CharityVillage

Position Title: Youth Outreach Worker

Location: Youth Intervention Services, Hamilton, ON

Position Type: Full-Time, 10-month Contract Salaried (35 hours per week), with benefits and a complimentary YMCA membership

Starting Salary: $50,000.00 annual salary (pro-rated for 10 months), commensurate with experience

Anticipated Starting Date: August 2025

Position Description:

The Youth Outreach Worker will support youth while attending the YMCA Alternative Suspension (AS) Program through academic support, one-one case management and facilitating skill building workshops as well as maintaining a collaborative relationship with the youth’s parents and schools to encourage successful reintegration back into the school environment.

The YMCA Alternative Suspension Program works in partnership with local schools to offer support to students an early intervention program for teens 12-17 who have acquired short-term suspensions (3-5 days). Through academic support, goal setting and workshops focused positive skill building, the AS program is intended to reduce future suspensions and disciplinary sanctions by offering participants an opportunity to transform their time away from school into a positive experience and an opportunity for social skill development.

In this position, you will:

• Implement strong youthwork approach informed by program and participants’ objectives
• Intervene with elementary (grades 6-8) and secondary (grades 9-10) school students on an individual basis and in a group setting
• Facilitates daily group workshops on social or behavioural issues (eg. anger management, self-esteem, responsible self, bullying, impulsivity, etc)
• Possess a strong understanding of youth facing and having diagnosed disorders (eg. ODD, ADHD, FASD, ASD) that require a youth worker to have coping strategies to assist in working through problematic behaviors (eg. disruptive behaviours, physical violence, verbal abuse, maladaptive sexual behaviours, substance misuse and abuse, apathy and lack of motivation, theft and bullying)
• Remain calm during emotionally charged situations and able to de-escalate potential conflicts between youth participants and intervene if necessary
• Take initiative, problem solve and work with limited supervision
• Build respectful boundaries with students, parents/guardians and school personnel
• Effectively manage case files and data entry into the program’s database
• Supervise and support students with assigned schoolwork.
• Maintain strong partnerships with the principals and vice principals of partnering schools
• Supports individual youth with establishing and strengthening school connections
• Provide case management support and follow up with students for ongoing support and referrals to community services
• Communicate regularly with participants’ parents/guardians throughout the program and follow-up processes
• Foster communication and linkages with community agencies/organization to improve access and mitigate barriers to services
• Assists in compiling draft annual reports and provides statistics on program results at the end of the school year, and/or as required
• Ensure that YMCA Child & Youth policies are implemented
• Be responsible for the health and safety of participants
• Meet monthly statistical requirements and maintain records on all activities performed
• Completes other general administrative duties