Program Leader: Youth Ambassadors Program with South America - Military veterans preferred

World Learning


Washington, DC, USA
2,532-2,785
Salary
Seasonal

World Learning is seeking 3 Program Leaders and 1 Senior Program Leader for the Youth Ambassadors Program with South America in Fall 2025. Leaders will accompany and monitor Bolivian, Peruvian, Argentinian, and Chilean high school aged participants for a two-week U.S. government-funded exchange program to the United States.

The overall goal of these programs is to provide a leadership exchange for South American high school students and adult mentors. Funded by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and the U.S. Embassy, these programs expose participants to cross-cultural understanding, leadership development and an awareness of civic responsibility during an exchange to the U.S. To learn more about the Youth Ambassadors programs, please visit our website.

Theme: Engagement and Youth Leadership

Location: Students and adult mentors from Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, and Peru travel to Washington, D.C. for their orientation; spend time with host families Tulsa, OK; Huntsville, AL; and Charlottesville, VA, and return to Washington, D.C. to finish their exchange.

Travel Leader Duration: October 16 - November 1, 2025

SPL Duration: October 15 - November 1, 2025

Qualifications: Applicants must be return leaders who have led a World Learning Youth Program or Experiment program previously, preferably in summer 2025. Applicants who have not previously led a program with World Learning Youth Programs or The Experiment will not be considered. Applicants with background in Spanish language and regional culture are encouraged to apply.

Applicants must submit their resume no later than September 2, 2025. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and interviews conducted accordingly. Please note that there are only 4 positions (3 Program Leaders & 1 Senior Program Leader) available, and the application process is competitive. However, we will be hiring for other Youth Programs throughout the year and are happy to keep your materials on file for the future.

Job description

World Learning seeks individuals who have demonstrated interest in youth development and experiential learning, and experience working with young people and leading short-term, high school exchange programs. Leaders maximize the wellbeing of participants in order to foster meaningful and memorable learning experiences. Leaders deliver educational content and are knowledgeable in the design and delivery of active, engaging workshops. Leaders also represent World Learning in U.S. domestic host communities, and at times overseas, and manage partner relationships with integrity and professionalism.

Program LEADER

Candidates with an exceedingly high degree of motivation to work with youth and their adult mentors are encouraged to apply. These highly competitive and demanding positions require a significant amount of stamina, positivity, teamwork, flexibility, diplomacy, initiative, as well as extensive cross-cultural experience. Responsibilities of these multifaceted positions include teaching and facilitation, as well a great deal of behind-the-scenes support work.

Responsibilities and tasks include the following:

Education and Facilitation

• Teach workshops on a wide range of topics including arts and leadership;
• Facilitate small-group discussions and dialogue groups;
• Co-lead teambuilding activities;
• Co-facilitate and participate in large-group simulations and role-plays;
• Speak with confidence and clarity in front of groups of 75 or more on a daily basis;
• Prepare workshops, simulations, and discussions in short amounts of time;
• Design new program components on the fly to accommodate participant interests;
• Facilitate "Leaders of the Day" groups.

Participant Life

• Pay close attention to participant needs, group dynamics, issues and problems;
• Monitor participant health needs, and facilitate medical attention if required;
• Nurture and foster the development of positive, supportive relationships among the participants;
• Live on campus, in the same dorms as participants during programming.
• Maintain positive, harmonious, and healthy living conditions;
• Gather participants into their own dorms 15 minutes before room check;
• Conduct room checks each evening;
• Ensure that all dorm and program rules are respected by all participants;
• Mediate and diffuse roommate and other participant disputes and tensions;
• Facilitate participants' timely arrival at activities;
• Travel on planes and buses with participants

Outdoor and Physical

• Spend significant time outside – in sun, rain, mud, storms, buggy areas, woods, rivers, etc;
• Instruct and supervise sports electives;
• Accompany participants on all off-campus activities and community field trips;
• Leaders may be asked to swim in rivers, paddle a canoe, and kayak on flat water.

