Hand2Paw provides paid internships working with rescue animals as a way to strengthen connection, compassion, and community for young adults from marginalized communities, including those experiencing housing insecurity or foster care involvement. Hand2Paw was started as a program in 2009 by a 19-year-old Penn student who was shocked to learn of the shared plight facing homeless youth and shelter animals in Philadelphia. Rachel came up with the idea to take an activity teens seemed to love—caring for animals—and develop a program to support young adults experiencing homelessness or foster care. This program would create an environment that would allow youth to develop their potential while experiencing compassion for all beings. Thus, Hand2Paw was born. Hand2Paw has supported hundreds of marginalized youth in Philadelphia through our programming. Our paid internships range from 3-6 months and feature a curriculum that incorporates career readiness and socio-emotional learning skills and humane education. yYouth learn their own value while increasing compassion and connection to animals, people and the community. During our internships, we help interns craft a resume and search for a job that suits their skills. Many of our youth move on to jobs in the animal care industry. Others use their increased sense of confidence and purpose to continue their education or work in another field. While making this difference in the lives of marginalized youth, Hand2Paw also helps to provide additional care, training, socialization, and grooming to hundreds of shelter animals in Philadelphia. The Hand2Paw Foundation is registered with the IRS as a 501c3 tax-exempt charitable organization.

PROGRAM FACILITATOR

Full-Time | Hand2Paw Foundation

H2P strengthens both human and animal wellness by equipping youth impacted by trauma and inequity with skills, social-emotional growth, and paid experience that help them build stable futures and pursue meaningful careers in animal care, while contributing to stronger, more informed communities that support animal wellbeing.

OUR BELIEF

We believe every person and animal deserves:

• A clean, supportive, enriching, and stress-free environment that promotes learning in positive ways
• A sense of purpose and control
• Opportunities for social connection and support
• To learn coping skills that will help them navigate the stresses and challenges of life

POSITION SUMMARY

The Program Facilitator is responsible for leading implementation of Hand2Paw’s youth internship and humane education programming. Working under the guidance of the Program Manager, this position serves as the primary facilitator of curriculum delivery and youth engagement activities while ensuring a supportive, trauma-informed learning environment.

Hand2Paw’s core programming includes:

• Unleashing Opportunities – A paid workforce development internship for young adults (ages 18–24) that combines professional development, social-emotional learning, career exploration, and hands-on experience working alongside animal welfare partners.
• Pawspurr (Summer & Fall) – A paid internship experience designed to introduce youth and young adults to humane education, animal care, workforce readiness, and personal growth through animal-centered learning experiences.
• Humane Education Workshops – Community-based workshops and educational experiences that foster empathy, compassion, responsible animal stewardship, social-emotional learning, and stronger connections between people and animals.

This role emphasizes excellence in facilitation, program implementation, participant engagement, and continuous quality improvement rather than curriculum development. The Program Facilitator will adapt and refine existing curriculum content and activities to meet participant needs, learning styles, and program goals.

The Program Facilitator is also responsible for maintaining accurate program records, supporting evaluation efforts, identifying opportunities for improvement, and communicating program insights to strengthen participant outcomes.

Additionally, this role facilitates Humane Education workshops in the community, provides supervision and guidance at internship partner sites as needed, and supports youth in developing skills related to animal care and professional growth.

This position requires a self-directed, adaptable professional who is comfortable balancing direct youth engagement, program administration, community partnership management, and animal-centered programming in a dynamic nonprofit environment. 

SCHEDULE & COMPENSATION

This position is expected to begin as early as mid-to-late July in a part-time onboarding and training phase (20–30 hours per week) to allow for overlap with the outgoing team member and support a smooth transition of program operations, relationships, and institutional knowledge.

During this onboarding period, compensation will be $25–$30 per hour, commensurate with experience.

The position is intended to transition to full-time status within approximately 60 days of hire following successful onboarding. Upon transition to full-time employment, compensation will move to an annual salary of $50,000–$55,000, commensurate with experience, and become eligible for applicable benefits.

Full-Time Schedule: Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM (some evenings and weekends required based on programming needs).

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Program Facilitation & Youth Engagement

• Lead implementation and facilitation of Hand2Paw’s internship curriculum and youth programming, adapting content as needed to support participant engagement and learning outcomes.
• Facilitate workshops, reflection activities, Humane Education sessions, and other experiential learning opportunities.
• Foster a safe, inclusive, trauma-informed environment that promotes personal growth, career readiness, accountability, and social-emotional development.
• Build meaningful relationships with participants while maintaining clear expectations and communicating participant progress and concerns to the Program Manager.

Internship Site Coordination & Participant Support

• Provide supervision, coaching, and support to participants throughout internship and externship experiences.
• Conduct site visits and maintain communication with partner organizations to support participant success and positive partnership experiences.
• Reinforce professional workplace behaviors and support youth in navigating challenges and growth opportunities.

Program Evaluation & Administration

• Maintain timely and accurate participant documentation including attendance, progress notes, assessments, demographic information, and required program records.
• Support program evaluation, outcomes tracking, grant reporting, and continuous quality improvement by collecting and analyzing program data and participant feedback.
• Assist with coordination of guest speakers, field experiences, and other program logistics.

Animal Care & Organizational Support

• Assist in caring for onsite foster animals (primarily cats), including feeding, cleaning, enrichment, and maintaining a safe environment.
• Provide guidance to interns on proper animal care practices and model humane animal handling and welfare standards.
• Support overall program operations, maintain welcoming program spaces, and represent Hand2Paw at community outreach and engagement events.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

• Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree required.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience working with youth and/or young adults in youth development, social services, education, human services, or a related field.
• Experience facilitating curriculum, workshops, or experiential educational programming.
• Strong organizational, documentation, and data management skills, with the ability to maintain records, track outcomes, and manage competing priorities independently.
• Excellent communication, relationship-building, and problem-solving skills with the ability to adapt in a fast-paced nonprofit environment.
• Demonstrated interest in improving outcomes for youth and animals and contributing to animal welfare and wellbeing through community-based programming.
• Comfort working around animals, participating in onsite animal care activities, lifting up to 50 lbs., and traveling locally to internship and community partner sites.
• Ability to obtain/maintain Pennsylvania Child Abuse Clearance, Pennsylvania Criminal Background Check, FBI fingerprinting, and Mandated Reporter Training, with a commitment to trauma-informed, anti-oppressive, and strengths-based youth engagement practices.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Education, Social Work, Human Services, Counseling, Youth Development, or a related field strongly preferred.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish strongly preferred.
• Valid driver’s license and access to reliable transportation strongly preferred.
• Experience facilitating social-emotional learning, workforce readiness, humane education, and/or life skills programming.
• Experience with program evaluation and outcomes measurement.
• Familiarity with animal-assisted or animal-centered programming.

Hand2Paw actively seeks to build and support a diverse staff. We are committed to fostering leadership and elevating the voices of women, young people, people of color, Native people, immigrants and refugees, low-income individuals, LGBQ+ individuals, transgender, gender non-conforming, and non-binary people, people with disabilities, and those with intersecting identities. We strongly encourage people from these communities to apply.