Youth Program Specialist: Youth Wellness Program – Filipino Advocates for Justice – Union City, CA

Position Overview
FAJ’s prevention programs provide peer support and youth leadership development to Middle School- and High School-aged youth. Youth will be introduced to basic concepts of wellness through mind, body, spirit connection with a focus on addressing substance use, AAPI violence and coping behaviors of youth participants; normalizing help-seeking behavior, addressing mental health stigma through a year-round afterschool Youth Wellness group. This position is primarily based in Union City serving Filipino and other Asian and Pacific Islander youth.

Essential Responsibilities
Program Responsibilities (80%)
Convene and facilitate twice weekly sessions afterschool to provide supervision, leadership development and training sessions to interns who will coordinate events to provide monthly wellness and healing offerings to students at James Logan High School, Union City. These offerings are provided every 4 weeks.
Provide individual (one-to-one) preventative mentoring sessions with youth interns monthly and to other youth participants as needed.
Work with program staff to refine curriculum to meet particular needs of students in program.
Work with school personnel and Coordination of Services Teams (COST) to set-up and maintain SUD prevention education at school sites and align FAJ SUD prevention program with existing support services for students.
Assist other program specialists in supervising youth peer leaders to support objectives of program.
Make referrals to support services, including available mental health and treatment services for youth who require a higher level of care.
Collect and prepare program data for data specialist.
Support FAJ’s mission as directed by FAJ’s prevention services director and executive director.

Organization-wide Responsibilities (20%)
Participate in FAJ grassroots fundraising campaigns and events; in occasional organization-wide campaign events; in cross-department committees and teams
Support some finance processes and projects as needed, such as the annual budgeting process or providing information to finance staff for payroll reconciliation
Other duties as needed

Required Experience and Skills
Experience and knowledge of various healing orientations (such as indigenous and ancestral healing) as well as healing justice framework
Commitment to prevention of substance use disorders, promotion of positive mental health, healing-centered practices, and self-care practices
Some knowledge of prevention and early intervention on substance use disorders and mental health
Commitment to the empowerment of historically underrepresented constituents, including young people, people of color, low-income people, immigrants and refugees, women, and LGBT communities
Driver’s license, car insurance and access to a car
Willing and able to travel to and reach out to Union City
High school diploma or equivalent
Minimum one-year experience with youth development and/or youth organizing with Filipino or other API youth and knowledge of their issues
Demonstrated success working and communicating effectively in a multicultural environment
Self- starter with excellent problem-solving and reporting skills, ability to multi-task, prioritize duties, and manage time effectively
Strong attention to detail
Solid organizational skills with the ability to work productively and accurately while under pressure in a fast-paced environment both independently and as a key team member
Experience with membership recruitment and retention
Some prior educational experience, preferably in a school setting
Demonstrated supervisory and leadership experience and administrative and reporting skills
Good oral and written communications skills with youth, parents, and school personnel
Strong digital literacy and experience with social media platforms
Able to work flexible hours, mainly school day but some Saturdays and evenings
Willingness to go through and pass screening and fingerprinting process to work with youth and other vulnerable populations

Preferred Qualifications
Intergenerational experience/skills
Ability to speak and write Tagalog and English fluently
Energetic and inspired by individual and community empowerment
Comfortable in a fast paced (sometimes intense) work environment; self-starter, detail-oriented and organized; able to ask for help
Experience working in collaboration with diverse stakeholders in the community

Key Working Relationships:
Position Reports to: Prevention Services Director and Youth Services Director
Position directly supervises: Youth Wellness Interns and Participants

Other Internal and/or external contacts:
Internal: Prevention staff and organizing team, program participants and youth interns, Office Manager, coordinating committee and leadership committee
External: Program Consultant(s), Healing Advisory, vendors, school staff (various schools in Alameda County), partners such as Alameda County Behavioral Health, Union City Youth & Family Services, etc.
Location: Currently hybrid working, virtually and/or in-person as necessary due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our Oakland or Union City offices are available to use but are not operating openly under regular business hours until further notice. FAJ continually assesses COVID risk, market convention related to work locale policies.

Compensation:
The starting salary range is $26,000 – $27,500 annually, depending on experience. FAJ offers 50-50 paid health insurance (medical, dental, and vision) for half-time employees. We also offer substantial vacation days and time off.

How to Apply:
Send your resume and a cover letter demonstrating your interest and qualifications to jolais@filipinos4justice.org with the subject line “Youth Wellness – Your Name.”

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