Community Engagement Officer

**Company description**

Founded in 2007, the Youth Association for Academics, Athletics and Character Education (YAAACE) is a community organization that seeks to engage children and youth from all communities - particularly those from marginalized and poor under-resourced communities through participation in year-round comprehensive programming and activities (academics, athletics, recreation, community safety, technology and the arts). YAAACE’s predominantly serves families in communities located in northwest Toronto. The organization uses a Social Inclusion framework that enables participants to access opportunities, engage in academic activities, build self-confidence, and enhance self-identification. At YAAACE we are a mission-driven team, that love knowing that the work we do positively impacts others. We are close-knit, hard-working and take pride in our success. The organization is growing and evolving quickly, all while making a difference. We hope you’ll be excited to share our values of investing in and building community and capacity.

**Role description**

Peace Makers support individual who are impacted by the justice system (in the community, have been released from incarceration or are incarcerated) to use their strengths in pursuing structure, promote positive and healthy lifestyle choices and build life skills. Peace Makers will utilize critical thinking and problem-solving skills to mitigate safety risks and interrupt conflict within specified geographical areas. Teach clients how to use their leisure time constructively and to seek positive social interaction. By engaging and developing trusting relationships with cohort, Peace Maker 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 the community._**

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**Duties and 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 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 health and well-being
- Collaboration with the YAAACE Peace-Core New Narrative team to inform the development, design and delivery of the project with a particular focus on case management
- Documentation of engagements with youth and conflicts resolved
- Engage with the evaluation team to inform the reporting and evaluation of the project
- Collaborate with online social media intervention models and hospital-based interventions where appropriate

**Outreach and Engagement**:

- Conduct client intakes, assessments, care planning and implementation in partnerships with stakeholders and multiple levels of government
- Responds to crisis situations and facilitates internal and external referrals as appropriate
- Develops client-centred, individualized care plans, including appropriate interventions and safety planning as required
- Participates in care at off-site locations/partner agencies as well as visits to clients who live within the catchment area as necessary
- Works as a high functioning member of an interdisciplinary team
- Participates in client care conferences with other providers to ensure coordination of services to the client
- Advocates for client rights and benefits - as individuals, groups, or communities
- Conduct direct community-based engagement and outreach in in communities in northwest Toronto to establish a consistent presence with youth in the local neighbourhoods
- 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.)
- Intervention Plan will be co-developed with participants to set goals and track progress.
- 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.

**KEY QUALIFICATIONS**

**Education and Preferred Knowledge**:

- At least completion of high school diploma or equivalent
- Lived experiences of incarceration, street culture, and/or community violence through exposure
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