Violence Disrupters

Rexdale Community Health Centre (RCHC) is a non-profit, multi-service, community-based organization that serves communities in Rexdale and North-West Etobicoke. Operating out of three locations, RCHC offers core services that include; primary health care, health promotion, community development programs, Pathways to Education and Diabetes Education Centre.

Think 2wice is a grassroots, non-profit organization with the primary goal of combatting the rising gun violence that was plaguing high-risk communities.

TO Wards Peace Project (TWP) is a made-for-Toronto risk driven initiative focused on addressing elevated level of gun violence in Northwest Toronto.

The TWP Violence Disrupters will oversee and support the implementation of the project in the Rexdale area. This will include contributing to program design and development; support to interventions; research and documentation; representation and partnership development; and training, mentoring and organizational learning for implementing Youth Peace Projects.

The TPW Violence Disrupters will support vulnerable youth that have been involved in serious violence and crime by engaging and developing trusting relationships with youth in their cohort. Violence Disrupters will support the building of their capacity/skills, setting life goals, connecting them to a relevant and culturally appropriate spectrum of services and shifting their views around community violence.

We are looking for individuals that demonstrate a commitment to making positive change to themselves, the youth they serve and community.

**Responsibilities**:
**Administrative**:

- Manage a caseload of ten (10) young people and their families
- Inform and access a spectrum of culturally appropriate and relevant services
- Make appropriate referrals to TWP social workers and other appropriate community services
- Ongoing participation in mandatory training and personal capacity building activities
- Required participation in therapeutic group sessions and regular one on one sessions to support personal wellbeing
- Collaboration with the TWP team to inform the development, design and delivery of the pilot
- Communicate and be responsive to Program Lead and other members of the pilot
- Documentation of engagements with youth and conflicts resolved
- Engage with the evaluation team to inform the reporting and evaluation of the pilot
- Collaborate with online social media intervention models and hospital based interventions where appropriate
- Working within the approved scope of work for the pilot

**Outreach and Engagement**:

- Establish strong collaborative partnerships with all stakeholders and community partners
- Conduct direct community-based engagement and outreach in Rexdale, and establish a consistent presence with youth in the local neighborhoods
- Work collaboratively with intervention team, youth and their families to develop a customized care coordination plan
- Conduct intake and assessments in collaboration with Program Lead
- Provide in-person mentorship, supports and connections to resources for youth who are impacted by gun/gang violence, incarceration, grief/loss, exposure to community violence
- Identify risk factors and pivotal points of interruption to prevent escalation and reduce the impact of violence
- Identify and strategically intervene in situations that could result in severe community violence (i.e., retaliation, targeting, etc.)
- Engage in restorative justice practices to de-escalate conflicts and encourage resolutions
- Building and maintaining healthy and constructive relationships with cohorts, their families and community partners
- Maintain awareness of historical and newly emerging community tensions, conflicts, alliances, etc.
- Other duties as assigned

**Qualifications and Assets**:

- Completion of High School or equivalent
- Lived experiences of incarceration, street culture, and/or community violence through exposure
- Practical experience providing direct support and/or program delivery to youth vulnerable to involvement in serious violence and crime
- Experience working with hard to reach youth
- Knowledge and understanding of gun/gang violence, violence interruption and intervention strategies and conflict resolution
- Understanding of the barriers and challenges faced by racialized communities
- General knowledge of community and social service resources, in particular services for youth in the Rexdale community
- Experience and understanding of the historical context and landscape of community and gun violence in the city of Toronto, with an in depth understanding of the Rexdale community
- Knowledge and understanding of systems navigation (e.g., education system, justice system, Toronto Housing, incarceration, etc.)

**Required Skills and Abilities**
- Ability to work independently or as part of a larger team, while balancing multiple priorities
- Ability to work a flexible work schedule including days, evenings and weekends
- Experience and s