status, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ability or any other legally protected status under federal, state or local law.
Sportsmen’s Tennis & Enrichment Center offers a competitive compensation package, including health and dental insurance, and 401(k) program and 10 paid holidays.
Salary range is $70,000-75,000 annually, commensurate with experience.
Qualified candidates should send cover letter and resume to:
Charlynne Mines-Smart, COO
Sportsmen’s Tennis & Enrichment Center
950 Blue Hill Ave Dorchester MA 02124
617-288-9092
or cmines-smart@sportsmenstennis.