Administrative

• Attend 2 one-hour virtual leader preparation calls prior to the start of the program;
• Attend and fully participate in Staff Prep Days;
• Attend all program components as described in weekly staff schedules;
• Attend regular staff meetings;
• Drive rental cars, and do airport runs;
• Do supply runs to the store at all hours of the day and night;
• Maintain timely and accurate petty cash accounting;
• Take pictures with digital cameras, help manage photo storage, slideshows, etc.;
• Complete and submit a travel expense report;
• Complete and submit a program evaluation;
• Provide voice, text and photo updates to program team while traveling in host community;
• Other duties, as assigned.

senior program leader

In addition to fulfilling the responsibilities required of all leaders, the Senior Program Leader position takes on increased responsibility and administrative support in collaboration with the Program Officer during the in-person exchange. During the host community segment, the Senior Program Leader may be based in a host community with participants, or in the orientation or synthesis location. Location will be assigned depending on the size and logistics of the program.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong administrative skills
• High attention to detail
• Prior experience with staff management and training
• Strong teamwork and collaboration skills
• Flexible and adaptable to change
• Experience working with young people and implementing youth programming
• Understanding of experiential education pedagogy
• Experience overseeing participant/cohort needs; supporting individual wellbeing as well as fostering and maintaining healthy group dynamics
• Prior experience leading a World Learning Youth Program

Responsibilities

Administration and Logistics

• Liaise with Program Officer to learn ins-and-outs of assigned program, including curriculum
• Prepare for orientation and synthesis segments, coordinating logistics such as scheduling, classroom preparation, ground transportation, site visits, meal reservations, and vendor communications.
• Manage program finances and support leader financial tracking when applicable (expense tracking, participant meals and per diems, etc.)
• Assist Program Officer with preparing program reports and timely funder updates
• Coordinate and prepare staff, participants, and materials for workshops, field trips, and evening activities
• Other duties as assigned

Team Management

The following responsibilities are typically only applicable on staff teams comprised of more than two staff members:

• In concert with Program Officer, provide coaching and support to leaders in areas such as session facilitation, behavior management, group dynamics, participant wellbeing, and administrative tasks
• Assist Program Officer with coordination of day-to-day team management, including:
• Staff scheduling, including both duties and time off schedules,
• Facilitate and manage daily staff meetings,
• Communicate announcements to staff team,
• Check in with activity point people ensuring they are prepared
• Review daily schedule and priorities
• Support on-call incident response as directed by the Program Officer
• Update the Incident Reporting Tool (IRT) with reported incidents from leaders
• Provide coaching for leaders and guide them through situations as they arise

The World Learning Inc. Family

For more than 90 years, World Learning Inc. is a thriving global organization made up of The Experiment in International Living, the nation's most experienced provider of international education through exchanges for high school students; School for International Training, offering accredited undergraduate study abroad programs through SIT Study Abroad and internationally focused master's degrees through SIT Graduate Institute; and World Learning, a global development and exchange nonprofit organization.

World Learning | worldlearning.org

World Learning has worked to create a more sustainable, peaceful, and just world. World Learning's education, development, and exchange programs help people find their voices, connect with their communities, strengthen the institutions that form the backbone of a democratic society, and build relationships across cultures. With World Learning's support, these emerging leaders tackle critical global issues like poverty, conflict, and inequality.

The Experiment in International Living | experiment.org

The Experiment in International Living is the nation's most experienced provider of international education through exchanges for high school students. For more than 90 years, The Experiment has empowered young people to step off the beaten path, experience the world as a classroom, immerse themselves fully in another culture, and build the knowledge and skills needed to confront critical global issues.

SIT | sit.edu

School for International Training (SIT) was founded in the early 1960s as a training center for the first Peace Corps volunteers. For nearly 60 years, SIT has prepared students to be effective changemakers and global citizens through experiential education focused on the world's most critical global issues. SIT Study Abroad offers accredited summer and semester undergraduate programs in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East, as well as comparative programs on multiple continents. SIT Graduate Institute offers global and hybrid certificates, master's, and doctoral degrees.

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