OAKLAND BELONGING will exist at the intersections of youth storytelling, oral history, and place-making. The youth will explore oral histories of the historic Swan’s Market in Old Town Oakland and inquire around how the history of Swan’s Market reflects the histories of Oakland. Through oral histories conveyed in a variety of multimedia performance formats, youth will explore the importance of identity and place in creating a sense of belonging, and the role they can play in shaping the built environment. Led by eight to ten Oakland high school students, the project will focus on the historic Swan’s Market at the intersection of four diverse
Oakland neighborhoods.
Position Description As lead teaching artist for our Oakland Belonging program you will develop and implement an innovative curriculum that integrates youth storytelling, oral history, and place-keeping. You will be the main teacher for all the workshop sessions and facilitate guest speakers who present to the class.
In addition to creating the curriculum for the program you will work in concert with our Oakland Belonging partners including Oaklandside, SiteLab Urban Studio, and the Oakland History Room at the Oakland Library, to shape a successful program for the youth.
You will collaborate with Alicia Crawford, our podcasting specialist, to weave podcasting into the program as one of the forms of youth expression. In addition to in-class learning and making, you will also guide the students in their “field work,” as they gather oral histories from culture bearers, business owners, elders, artists, community members, and commissioners in and around Swan’s Market.
The program will culminate with a public exhibition of the students work which can include but is not limited to: a physical oral history exhibit in downtown Oakland, self-guided audio tours, a public performance, youth writing published in Oaklandside and/or a live on-site youth presentation. You will work with our Program Director to curate the final presentations and prepare the students for their exhibitions.
About Chapter 510
MISSION Chapter 510 is a made-in-Oakland youth writing, bookmaking & publishing center. Our teaching artists and volunteers work side-by-side with educators to provide a safe space and supportive community with a focus on Black, brown, and queer youth ages 8-19 so they can bravely write.
VISION That every young person in Oakland writes with confidence and joy.
WHY WE EXIST We believe that writing is an act of liberation. When young people write and get published, they transform themselves and their communities, succeeding in school, work, and life.
WHAT WE DO Through writing programs at our center and within Oakland public schools, we help young people improve their writing craft, confidence, and competency at every stage. Our programs include free writing and bookmaking workshops, field trip opportunities for OUSD educators, in-school book projects, youth publishing opportunities, and First Friday literary events. Chapter 510 currently works with over 1,000 students per year and publish over 20 beautifully made books written by Oakland youth each year.
About the Position We are looking for an experienced writer and educator who has at least five years of experience working with high school students in the arts. You have strong skills in curriculum development, teaching Black, brown, and queer youth and implementing collaborative youth arts programs. Experience in journalism is a plus.
You will be able to commit to the entire duration of the program which will include program preparation in November/December 2021, the youth program from January - June 2022, and Exhibition preparation and implementation in the Fall 2022. You will work with our Program Director to develop the vision for the course and be in charge of creating and implementing the curriculum with the youth while working with our program team to meet Chapter 510 goals.
You will work with our Community Engagement Manager who will be your teaching assistant. The Community Engagement Manager will handle all the logistics of the program including registration and enrollment, class set-up, and weekly communications with students and guests.
The program will be held in person at Chapter 510’s writing center (546 9th Street, Oakland) and include some days out “in the field,” in and around Swan’s Market in Oakland.
Schedule This is an in-person teaching artist position. The program will meet once a week after school, between 4:00 - 6:00pm, Tuesday - Friday on a day that works for you, at Chapter 510, 546 9th Street, Oakland, CA. The actual youth program will go from January 2022 - October 2022 with a break in July/August for summer and the Fall being focused on Exhibition. Your contract will go from November 2021 - October 2022 and be in the ballpark of around 170 hours, including curriculum development, teaching time, team meetings and exhibitions. Exact hours TBD.
Compensation We pay our Teaching Artists $50hr and include hours for teaching, lesson planning, curriculum, and program development as well as team meetings. We are able to offer between $6,000 - $10,000 based on the number of hours you commit to after our first program planning meeting.
If you are interested in this opportunity, email [email protected] with a cover letter and cv by or before October 15th, 2021.
Chapter 510 is an equal opportunity employer that seeks to hire those representative of the diverse communities we serve. Chapter 510 hires without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, HIV/AIDS status, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law. All are highly encouraged to apply.