Brink believes in a world in which every person has the passion, purpose, and power to write a bright future for themselves and their communities.
Brink utilizes the power of storytelling to foster a love of literature, increase literacy rates, and empower underserved populations. By combining innovative education programs with community involvement, Brink creates pathways for underrepresented, diverse, and emerging voices.
Harnessing the power of stories, our programming seeks to tackle the internal and external barriers our students face through three stages.
Started in 2017, Brink runs this innovative educational program in women’s prisons in the U.S. and UK. Using comics as a way to court low-literacy and reluctant readers, we help students distill a single turning point in their lives into a short graphic memoir. This process works to tackle personal trauma, increase self-sufficiency, and help students gain the tools they need to get out, and stay out, of prison. We now work with reintegration organizations to bring this work to formerly incarcerated adults as part of a reintegration support system. We also work closely with teenagers and young adults in order to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline and decrease rates of youth recidivism.
Frames Instructors will facilitate classes for our largest educational programs: Frames Comic Program.
Frames instructors will work with our education team to implement our established curricula. In addition to implementing current curriculum onsite with our established community partners, instructors will also work with our Education Program Manager to create education networks and expand our programs into Colorado communities where need has been identified.
This position is ideal for someone who:
Candidates for this position should have stellar communication skills and an enthusiasm for connecting authentically with and learning from people from diverse backgrounds.
They will have some degree of experience in storytelling, arts/creative expression, classroom management, mindfulness/mental health, or community facilitation.
This is also the ideal position for somebody who has firsthand experiences within justice-impacted communities and advocacy spaces.
Brink is not a degree-based employer. We hire based on skills and mindset, not traditional experience. With that said, competitive candidates for this position will possess the following skills:
Step 1: Informational Interview. Learn more about the role and elaborate on your experience (30 minutes)
Step 2: Mock Classroom Interview. You’ll be given a few comics and will choose one to teach to the “class” of Brink staffers on a Zoom call; interview with several Brink staffers (1 hour + your individual prep time)
Step 3: Final Interview (30 minutes)
Step 4: Reference Checks
Candidates who receive an offer will undergo a background check.
If you are hired into this instructor position, you will spend most of your time split between
five primary types of work:
The Frames Comic Program has been tested in a variety of forms, incorporating the latest research in student-centered, equitable pedagogy. To start, you will join our lead instructors to work as an on-site instructor with new and established partnership organizations. You will learn to implement our current systems; critically evaluate, adjust, and revise the program according to community and student needs; and identify new ways to reach our target communities in Colorado.
Although much of this role will require strong classroom management skills, ability to work intimately with student narratives, and authentic emotional connections with student experiences, you’ll be supported by your supervisor, colleagues, and partners, and will be provided with thorough teacher training and continuous resources.
Results this position will be responsible for achieving:
A slightly “lower altitude” view of major responsibilities of this role:
Brink’s mission centers on inclusion, empathy, and humility. Thus, both the working environment and the materials we teach are centered on championing and embracing diversity in all its forms including, though not limited to: race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, religion, and disability. We do not expect all our staff to personally identify with the diverse community we serve, but a deep respect for differences and a commitment to approaching difficult topics with humility and respect is essential to our work.
Working with marginalized communities requires an enormous amount of empathy and diverse perspectives. Thus, someone who is not only comfortable but excited to engage with these populations is essential to any role with Brink.