YOUTH PATHWAYS YOUTH ENGAGEMENT SPECIALIST

YOUTH PATHWAYS YOUTH ENGAGEMENT SPECIALIST

Job Description

REPORTS TO: Vice President of Youth Pathways

FLSA STATUS: Non-Exempt, Part-Time (20 Hours)

JOINT INITIATIVES FOR YOUTH FAMILIES (JI) – An Equal Opportunity Employer

Joint Initiatives for Youth Families (JI) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, serving the Pikes Peak region. JI’s work centers on empowering individuals to advance a safe, healthy, and flourishing community by preventing, reducing, intervening, and solving the social problems when families have limited (or fragmented) access to thrive. JI leads the charge to bring over 60 different community organizations, local leaders, and government agencies to the table, working collaboratively to solve data-driven community issues embraced with an equity lens and collective impact focus.

JI’s three primary programs offer a range of services for youth (birth-21) and their families, extending from a preventive focus to more intensive intervention services.

JI is the umbrella organization for three statutorily required state councils: the Early Childhood Council (Alliance for Kids), the Interagency Oversight Group (IOG), and the Juvenile Services and Planning Committee (JSPC). The IOG and JSPC have joined to become the REACH Committee.

PATHWAYS PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Pathways commenced in 2017 with a focus on providing delinquent, truant or municipal court-involved youth with a team of professionals assembled designed to support the unique needs of the identified youth and their family. This multi-agency team approach creates customized plans to ensure each young person’s success. JI has Memorandums of Understanding or MOUs with over 20 partnering organizations selected to participate on the teams who share their expertise and organizational resources. JI supplements these plans with a variety of family supports and flexible funding streams.

SUMMARY OF POSITION

JI values youth as subject matter experts and seeks their input to improve programming and outcomes Youth voice is regularly incorporated into REACH Committee meetings, including youth representatives who receive a stipend. In addition, JI is in the process of building a Youth Leadership Advisory Board (YLAB). The youth members will serve as advisors and consultants to JI and partners. The Youth Engagement Specialist (YES) will play a significant role in amplifying youth voice through identification and recruitment of YLAB members, as well as peer mentors, from across the community who reflect diversity in age, trauma, systems experience (e.g., juvenile justice, foster care) and demographics.

RESPONSIBILITIES DUTIES

• Develops a Youth Leadership Advisory Board (YLAB) charged with guiding restorative practice expansion, as well as JI’s overnight youth emergency shelter and after-school programming.

• Identifies and recruits YLAB members from across the community who reflect diversity in age, trauma, systems experience (e.g., juvenile justice, foster care) and demographics.

• Identifies and recruits peers for the peer mentoring component of holistic support.

• Engages in recruitment activities including social media and in-person gatherings; engage with partners to solicit agency and partner referrals for YLAB peer mentor candidates. * Cultivates and maintains strong working relationships with all system professionals and community partners.

• Works cooperatively with other agencies and individuals involved with client youth to ensure that they receive comprehensive service delivery as determined in the team meetings.

• Represents JI at community meetings relating to youth and family services as requested.

• Delivers programs and services in a manner that is respectful and sensitive to the family and youth’s cultural experience.

• Utilizes trauma-informed best practices with youth/families and interacts with them in a supportive manner.

• Treats youth and families with respect, dignity, and empathy.

• Maintains productive and continuous lines of communication, informing and collaborating both internally and externally.

• Maintains confidentiality and family-related information and data.

• Ensures that service delivery and operations meet both the needs of children and their families by providing safe, trauma-informed, and supportive programs.

• Supports JI’s Director of Strategic Initiatives with collecting and reporting Pathways program data.

• Displays a positive attitude, works well with others, and accepts direction well.

• Works well under stressful and emotionally taxing circumstances and engages in effective self-care.

• Embraces the importance of racial equity and supports JI’s strategies and culture to support equity in youth-serving systems and implements JI’s Racial Equity Action Plan (REAP) as requested.

• Works effectively with those representing a variety of needs and abilities, with varying socioeconomic, cultural, and racial backgrounds.

• Recognizes that we hold attitudes and beliefs that can detrimentally influence our perceptions of and interactions with individuals who are diverse from ourselves.

• Works productively with JI’s management team to pursue policy changes and recommendations as driven by data and Collective Impact discussions.

• Commits to JI’s organizational mission, vision, and operating philosophies in compliance with instructions, policies, and guidance.

• Performs other duties as requested.

KNOWLEDGE SKILLS ABILITIES

• Works with diverse individuals and agencies

• Promotes consensus among diverse opinions

• Balances multiple priorities, various goals, and needs

• Excellent written and oral communication skills

• Empathizes, listens, encourages, and guides

• Passes and maintains a clear criminal background check.

• Passes a drug test upon hire.

EDUCATION EXPERIENCE

An associate degree from a two-year college is required; three years related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Understanding of social services/support systems (including child welfare, juvenile justice, mental/physical health, education, etc.); awareness of local community resources; knowledge of the principles of restorative justice; and knowledge of best practices for leading youth with complex needs (including trauma, disability, and mental health challenges).

• Experience facilitating/managing a team decision-making process.

• Experience with or an understanding of child and adolescent development is highly desirable.

• Multisystem-involved lived experience preferred.

• Bilingual preferred.

SALARY RANGE

$22–$25 per hour, with an additional 15.35% benefits stipend to provide for health insurance and savings plans.

COMPUTER SKILLS

To perform this job successfully, an individual should have knowledge of Microsoft software (e.g., Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook). Knowledge of internet tools is desirable (e.g., Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Safari, Google Chrome).

LANGUAGE MATH REASONING ABILITY

• Effectively presents information and responds to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, providers, and the general public.

• Engages clients in an authentic, friendly, and approachable manner.

• Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.

CERTIFICATES LICENSES

Current, valid Colorado driver’s license, proof of auto insurance.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. Remote working may be necessary due to current public health concerns; travel is primarily within the Pikes Peak region, with occasional travel to surrounding areas in Colorado. For positions that do not have a dedicated JI office, work will be conducted at home, in JI’s open office space, and/or within the community. A laptop computer and cell phone will be provided for every employee regardless of office space designation.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and distance vision. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear. The employee is frequently required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.

Job Type: Part-time

Pay: $22.00 - $25.00 per hour

Expected hours: 20 per week

Benefits:

• Employee assistance program
• Flexible schedule
• Loan forgiveness

Schedule:

• 4 hour shift
• Day shift

License/Certification:

• Driver's License (Required)

Ability to Commute:

• Colorado Springs, CO 80909 (Required)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $22 - $25