Youth Worker Practicum Students

Looking to Complete a Practicum?

Youth Empowerment & Support Services (YESS) accepts practicum students from many post-secondary institutions and programs. Your program must be directly related to Youth Work, e.g., Child and Youth Care, Social Work, Corrections, or Addictions and Community Support. A similar program will only be considered if you have prior experience working with high-risk youth, please ensure this is clear in your cover letter/resume.

**Practicum placements must be a minimum of 300 hours to be considered. Ideally your practicum placement will begin in January.**

What We Do

YESS is a not-for-profit agency working with youth facing difficult realities. We provide shelter, residential and day programming to youth who access our services. Based in Edmonton, YESS provides immediate and low-barrier 24/7 shelter, a drop-in resource centre, temporary supportive housing, temporary independent cohort housing, and individualized wrap-around supports for young people aged 15 - 24.

We work collaboratively within a network of care focused on the prevention of youth homelessness by providing youth with the necessary supports to stabilize their housing, improve their wellbeing, build life skills, connect with community, and avoid re-entry into homelessness.

What You Will Do

We are currently seeking practicum students to work in one of our 4 locations.
- **Armoury Resource Centre (AR**C)** 9am-5:30pm located at 103 Street and 85 Avenue**: Drop-in Centre providing youth programming, harm reduction onsite and connecting youth to city wide resources.
- **Nexus 24/7 Sleep Shelter located at 93 Street and 82 Avenue**: Low Barrier shelter providing basic needs and stabilization, referrals to resources and emergency crisis support.
- **Supportive Housing 24/7 (Graham's Place (93 Street and 82 Avenue or Shanoa's Place at Stony Plain Road and 149 Street**: Providing one on one support, family and social connection, coordination of activities and day to day life skills supports.

You will be able to choose the days and hours per week that fit with your schedule.

Responsibilities include (under supervision):

- Building healthy relationships with youth
- Assisting with intakes and crisis diversion
- Housekeeping duties
- Managing youth access to services: meals, showers, laundry, donations, etc.
- Working with youth to achieve their goals and transition out of homelessness
- Maintaining documentation records and entering information into a database
- Performing clerical duties to maintain youth support, youth goal setting and team communication.
- strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills
- be organized and highly detail-oriented
- proven ability to build good relationships
- creative problem-solving skills
- ability to deal with ambiguity and be flexible
- respectful and appropriate behaviours and be a role model for youth

Prerequisites
- Standard First Adi Certificate
- ASIST Certificate
- Training in suicide intervention and harm reduction is an asset
- Clear police clearance (CRIM) and a Child and Youth Intervention (CYIM) checks, both obtained within the last six months
- Basic computer skills
- Regardless of work location you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have an approved accommodation. Rapid testing will not be accepted as an alternative to vaccination, except individuals who cannot be vaccinated based on medical or other protected grounds outlined in the Alberta Human Rights Act

YESS is an equal opportunity employer, committed to an inclusive and safe work environment for people of all backgrounds.

Everyone coming to YESS facilities, including students, staff, contractors, and visitors, will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

**Applications must be submitted through this platform, applicants of interest will be contacted for an interview. We thank all applicants for their interest, however only those shortlisted will be contacted.