Urban Rural Action's Mission

Urban Rural Action is a national grassroots movement that brings together Americans across divides to tackle our country's most urgent challenges.

Program Overview

The Uniting to Prevent Targeted Violence (UPTV) in Southeast Wisconsin program is a nonpartisan civic engagement effort that will bring together 28 community members (“Uniters”) in 5 counties (Racine, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Walworth, and Waukesha) to build relationships across differences, and collaborate to prevent targeted violence, i.e. physical violence against people because of their group identity. These Uniters - from different ideological, racial, generational, and geographic backgrounds - will form teams to design, implement, and evaluate projects that seek to reduce targeted violence and advance the work of county-based partner organizations.

For reference, targeted violence is defined as 'intentional physical violence against a pre-identified target based on their perceived identity of affiliation, whereby the act is intended to intimidate or coerce or generate publicity about the perpetrator's grievance.'

We follow a ‘public health’ approach to preventing targeted violence, ideally seeking to prevent before violence occurs. This means we look at reducing broader societal risk factors such as increased social isolation and sense of powerlessness, as well as decreased social connectedness and economic stability.Our consortium consists of the following organizations:

• Urban Rural Action
• The Center for Community and Nonprofit Studies (the CommNS) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
• Common Agency
• Kenosha Human Development Services (Kenosha County)
• New Beginnings (Walworth County)
• Near West Side Partners (Milwaukee County)
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Southeast Wisconsin (Waukesha County)

Main Responsibilities of UPTV County Coordinators

As a County Coordinator, you will work closely with a team of three other County Coordinators and two Program Co-Directors. You will be the primary UR Action team member on-the-ground in your county, and your main responsibility will be recruiting and offering ad-hoc support to your county’s Uniters. You will also help build local partnerships in your county. After all, it takes all of us to prevent targeted violence!

In more detail, your responsibilities will include:

• Program Coordination (65%)
  • Join weekly Core Team meetings to connect and problem solve with the other County Coordinators and Program Co-Directors
  • Lead recruitment of applicants to your county’s Uniters cohort and support Uniters cohort selection process (Nov '23 - Jan '24)
  • Support logistics for each program gathering, with a particular focus on gatherings held in your county
  • Act as an advisor, mentor, coach, and facilitator to your county’s Uniters team as they develop and implement community projects
  • Help facilitate Uniters cohort gatherings and support all Uniters
• Local Partnerships (35%)
  • Strengthen relationship with the Community Partner organization in your county, including supporting regular communication and coordination between Uniters and organizations
  • Support implementation of your county’s Digital Neighborhood Hub in partnership with Common Agency
  • Strengthen or help develop a Threat Assessment and Management team in your county
  • Represent UR Action at local events and gatherings

Experience & Qualifications

• Commitment to UR Action's mission of bringing Americans together across divides to address our country's most urgent challenges
• Ability to set aside ideological views in service of achieving program goal: collaborating across differences to prevent targeted violence
• Deep ties with your local community
• Experience in program coordination and partnership development. Experience in community organizing or local government is a plus.
• Excellent oral and written communication, facilitation, and collaboration skills
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Excellent attention to detail
• Flexibility to adapt to changing needs and a willingness to problem solve
• Language: Fluent English speaker. Other language skills are a plus.

Hours and Schedule: Estimated ~24 hours/month, with fluctuations. Generally flexible hours, but with a need to participate in (1) program gatherings in person on several Saturdays (9:30am-3:30pm, dates to be decided by you and other Core Team members), and (2) weekly Core Team planning meetings, including during the business day.

Compensation: $840/month (based on $35/hour wage and estimated ~24 hours/month). You will be paid twice monthly (on the 15th and 30th). All program-related transportation expenses will be reimbursed.

To Apply: Please fill out the written application at https://forms.gle/1BUQJuqUeCagiDZB7. Applicants will be considered on a rolling basis for the second-stage Zoom interviews.

Note: The Waukesha and Milwaukee County Coordinator roles have been filled.