Lutz Buddies Instructor

Summary of Position : After School Matters is seeking a committed, part-time instructor to instruct 10-12 high school teens with disabilities who are between the ages of 14 to 21. This program runs simultaneously with Lutz Buddies, where teens with disabilities will be paired together with neurotypical peers who will help them to create art projects, learn life skills, and foster friendships.

The instructor will co- facilitate various art based projects and ensure a supportive, engaging, and adaptive environment. The ideal candidate will demonstrate patience, creativity, and a passion for promoting inclusion and diversity through the arts. The instructor will recruit, teach, and mentor teens and will also manage operational pieces such as program planning and budget creation.

After School Matters has four program branches: North/Northwest, South/Southwest, Downtown, and Program Supports (special initiatives)

The typical schedule for program sessions are as follows:

• Summer: 7 weeks, daily Monday through Thursday, and four instructional hours per day. Additional hours are allotted for planning, recruitment, professional development and meetings.

Major Duties and Responsibilities :

• Design and deliver engaging, hands-on art activities that cater to teens with disabilities while fostering a positive, safe, and collaborative atmosphere for all teen participants.

• Create an inclusive and welcoming environment where all teens feel supported, valued, and encouraged to express themselves through art.

• Prepare, organize, and supervise the weekly lessons that foster social awareness, communication, and collaboration among all participants.

• Plan and implement high-quality related field trips and guest visits to enhance instruction and training.

• Provide supervision during program field trips and other youth engagement opportunities.

• Report all problems or concerns and program updates to After School Matters Program Specialist to maintain consistent lines of communication throughout the program session.

• Attend all planning and program dates, including: Instructor orientation, professional development workshops, meetings and other required sessions.

• Participate in the recruitment, interview, and selection process of teen program participants

• Manage and track program activities such as attendance, interview outcomes, enrollment, evaluation surveys, and pertinent student records in an online data tracking system (Cityspan).

• Other duties as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities : Supervise teens at an average of 10:1, instructor: teen ratio

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities :

• Demonstrated practical knowledge of working with teens with disabilities

• Creative problem-solving skills, ability to adapt activities to meet teen needs

• Customer service skills; ability to effectively communicate with a variety of stakeholders (teen participants, parents, ASM programs staff, vendors, etc.)

• Cultural competence

Qualifications :

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant content area etc. is preferred.

• Familiarity with specific Chicago neighborhoods is preferred.

• Experience teaching, specifically teenagers with disabilities, is highly preferred.
• Commitment to diversity and inclusion is required

Compensation: $20-27 salary/per hour, depending on applicable experience and education 

About Us: After School Matters is a Chicago-based nonprofit organization that annually offers after-school and summer programs to nearly 19,000 Chicago high school teens to explore and develop their talents while gaining critical skills that will set them up for success in college and beyond.

Thirty-five years later, now known as After School Matters, our program has engaged more than 450,000 Chicago teens and is the nation’s largest and most successful provider of after-school and summer programs for high school teens. No other organization offers programs to high school students at the scale and quality that we do.

We offer paid apprenticeships led by professionals in the fields of arts, communications and leadership, sports, and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). Our nationally respected youth development model has been replicated in cities across the country and earned us the City Livability Award from the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

Programs take place at community locations throughout the city, including three ASM buildings: downtown at Gallery 37 Center for the Arts, the Michael and Karyn Lutz Center in Belmont Cragin, and the Pullman community at Gately Park. Currently, After School Matters' annual operating budget is approximately $48M and employs approximately 500 staff across the organization. For more information, visit

EEO:  After School Matters is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status, military discharge status, age, marital status, parental status, or source of income.