Youth Advocate

Job Description

Summary:As part of the Catholic Charities Hoop Haven Program, the Youth Advocate will work with and support youth ages 12 to 17 at the Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Community Center in Harlem in the building and fostering healthy of positive life skills, with a primary focus on health and wellness.The Hoop Haven program was developed several years ago with a mission of engaging Harlem youth, with or without any sports related skill or acumen, and introducing the concept of team sports as a means of establishing healthy life habits and a team-centered mindset.Hoop Haven does not utilize try-outs as a means of student participation and accepts youth of all skill levels and backgrounds.

The Youth Advocate will work with a team of other professionals who support healthy activities for youth and will actively promote positive academic and life skills through a combination of sports related group activities (predominantly basketball) and academic support.

The ideal candidate will have a passion for working with youth, knowledge of health and wellness as a means of supporting personal and academic growth, a working knowledge of basketball or other team sports, and a commitment to fostering the growth and development of youth in the Harlem community.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

• Regularly interact with students (ages 12 to17), parents/guardians, educators, and the community on a variety of issues and topics that affect Harlem youth, including healthy living, sports, exercise, community engagement and academics, as well as offering social and emotional support and referrals as needed.
• Work directly with students by developing engaging team building activities and education with a focus on team sports as a means to the development of positive life and problem solving skills, including de-escalation and anti-violence rubric.
• Link students and their families to other internal Catholic Charities services and external resources and referrals depending on need.
• Work closely with the Program Coordinator on activity and curriculum development, as well as marketing and outreach of the program to the community.
• Provide routine academic support as part of the program curriculum, both in group and individual settings (i.e. homework and other school related assistance).
• Maintain attendance logs and any other requireddocumentation. Use Catholic Charities prescribed technology and databases to track and record program data and metrics as assigned by the Program Coordinator.
• Maintain monthly progress notes on participants; collect and completeall necessary documentation and reports related to programactivities.
• Assist in the maintenance of the monthly calendar of program activities and workshops availableto participants.
• Attend student field trips and special events whennecessary.
• Participate in staff meetings, case conferences and other meetings asassigned.

Position Type and Expected Hours of Work:

This is a full-time position. Days and hours of work are generally 10:00AM to 6:00PM, Tuesday through Saturday. Additional evening and weekend hours will be required to meet program deadlines, goals, client needs, and attend special events.

Working conditions and physical demands required:

The demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

• When conducting home visits or field trips, individuals will use public transportation or traverse city streets, occasionally ascend/descend stairs, and be exposed to outside weather conditions.
• Remain in a stationary position while monitoring activities, providing instruction, or when at a work station.
• Use a computer at least 40% of the time.
• Ability and patience to work with youth, particularly in group settings.
• Be actively mobilefor long periods, providing instruction.
• Travel when taking field trips, using public transportation, traverse city streets, ascend/descend stairs, and be exposed to outside weather conditions, while escorting youth.

Qualifications

Education and/or experience required:

• Bachelor's Degree
• Relevant work experience in an area of health and wellness.

• A minimum of 2 years' experience working with youth.
• Experience teaching or training individuals in group settings.
• Basketball knowledge preferred but not required.A general understanding of team sports as a means for positive youth development strongly preferred.

Skills, Licenses, and/or competencies :

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to motivate and effectively engage youth with diverse backgrounds.
• Ability to work well in a team environment.
• Excellent network-building and outreach skills.
• Must be organized and detail oriented and have the ability to work effectively under pressure in both team setting and individually.
• Excellent computer skills and experience (Internet, Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Must pass all necessary background checks and clearances as required by Catholic Charities Community Services.

Compensation 29.14 an hour