Job Description
Homeboy Industries – Homeboy Art Academy Position Title: Community Connector Position Overview As Homeboy Art Academy (HAA) launches its five-year strategic plan, the Community Connector will serve as one of its most public-facing, agile, and relationship-driven team members. Rooted in the Academy’s mission to impart healing-centered arts and reclaim self-agency through culturally relevant and responsive programming, this role is critical in building bridges — between the Academy and the broader community, between creative industries and our trainees, and between educational spaces and the real needs of system-impacted individuals.
Why This Role Matters This role is a pulse point for Homeboy Art Academy’s impact. By ensuring we remain connected to the people, partners, and possibilities beyond our walls, the Community Connector ensures that every brushstroke, every workshop, and every program is rooted in relevance — and in the power of art to heal, uplift, and transform.
Core Responsibilities Mission Advocacy & Community Visibility - Serve as an active ambassador of HAA in public, educational, and creative spaces, ensuring our work is visible, valued, and understood.
- Identify and pursue opportunities to partner with local galleries, cultural festivals, collectives, and other community organizations to co-host events, workshops, or showcases that celebrate system-impacted artists.
- Represent HAA at conferences, community forums, and creative economy convenings to advocate for the value of trauma-informed, healing-centered arts programming.
Academic Engagement & Programming Insight - Cultivate relationships with educators, school administrators, and academic partners to gather insights on the evolving needs of learners, particularly those from impacted communities.
- Create consistent feedback loops between community partners and internal program teams to shape relevant, culturally sustaining curricula.
- Support the co-design of art-based programming that reflects real-world needs and opportunities for artistic expression, healing, and workforce readiness.
Industry Partnerships & Creative Economy Pathways - Proactively identify potential employment, internship, or mentorship partners across the creative economy — from design firms to production houses to community studios.
- Translate partner needs into opportunities for skill-building and job alignment within HAA’s Career Pathways programming.
- Maintain a growing network of industry contacts who are invested in equitable talent pipelines, particularly for system-impacted individuals.
Who You Are: We are looking for someone who is: - Charismatic and relational: You naturally build trust, listen deeply, and form authentic relationships across lines of difference.
- Mission-aligned and culturally fluent: You have a deep understanding of trauma, systemic injustice, and the healing power of the arts. You understand — personally or professionally — the lived experiences of the populations Homeboy serves.
- Resourceful and action-oriented: You take initiative, follow up, and follow through. You’re not afraid to knock on doors or chase opportunities when you believe in the work.
- Fluent in arts and industry: You appreciate the role of art in healing and identity formation, and you understand the potential of the creative economy as a career pathway.
- Culturally responsive and healing-centered: You approach communities with deep respect, honoring cultural bearers and advocating for programming that reflects lived experiences and creative traditions.
The Community Connector is not just a messenger of HAA’s mission — they are a catalyst. They amplify our work, translate community and industry needs into programming opportunities, and ensure that the Academy remains deeply anchored in the people it serves.
Qualifications - 2-3 years in community organizing, partnerships, education, and/or workforce development in an arts or social impact context.
- Demonstrated experience building community relationships and mobilizing stakeholders across sectors.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills; bilingual (Spanish/English) preferred.
- Familiarity with trauma-informed practices, culturally responsive engagement, and healing-centered arts education.
- Deep connection to system-impacted communities and a commitment to social and cultural equity.
Pay Range $31-$33 an hour
Job Tags
Full time, Traineeship, Local area,