Careers and Volunteers at Half the Sky
This year, Half the Sky celebrates its 11th year of providing nurturing care for China’s orphaned children.
Half the Sky Foundation was founded in 1998 to enrich the lives and enhance the prospects for orphaned children in China. The organization is based in Beijing, Hong Kong, and Berkeley, California, and it establishes and operates infant nurture and preschool programs for institutionalized children, personalized learning programs for older children, and permanent family care for children with special needs who are not eligible for adoption. In addition, the organization is working with the Chinese government to develop a nation-wide system of training programs and model child development centers. The programs have tremendous impact, currently benefiting children residing in state-run orphanages in multiple locations across China.
As our work expands to serve orphaned children in every one of China's provinces, so does our family.
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
Field Supervisor-Trainer, Special Needs, China
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
China Twrivia Twitterer
Social Networking Volunteer, Global
Volunteer Progress Report Editor
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
Field Supervisor-Trainer, Special Needs, China
The role of the Field Supervisor-Trainer, Special Needs is to provide training and educational and technical support to HTS nannies, teachers and foster parents in the developmental care of children with special needs. This field supervisor will work under the direction of the Associate Director for Special Needs, but will work cooperatively with staff in all HTS programs.
Minimum Qualifications
- College degree in special education
- Previous experience working with children with disabilities, especially those with mental impairment
- Ability to provide appropriate techniques and interventions to address children’s physical and/or learning needs
- Excellent oral and written communication skills
- Excellent organizational skills
- Ability to initiate and problem solve
- Willing and able to work cooperatively and collaboratively with HTS staff and institution personnel
- Is conscientious and provides complete follow-through on areas of responsibility
- Commitment to professional growth
- Ability to travel to various cities in China
- Fluency in Chinese essential; English highly desireable
Job Responsibilities
- Visit sites on a regular basis to monitor implementation, recognize accomplishments, and guide staff in making improvements
- Support and train nannies, teachers, foster parents, institution administration and other staff to understand and better meet the children's special needs.
- Provide consultations on children with SN to address rehabilitation, equipment, and/or learning needs
- Work collaboratively and cooperatively with other field supervisors
- Facilitate coordination of care between HTS programs within the institution
- Assist with special needs training for HTS staff
- Serve as a liaison between the institutions and HTS
- Participate in HTS special needs process and/or program improvement projects
- Communicate with the Associate Director, Special Needs as expected or needed
- Other duties and responsibilities as assigned by HTS directors
To Apply:
Interested candidates should send a cover letter and resume to careers@ halfthesky . org (spaces removed) with “Field Supervisor, SN search” in the subject line. Please include desired salary range in the cover letter. Half the Sky Foundation is an equal opportunity employer. No calls, faxes or drop-in visitors, please.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
China Twrivia Twitterer
Half the Sky is looking for a China Twrivia Twitterer!
Do you suffer from Twitphilia - psychological obsession with Twitter and a compulsion to Tweet? Do you proudly carry your Tweeple card and show it off to all of your Tweeps? Are you a Tweetaholic with thousands of Tweets under your belt?
Do you love China and all things Chinese? Are you a Twountain of knowledge of interesting Chinese proverbs, stories, geographical facts, history, holidays, festivals, traditions, recipes and other Twivia?
Well that is Twittastic!! We are Twitterphoric to find you!
Put your Twittermania to good use with Half the Sky!
Half the Sky is seeking a Twolunteer to:
- Post Twiriffic, fun, positive and interesting stories and Twidbits about China and Half the Sky on our Twitter page daily
- Create a calendar of Tweets one month in advance and share with Half the Sky prior to posting
- Help build Twaffic to the Half the Sky Twitter page and to www.halfthesky.org
- Encourage other Tweeters to Twadd us to their accounts
- Create a Twitosphere for Half the Sky
- Work as part of a Social Networking Tweam to strategically incorporate Twitter into our Web 2.0 outreach efforts
- Analyze results and progress and make recommendations for future Twitter outweach
This volunteer position requires a passion for Twitter, a great appreciation for Half the Sky and an independent, creative and responsible personality. The time requirement is 15 minutes per day or approximately 1-2 hours per week.
Interested candidates should send a cover letter and resume to alla@ halfthesky . org (spaces removed) with “Twitter Volunteer Search” in the subject line. You will be contacted if your qualifications meet our volunteer needs. Thank you.
Social Networking Volunteer, Global
Do you love social networking sites? Spend lots of time on Facebook, Linked-In, and MySpace? Post photos on Flickr, Tweet on Twitter, surf videos on YouTube and love to update your blog? Do you surf the net to relax? If so, then put your passion for social networking and the internet to good use and support Half the Sky!
Half the Sky is seeking a volunteer to:
- Expand our presence on the web and recruit members, fans, viewers, participants and subscribers to our social networking sites
- Keep content updated, interesting and fresh with pertinent information
- Spread the message about giving and volunteering opportunities and recruit new donors and volunteers
- Enable our current volunteers to engage in online communications and share experiences and inspire others to do the same.
- Share information about Half the Sky with our volunteers
- Promote attendance at special events
- Upload photos and videos to promote the work of Half the Sky
- Analyze results and progress and make recommendations for future growth
This volunteer position requires a passion for Social Networking, a great appreciation for Half the Sky and an independent, creative and responsible personality. The time requirement is several hours per week.
Interested candidates should send a cover letter and resume to careers@ halfthesky . org (spaces removed) with “Social Networking Volunteer search” in the subject line. You will be contacted if your qualifications meet our volunteer needs. Thank you.
Volunteer Progress Report Editor
Each child in the HTS infant and preschool programs is assigned a nanny or a teacher. Those nannies and teachers write progress reports (in Chinese) about each child's developmental milestones. When Chinese volunteers translate the reports into English, the translators may unintentionally use inappropriate wording. Since HTS supporters around the world receive these updates three times a year about their sponsored child, the editor's role is to ensure that the reports are worded appropriately.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Each quarter, the Volunteer Editor Coordinator emails our volunteer editors. Each volunteer has the opportunity to participate in the current round of editing, or if life is a bit too busy, the volunteer can choose to skip the current round and contribute next time.
- A volunteer editor reads and edits progress reports written by the nannies and teachers of the children in Half the Sky's infant and preschool programs.
- Time commitment: We need volunteer editors three times a year: March, April and May; June, July, and August; December and January. (You do not have to be available all of the listed months.) You can choose to edit as many or as few reports as you want to during each period. You let us know how much you can or cannot handle. Generally, we prefer to have the edits completed within two weeks, so we give you reports that can easily be edited in that time frame. And then, if you have time, we send more. Usually the two-week deadline is very flexible so if you need more time, please just contact the Volunteer Editor Coordinator
Minimum Qualifications:
- It's pretty simple. As long as you are fluent in English (you don't need to be a grammar whiz) and you have a computer with Microsoft Word and email, you are ready to go!
- This position has no location restrictions and the time commitment is very flexible.
To Volunteer
Please send an email to the Volunteer Editor Coordinator, Theresa Cowing: with “Volunteer Progress Report Editor” in the subject line. Thank you.