Position Title: Youth Partner

Compensation: DOE / Hourly

Posting closes: Open until filled

Position Type: 1.0 FTE Full-time (40 hours/week)

Location: Multnomah County, OR

Supervisor: Tri-County Wraparound Manager

PLEASE NOTE THIS ROLE IS LOCATED IN MULTNOMAH COUNTY, OREGON AND WILL REQUIRE TRAVEL THROUGHT MULTNOMAH COUNTY

BENEFITS

• We value mental health and offer a generous paid time off program that includes a generous vacation accrual and up to 96 hours of sick time to be used for self-care and mental health purposes
• 12 paid holidays a year including your birthday off!
• 100% employer-paid, comprehensive medical, vision, and dental insurance coverage
• Reimbursement for subscriptions like Audible, Hulu Plus, Costco, Spotify, Youtube Red, Ipsy Box and more, to support staff self-care and well-being.
• Professional development opportunities and trainings

DESCRIPTION:

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:

• Sharing lived experience to provide peer support to young adult participants and helping them navigate the system(s) they participate in (mental health, addiction/recovery, incarceration/juvenile justice, Oregon Youth Authority, foster care, education, oppression, LGBTQ+, etc.);

• Organizing and executing additional meetings or communication regarding support, resources, and crisis intervention as may apply;

• Engaging and building relationships with young adults during one-on-one meetings and Wraparound team meetings;

• Monitoring physical and emotional safety, appropriateness, applicability, and engagement of youth participants at Wraparound meetings, and interrupt oppressive and inappropriate behavior;

• Acting as a partner and an intermediary between formal mental health staff and peers by advocating for and providing recovery-based services, assisting young people in finding services that suit their recovery needs, improving provider relations, and modeling effective problem-solving skills;

• Providing culturally responsive assistance to each participant utilizing evidence-based practices including Positive Youth Development, CPS, Wraparound, and the 40 Developmental Assets;

• Empowering young people to advocate for themselves, set goals and identify life assignments (using The 40 Developmental Assets) and implement achievable steps towards reaching them;

• Working on a multidisciplinary team to support the young person;

• Supporting youth in developing and connecting to natural supports (friends, family, mentors, etc.) within their community;

• Referring community-based resources, support, and opportunities;

• Communicating with participants via phone, text/chat, and social media;

• Documenting and reporting cases of abuse or neglect to the Oregon Department of Human Services;

• Collecting paperwork and complying with confidentiality procedures, tracking attendance of youth and volunteers, and inputting data into data tracking software;

• Attending weekly staff meetings, reporting to and communicating with supervisor;

• Traveling to attend one-on-ones, community meetings, and when necessary;

• Tracking of expenses/mileage on a YE-approved expense tracking program (currently Tallie);

• Recording hours worked into YE-approved time tracking program (currently TimeTracker);

• Complying with all current policies as written in the Youth Era Employee Policy Manual; and

• Performing other assigned duties.

PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCIES:

• Excellent interpersonal skills, including the capacity to communicate and, work effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds and cultures.

• Ability to build/sustain collaborative working relationships with staff, supervisors, and others as appropriate.

• Willingness to address and work to eliminate personal biases and prejudices.

• Ability to work independently and collaboratively.

• Demonstrated social/situational problem-solving skills.

• Outstanding oral/written communication skills and strong organizational skills.

• Excellent advocacy and public speaking skills.

• Ability and willingness to learn about youth culture and the organization's history, mission, demographics, programs, etc. in order to persuasively articulate how Youth Era distinguishes itself from peer organizations.

• Proficiency in the use of computers, their routine software applications (i.e. Microsoft Office, Word, and Excel), and Google applications (i.e. Gmail, Hangouts, and Google Calendar).

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Understanding of peer-support, youth advocacy, and the youth movement and the ability to discuss it intelligently with professionals and the public.

• Identification as a peer with lived experience in youth/young adult-serving systems (i.e. mental health care, addiction/recovery, juvenile justice, Oregon Youth Authority, foster care, depression, anxiety, trauma, oppression, LGBTQ+, etc.).

• Understanding of or experience with the Wraparound process.

REQUIREMENTS:

• A minimum of one year of lived experience within and knowledge of the mental health system.

• Ability to travel and willingness to work evenings and weekends as required.

• Valid driver’s license, reliable vehicle, and car insurance.

• Willingness to update job knowledge by participating in educational opportunities, reading professional publications, maintaining professional networks, and attending trainings.

TRAVEL

Some travel will be required for this position. The Youth Partner will serve youth across Multnomah County, OR which may include meeting youth in their communities, picking youth up to bring them to events, etc. Youth Era also has sites across the state of Oregon, and travel may be required for all staff events, training, etc.

AAP/EEO STATEMENT

Youth Era is an equal opportunity employer and, as such, will continue to recruit, hire, train and promote into all job levels without regard to race, age, religion, color, gender, national origin, physical or mental disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other characteristic protected by law. This organization operates in accordance with all federal, state and local employment regulations and affirmative action guidelines.

OTHER DUTIES

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Visit www.youthera.org to learn more about the organization. Thank you for your interest!