Spanish-English Bilingual Facilitator 

Contractor position: $35 – 45/hour, (part-time with full-time potential)

Start date: Immediate

Life Story Club (LSC) combats loneliness and social isolation among older adults by creating small social clubs for older adults to share life stories and easily build friendships. Today, nearly 1 in 4 older adults experience prolonged loneliness and social isolation (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine NASEM 2020), the health risks of which are as damaging as smoking 15 cigarettes a day (Holt-Lunstad 2015)​​. It’s linked to higher rates of depression and anxiety, a 30% higher risk of cardiovascular diseases, and a 50% increased risk of dementia (NASEM 2020). 

To address this growing public health crisis, we bring together groups of 8-12 older adults who meet weekly— via Zoom or in person— to spark connections and share their life stories. As part of the club experience, participants are given the opportunity to record one or more of their life stories which they then can share as part of a showcase event, or include in a group publication — cherished keepsakes for the storytellers, and their loved ones.

We partner with Public Libraries, Settlement Houses, NORCS (Naturally Occurring Retirement Centers), assisted living facilities, community centers, and a range of health and social service providers to deliver programming to older adults in NYC and beyond.  We try to meet people where they are, making our clubs available to people who want to participate remotely or  in person at partner sites. While we serve all older adults, we prioritize older adults who are often most at risk, including individuals who experience poor health, suffered a recent loss, are low-income, or are from immigrant or LGBTQ communities.

The Role

We are looking to hire a Life Story Club facilitator to run 3-5 Life Story Clubs across the city and virtually. As a facilitator, you are joining the team that is the heartbeat of our program. In this role, you are the face of Life Story Club, and set the tone for the club—you help make sure that everyone in the group feels comfortable, and has the chance to speak/share. You select prompts to invite story-sharing, and spark connections (and will sometimes need to share first as a way to build trust). 

You will be in charge of shepherding a story recording/production process for some of your clubs—working with the storytellers to select/shape the stories they want to preserve or present as part of a culminating legacy project. 

While this is initially a part-time position, there has been a growing demand for Life Story Club programs, and there is room for growth within the organization.

Duties and Responsibilities 

  • Run 3-5 clubs per week, with each club meeting for one hour every week, over 10+ weeks. This includes planning, implementing, and building on the Life Story Club curriculum in English and in Spanish.
  • Spend a few hours before club meetings preparing for the session, conducting welcome/reminder calls, and helping to dial-in individuals (who have accessibility needs) into the meetings.
  • Track attendance and input note into Salesforce following each club meeting.
  • Administer pre and post-evaluations, and following up with participants as necessary to collect.
  • Coordinate recording sessions with the storytellers, and collect related materials, such as photos, or recipes, for inclusion in a printed book.  Work with transcription service and production as needed to loosely edit participant stories and upload audio for inclusion in printed and digital chapbooks.
  • Take the lead on and/or support storyteller showcase events and culminating celebrations, coordinating with participants and partners to help as needed.
  • Support partner club recruitment efforts through the creation and distribution of flyers, social media posts, and hosting pop-up information sessions at partner sites and other locations.
  • Attend weekly Life Story Club team meetings in person and check-ins with your supervisor.

Requirements for the Role

  • Fluency in Spanish 
  • Mission-oriented, interested in improving the health and well-being of individuals and whole communities
  • Desire to work with/experience working with older adults 
  • Experience facilitating groups in person as well as virtually
  • Experience with storytelling, production, interview, or documentary work 
  • Prepared to work in-person and to travel within New York City as needed (Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens)
  • Comfortable with technology and with troubleshooting
  • Flexible, patient, team-oriented, and to wear many hats
  • Enthusiastic, eager to learn, and a self-starter who will jump in and support other team members
  • An engaged listener and respectful, upholding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion practices that ensure a welcoming environment for all
  •  Professional, organized, and diligent with excellent verbal and written communication skills   

Nice to Have, But Not Required:

  • Social work/group work background & training
  • Proficiency with Excel and/or Salesforce
  • Community organizing /event planning experience 

Please submit a resume and cover letter to Linnea Guerin at linnea [at] lifestoryclub.org. Please also include in your application the name and contact information for two professional references.