BLACK COALITION FOR AIDS PREVENTIONPosition: Enhanced Youth Outreach Worker
Position Type: Support
Supervised by: Executive Director
Years of Experience: 1 year
Position requirement: 5 days (37.5 hours per week, Monday-Friday)
Term: Full-time, 3 months Contract (January-March 2025)
Starting salary: $29.17 per hour
Organization Description:
The Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention (Black CAP) is a volunteer-driven, nonprofit, community-based organization. The mission of the agency is to reduce the spread of HIV infection within Toronto’s Black communities while enhancing the quality of life of those living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. We work in partnership with organizations and individuals who support in principle and practice our mission, philosophy, and activities.
Position Summary:
Black CAP’s Youth Outreach Program is a multi-agency outreach initiative for at-risk Black HIV-positive, queer, questioning, and Trans youth aged 12-25. The Program will provide individualized and group supports to youth and their families/caregivers to address the impact of violence, HIV stigma, transphobia, homophobia, anti-Black racism, and other determinants of health such as homelessness, substance use, mental health, etc.
The Program will include counselling and support services approaches that incorporate Afro-centric, rites of passage, resiliency, and stages of change frameworks. The Program will also actively engage HIV-positive and LGBTQ Black youth using a collaborative, person-centred approach grounded in trauma-informed practice.
The Program is funded through the Ontario Black Youth Action Plan’s Enhanced Youth Outreach Worker (EYOW) program. EYOW services build resiliency from a culturally specific model and achieve outcomes related to reducing the impact of homophobia/transphobia and HIV stigma among Black youth.
EYOWs work with Black youth to develop and enhance their identity, culture, and sense of belongingness to their community as a protective factor in their movement through the Stages of Change. EYOWs act as mentors, promote broader opportunities and supports for youth within communities, and advocate for the improvement of access to youth services. More specifically, EYOWs:
- Help youth and their families to identify and articulate their future goals and needs.
- Support youth through an evidence-based process to make positive changes in their lives.
- Raise awareness about, and access to, local prevention and intervention resources through information-sharing and referrals that respond to individual needs and risk factors and reinforce healthy choices and strengths.
- Foster communication and linkages among community agencies/organizations to improve access and reduce barriers to services and supports.
Please note this position requires a Bachelor’s of Social Work or Counselling Psychology or equivalent and certification/membership in a registered professional association for practitioners in clinical therapy. In addition, we strongly encourage applicants who are members to Toronto’s African, Caribbean, or Black communities to apply. We also strongly encourage applicants who are living with HIV to consider this role.
Key responsibilities of this position include:
- Provide short-term, counselling and support services to Black youth in accordance with the Stages of Change intervention model adapted for the YOW Program.
- Develop and oversee a short-term case management plan for Black youth clients.
- Collaborate with the YOW network to identify Black youth who may require additional, more intensive services, and work with the YOWs to align support services for individual Black youth.
- Support parents and family members to help youth address their needs by providing short-term counselling, if needed, and referring parents and family members to other supports and services available in the community.
- Maintain collaborative working relationships with other professionals within and outside of the organization.
- Enter and maintain accurate and complete service data in the Outreach Record database in a timely manner.
- Participate in training opportunities through the Outreach Record Learning Portal.
- Maintain professional and evidence-based standards of practice in accordance with the Stages of Change intervention model, a positive youth development framework and relevant legislation (e.g., Child and Family Services Act, Youth Criminal Justice Act).
- Carry out other duties as assigned as part of the Youth Outreach Worker position.
- Conduct appropriate follow-up and complete monthly/annual reporting.
- Attending staff meetings and training.
- Evaluate program-related activities and complete monitoring and quality reports in order to ensure high quality programming.
- Collaborate with members of Black CAP’s support services team.
- Other duties as assigned.
We are seeking an individual with the following qualifications:
- Bachelor of Social Work or Counselling Psychology or equivalent and certification/membership in a registered professional association for practitioners in clinical therapy.
- A vulnerable sector check completed by local police service.
- Knowledge of HIV/AIDS, STIs, SBBI, and sexual health issues and the impact of HIV/AIDS in Toronto’s Black, African, or Caribbean communities with excellent skills and knowledge of community resources and support available.
- Demonstrated ability delivering intensive, short-term counselling and support services to Black HIV-positive and/or LGBTQ youth in crisis, helping them to address their specific challenges, and referring and supporting them to access required services.
- Demonstrated ability to support family members of high-risk Black youth and refer them to required services.
- Skills in managing the case plans of multiple, high-risk Black youth clients and their families.
- Experience researching effective strategies and models for peer-based programming for individuals and groups to inform program delivery.
- Experience providing system navigation supports and identifying appropriate referrals to complementary programming based on determinants of health framework.
- Strong written and oral communication skills.
- Self-motivated and able to work effectively under pressure while maintaining a positive and friendly attitude as you deal with multiple personalities, projects, and deadlines.
- Knowledge of MS Office (Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), internet, and email are essential.
- Willingness to work flexible hours including weekdays, evenings, and weekends.
- The ability to speak a language other than English is an asset.
This is a Bargaining Unit position reporting to the Executive Director. The position is subject to a 6-month probationary period. We thank all applicants; however, only those selected for interviews will be contacted.
Deadline for applications: 15 January 2023 at 5:00 p.m
Please forward resume and cover letter to:
Rosemary Okoth
20 Victoria St., 4th floor, Toronto, ON
or email: hiring@black-cap.com
Please use ‘Enhanced Youth Outreach Worker (Temporary).’ as the subject of your email.
