Overview

Writopia Lab, an award-winning 501(C)(3) nonprofit that runs the country's best creative writing workshops for kids and teens, is looking for creative, passionate, and hard-working resident counselors to assist at our 14-day Advanced Writing Seminar teen residency program in downtown Brooklyn from Sunday, July 12th to Saturday, July 25th. This application-only program is for dedicated teen writers who are rising 10th graders to rising college freshmen. Our program serves creative youth who yearn for alternative and rigorous forms of summer, residential engagement programs.

Location

Pratt Art Institute, 135 Emerson Place, Brooklyn

Program Dates

Sunday, July 12th through Saturday July 25th

Pay

Stipend of $700 plus meals, room, and board plus up to 6 hours of training paid at $17.00 per hour prior to the program overnight dates.

Responsibilities

• Serve as mentor to our teen writers providing continuous development through program activities, regular interaction, and mentor-mentee check-ins when needed
• Support program staff and Directors as needed
• Support afternoon, evening, and weekend activities in the dorm, as well as planned excursions around the city. During the two-week residency, the Directors will lead trips to sites in the city, with the support of the RCs
• Support on-site morning activities and/or afternoon workshops by assisting the instructor, a professional writer, and providing strengths-based feedback to participants in line with Writopia Lab’s methodology
• Some counselors will additionally support Directors with off-site morning excursions to various destinations in the city helping to keep the participants safe and model a curiosity about the world around them
• Serve as a direct point of contact for a small group of assigned teens and account for their whereabouts at all times
• Stay and sleep at the Pratt Institute overnight for the duration of the program, on the same floor as the teenage participants
• Monitor common areas in the dorms in the evenings, helping facilitate groups spaces and quiet spaces, and make sure participants abide by the curfew at the end of the night
• Help maintain cleanliness and orderliness of workshop and common spaces
• Report to the Directors, who will also be staying overnight in the dorms

Requirements & Qualifications

• We are seeking people who are excited about connecting with teens, fostering a community spirit, and providing support in our summer teen residency program. Below are the qualifications.
• Must be 21 years or older - college graduates preferred
• Experience preferred working with youth either as a resident advisor on a college campus or a sleepaway camp counselor.
• Enthusiasm collaborating with peers and youth in the creative process while modeling healthy boundaries
• Demonstrated maturity and responsibility in past work
• Ability to be flexible and responsive to the needs of the team and teens
• Excited about sharing their love of literacy, communication, and the city with others
• Motivated to work in a hands-on, collaborative, and fun environment
• Have a vested interest in either the fields of mental health, creative writing, theater, journalism, and/ or teaching

Are You Ready to Become a Writopia Lab Resident Counselor?

• Please apply! (Don't forget to attach your resume and cover letter.) Please do not submit cover letters or other application materials generated by AI.
• To find out more about who we are and what we do here at Writopia Lab, please visit our website.

As of January 1, 2025 we prefer candidates to be fully vaccinated against COVID 19 including at least one booster, but documentation will not be required.

Writopia Lab uses E-Verify to confirm the eligibility of their employees to work in the United States.

Writopia Lab is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Writopia Lab does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status, or on any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.

No phone calls, emails, or drop ins, please.