Youth Resiliency Specialist

JOB POSTING:
Youth Resiliency Specialist (YRS)

(One-Year, Full-Time Contract - Rate $22/hr)

About Routes:
Routes Youth Centre is located in Dundas, Ontario and is dedicated to providing a welcoming space for learning, growing, building healthy relationships, and supporting youth ages 8 to 19. To fulfill its mission, Routes provides both free drop-in services and structured programs focused on supporting youth mental health, healthy lifestyles, community engagement, employment skills, youth leadership, and personal growth.

About The Project
This project is partially funded by the Government of Canada’s Community Services
Recovery Fund. The Youth Resiliency Pilot Program is a one-year project that will enable a full-time (35 hours per week) Youth Resiliency Specialist (YRS) to respond to post-pandemic challenges for youth in the Centre and throughout Dundas. The specialist will offer new workshops, community support/referrals, and mentorship, thereby adapting our approach to meet an increase in the numbers of youth accessing the Centre and in the complexity of needs youth are experiencing.

**Job Description**:
Under the direction of the Centre Director and Program Manager, the Youth Resiliency
- Deliver and facilitate health and wellness workshops on relevant topics in
- person in English to youth (ages 8-19)
- Plan, organize and implement community involvement initiatives to raise awareness about the supports and services offered at Routes Youth Centre
- Design and implement youth engagement activities and programming; programming may be group based or one-on-one support
- Establish and maintain relationships with school boards, community partners and youth service providers to support both outreach and successful systems navigation
- Develop and implement effective outreach strategies to engage local community, meet monthly targets and increase Routes’ reach
- Maintain accurate records and statistics related to the activities undertaken and outcomes achieved and provide monthly reports
- Promote Routes Youth Centre by attending community meetings and events/fairs
- Research and maintain up-to-date knowledge regarding issues and trends related to youth resiliency and post-pandemic challenges in youth culture; familiarity with best practices working with marginalized youth ages 8 to 19
- Support program’s research and development initiatives
- Provide evening frontline support during programming hours, which will include building rapport with the youth, informal programming activities, one
- on-one mentorship, meal preparation and cleaning
- Follow and implement program’s quality assurance measures, including supporting program evaluation
- Demonstrate appropriate behaviours and approach in line with our Mission,

Vision and Values
- Understand the legal responsibilities and moral imperative to identify and report suspected child abuse, neglect and other child welfare concerns to the appropriate parties

Expected Project Outcome:
Following the completion of the one-year pilot project, the Youth Resiliency Specialist

Requirements/Qualifications/Skills:

- Diploma/Degree in Human Services is required, preference given to Child and

Youth Care and Social Work disciplines
- Excellent writing, editing, and proofreading skills, with the ability to draft and design clear and compelling communications
- Experience with outreach activities and successful youth engagement strategies
- Experience in group facilitation; understanding of principles of learning for youth ages 8 to 19
- Some knowledge of Dundas and/or Hamilton area social services is an asset but not required
- Knowledge of harm reduction principles appropriate for this population and context
- Experience in working with youth; sensitivity and knowledge in supporting youth from a variety of backgrounds and lived experiences
- Ability to work in an efficient manner with a high degree of independence
- Ability to work consistent evening shifts
- Experience in online communications, social media or interactive engagement
- Commitment to working in a socially inclusive environment responding with sensitivity and personal awareness to the diverse needs of the community including visible and non-visible dimensions of diversity
- Current Standard First Aid and CPR-C certification
- Criminal Record Check with Vulnerable Sector Screening completed within the last six months
- Valid Ontario Driver’s License and access to a reliable vehicle with $2 million dollars of personal liability insurance is a requirement

Routes’ Commitment to the Role:

- 10 days paid vacation as well as 5 paid Personal Days included in the compensation package
- Mileage expenses for any community outreach reimbursed; organization cell phone provided

How to Apply:
**Job Types**: Full-time, Fixed term contract
Contract length: 12 months

**Salary**: $22.00 per hour

**Benefits**:

- Casual dress
- Discounted or free food
- On-site parking
- Paid time off

Flexible Language Re