Life Coach (Burnside)

Position Title:  Life Coach

Department: Violence Intervention & Prevention Services (VIPS)

Reports to: Senior Life Coach/Program Director  

Position Objective and Summary:

Life Coach works with youth, ages 18-35, who face challenges and difficulties as they navigate through each of the 3 program levels. The Life Coach identifies youth through community outreach and referrals from schools, juvenile justice, community based organizations and UCAN continuum of care programs. Utilizing UCAN’s Clinical Philosophy, the Life Coach facilitates healing through trauma informed services and Positive Youth Development and provides support and encouragement to participants for positive behavior, goal achievement, involvement in school and services, and leadership opportunities. Life coaches are also responsible for coordination of resources and support of program referrals and participants.  

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

Mentoring and Supporting Participants

• Demonstrates supportive behavior and role models positive appropriate interactions.
• Reaches out to resistant youth and successfully engages them in services.
• Maintains contact with each participant on a weekly basis, at minimum.
• Engages and works with youth to understand the importance of school performance and recommended services, and supports youth to begin and continue with interventions.
• Makes external and internal continuum of care services as appropriate to support youth progress.
• Actively participates in team meetings, required trainings, committees (AIC, Diversity) and agency events.
• Works interdepartmentally to foster UCAN continuum of care and suggests improvements from client’s perspective.
• Coordinates and facilitates professional development workshops and CBT groups for programming participants.
• Possesses a basic understanding of the effects of trauma and operate from that perspective when interacting with youth and families.
• Acts as a mandated reporter.
• Works with participants on violence prevention skills (i.e., anger management, conflict resolution, and other life skills).
• Using a strengths-based approach, engages participants in strategies to improve participation in needed services.
• Assists participants with setting and completing individual goals.
• Assists participants with becoming involved in positive out-of-school time activities such as tutoring, counseling, employment, and recreation.
• Collaborates with UCAN Career Services & Worforce Development to assist participants in preparing for and locating jobs; coaches participants in positive and productive workplace behavior.
• Provide youth and client outcomes as outlined in program requirements.

Community Relations

• Establish and maintain relationships with local service providers and faith institutions to enhance community relations and to strengthen referral sources for participants.
• May attend community meetings (i.e., VIPS weekly outreach activities, elected officials’ meetings beat meetings, community discussions) and serves as a representative of UCAN.

Professionalism and Work Conduct

• Behaves with integrity, demonstrates high ethical standards, and displays a positive image of UCAN.
• Acts in a professional manner at all times and maintains appropriate boundaries with participants.
• Demonstrates accountability for results and keeps commitments to others.
• Reports to work, meetings, training, and job related activities prepared and as scheduled.
• Demonstrates openness and respect for cultural and socioeconomic characteristics of clients and coworkers.
• Accepts feedback and ideas from team and supervisor and is constructive when giving feedback and ideas to others.
• Discusses alternative problem solving and is open to new ideas and ways of doing things.

Professional Development

• Attends regular supervision, team meetings, required training, and other professional workshops to enhance job skills.
• Sets annual developmental goals with supervisor to meet learning needs and interests, while also enhancing job performance and skills.
• Performs other related tasks as required or assigned.

Education/Job Experience/Certification:

Youth Development Coach I

• BSW or BA/BS in a human service field. OR
• High school diploma/GED with a minimum of 2 years of experience in child welfare or youth development/outreach required.