Community Power-Up Outreach Specialist

Project: Power Up Legal Rights Video Series

Project timeline: September 2020 – August 2021

Program Background

For many years, in partnership with Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church, the Black Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance, and several supporting faith communities, Interfaith Action has hosted in the Selby-Dale community:

  • Monthly “Community Power-Up” sessions – evening sessions filled with training on legal rights and financial strategies (including a hot meal and live jazz); and,
  • Bi-weekly free legal clinic sessions, (in partnership with SMRLS and the Cardozo Society).

This work helps community members build awareness of their legal rights and of fruitful financial strategies and provides one-on-one assistance to community members who choose to enforce their rights.

COVID-19 caused us to temporarily stop in-person programming. Legal clinic continues by phone. More information here.

Legal Rights Very Important Now. COVID increases the importance of knowing our legal rights. New laws are being passed with benefits and protections that we need to understand and apply for; people are losing jobs, which makes it important to wipe out barriers to employment (like expunging old criminal convictions); evictions are looming; and rights about workplace safety and sick leave are front and center.

Legal Rights Videos. We asked community members how they might like to continue learning about legal rights during COVID. They said they would like very short (2 minutes or shorter) videos about their rights in a format that they can share on social media, and that their faith communities could share on Zoom worship services and/or on websites. Video production is underway in partnership with the lawhelpmn.org – the first two demo videos are at the link above.

Job Description: Community Power-Up Outreach Specialist

Interfaith Action seeks to engage an Outreach Specialist to: (1) connect with faith communities to learn which legal rights topics are most pressing; and, (2) to lead communications to ensure that faith communities know about the legal rights videos and the legal clinic.

The Outreach Specialist will be responsible for being in relationship with faith communities in the Selby-Dale neighborhood and beyond, with a focus on churches in the Black Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance (“the Alliance”) and other African-American faith communities and communities with racially and ethnically diverse memberships.

Rooted in those relationships, the Outreach Specialist will accomplish three things:

  • Build Partnerships. Build partnerships with faith leaders and faith communities;
  • Get Input. Get input from faith communities about what legal rights topics and what financial strategy topics are most pressing. This may include organizing monthly Zoom meetings with a small team of stakeholders including clergy, community organizations, and Interfaith Action staff to check-in, plan, and evaluate the videos and our distribution/communications work.
  • Distribute Information. Distribute legal rights videos and information about legal clinic to faith leaders and faith communities. Additionally, distribute information to broader community, including housing developments, community organizations, coffee shops, and more.

Compensation and Time Required:

This is a contract position for $600 per month (roughly 30 hours per month at $20 per hour). The Outreach Specialist will be an independent contractor. Interfaith Action will request timesheets showing actual time worked so we can learn more about what is required for success in this work.

Timing: This posting will remain open until September 1 or until filled.

Requirements: We hope to find a candidate with deep knowledge of and relationships in the Selby-Dale community, particularly in the faith community. Applicants who are clergy themselves are strongly encouraged to apply.

To apply: Please send your resume and cover letter to Peter Olsen at polsen@interfaithaction.org.