Youth Engagement Specialist

Youth Engagement Specialist

Latino Network's mission is: Leading with love, we cultivate our staff and community as a powerful force for radical social change. We do this through Latino community-driven programs, advocacy, and service. Our work springs from the core belief in Latino community self-determination, that is, the ability of community members to participate meaningfully in the decisions that affect their lives and the lives of their families. We actively partner across a variety of city, county, state, and community organizations to deliver training and support, a wide range of services, as well as influence policy.

Latino Network seeks a bilingual, mission-driven professional with bi-cultural familiarity and proven nonprofit and community experience to lead school-based programming, including case management and afterschool groups. As part of a dedicated team working toward a shared vision, the Youth Engagement Specialist is charged with carrying out the vision of the Department of Educational Access Programs. The Youth Engagement Specialist ensures and promotes youth safety, sexual health education, growth, and leadership, and has proven skills in providing individual case management and facilitating skill-building curriculum for student groups. The Specialist works collaboratively to achieve program goals and document measurable youth development outcomes, contributes to a collegial and productive work environment, and promotes the organization's vision and mission.

Responsibilities include:

• Providing individual case management annually to at least 30 youth participants, including meeting at least twice a month with students to complete initial assessments, developing and updating individual development plans, and provide referrals as needed.
• Maintaining individual participant case files, communicating with parents when needed, conducting home visits, collecting data throughout the school year and summer, and documenting in multiple databases as required by funders on a weekly basis, including, but not limited to: contact information, attendance, entrance/exit surveys, and individual development plans.
• Demonstrating outcomes in participant recruitment, engagement, and retention.
• Performing outreach, recruiting, logistical planning, curriculum development and implementation, and individual case management.
• Supporting participants to improve school performance, attendance, and decrease disciplinary referrals.
• Ensuring and promoting youth safety, growth, and leadership.
• Attending trainings with team and managers to develop and implement skill-building curriculum that engages youth and prepares you to deliver a comprehensive sexual health education curriculum that covers topics such as: STI's, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and healthy relationships.
• Facilitating after-school sessions on topics such as culture and identity, academic success, social-emotional learning, and college and career.
• Developing and maintaining strong working relationships with participants, school teachers, counselors, community partners, and stakeholders.
• Collaborating with Family Engagement Specialists, partner organizations, school administrators, staff and teachers, local government, and the community.
• Working with other Youth Engagement Specialists and Family Engagement Specialists to coordinate and carry out field trips and/or other special events.
• Working with other Youth Engagement Specialists to coordinate and lead, organize, and carry out program-specific activities and overall department support for the success of the YES team.
• Providing necessary referrals to participants as needed.
• Working collaboratively with the Family Engagement Specialist to keep families engaged and informed with the goals of 1) increasing two-way communication between schools and families, 2) increasing student learning in the home, and 3) monitoring of students' discipline, academic progress, and attendance.
• Collaborating with staff and independent contractors to gather data as needed for research and evaluation of program outcomes.
• Designing programming in accordance with the approved budget and maintaining accurate records of program spending.
• Participating in mandatory all-staff and team meetings and training.
• Working evenings and weekends as required, and maintaining flexible work hours to accommodate program implementation and long hours during peak periods.

Required Skills/Knowledge/Abilities include:

• English and Spanish bilingual proficiency required, ability to translate general communications, converse with staff regarding the scope of work, either in a 1-1 setting or in a group/presentation.
• Minimum of two years of experience in developing, implementing, and facilitating classes for youth and or implementing programs for Latinos; examples of experience, education, and training that fulfill this requirement include, but are not limited to, volunteer or paid work, internships, community-based training and workshops, community college, trade school, university courses, and degrees. Experience, training, and education from inside and outside of the United States are considered equally. Transferable skills and lived experience will be considered.
• Deliver a comprehensive sexual health education curriculum through a culturally specific way that aligns with our agency's mission and values.
• Knowledge and experience in navigating educational institutions, resources, programs, social services, and government agencies.
• Knowledge of culturally based world views, adaptive reasoning, and problem-solving practices of Latino individuals, families, and community living in urban neighborhoods impacted by crime, poverty, and racial inequity.
• Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with schools, students, families, and community support systems.
• Strong organizational, time management, data collection, and tracking, and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work both independently and as part of a team, and consistently follows instructions and implements strategies.
• Ability to be flexible and adaptive to successfully achieve the functions of the position as described in the job responsibilities.
• Reliable car, driver's license, and automobile liability insurance.
• Ability to maintain discretion concerning confidential matters and maintain confidential records.
• Takes initiative and maintains proactive communication.
• Strong attention to detail, organizational, and interpersonal skills.
• Employee service mindset, resourceful, outcomes-oriented, and able to build strong relationships.

Physical demands include:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, walk, and use stairways to climb to multiple floors within an office building, and talk or hear. This position will work from home and onsite as needed, depending on the project or coverage needed. The employee may be required to occasionally lift and/or move up to 15 pounds. The employee is occasionally required to use hands and fingers to type or dial, climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl, and reach with hands and arms. The employee may be required to perform minimal heavy lifting and walking during peak events and prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.

Work environment includes:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to wet or humid conditions (non-weather); outdoor weather conditions; extreme cold (non-weather), and extreme heat (non-weather). This position requires frequent computer use. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, distance vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

To apply, please submit your application, resume, and cover letter at: Careers

Successful completion of initial and ongoing employment screens, including but not limited to criminal background and vehicle record as required. Latino Network is an equal opportunity employer. We value and support diversity and inclusion to create a culture of dignity and respect.