June 6, 2025 Posting #1488
YouthLink believes in the potential of every youth. We are dedicated to providing them with the support, guidance and opportunities they need to make positive life choices. We provide youth with brief and ongoing counselling, in-home wraparound support, shelter, housing, educational support, and safe drop-in spaces. YouthLink works towards equitable outcomes for youth in our community and, as such, is committed to equity-based hiring practices.
We welcome applications from candidates who reflect the communities we serve, particularly candidates from Black communities, Indigenous communities, and racialized people, persons with disabilities, members of diverse gender identities and people with lived experiences. We are seeking candidates who demonstrably operate and practice from an equity and trauma-informed lens. We encourage applications from passionate professionals who will help us dismantle systemic barriers and will embrace working outside of Euro-centric practices.
YouthLink Benefits are Top of Class!
· Competitive pay
· Health & dental coverage for you and your family with 100% premium cost paid by employer.
· Annual vacation with pay at 1.66 working days for each calendar month to a maximum of 20 working days per year.
· 5 ‘authorized absence’ days for family illness or emergency circumstances that prohibit employees from reporting to work.
· 3 paid agency days every calendar year after 3 calendar months’ service.
· Maternity / parental /adoption leave top-up payments (to top-up Canadian government unemployment benefit payments).
· 100% premium cost for long-term disability coverage paid by employee.
· Eligibility to participate in pension plan after 2 years of continuous service with generous matching contribution from employer.
Community Outreach Worker – Youth & Families
Permanent, Full-time, 35 hours/week
Bargaining Unit Position
The Provincial Youth Outreach Worker (PYOW) is responsible for developing prevention, early intervention programs, and outreach activities that cater to at-risk youth and families residing in the Eglinton East/Kennedy Park and Scarborough Village Communities. This essential role is dedicated to actively engaging marginalized youth, providing them with vital information, appropriate referrals to community support resources and seamless access to crucial services. The PYOW assumes the critical responsibility of advocating for and facilitating service brokerage for youth while fostering robust collaboration among youth, parents, and community service providers. The ultimate goal is to empower at-risk youth facing multifaceted barriers to success, such as disengagement from educational or vocational pathways, legal conflicts, or other obstacles that hinder their comprehensive development.
Your Role
Outreach and Relationship Building:
- Proactively reach out and establish rapport with under-served youth in priority communities.
- Identify concerns and barriers faced by youth in their communities.
- Engage youth in dialogue to comprehend their needs, goals, aspirations, and skills.
- Identify necessary services while addressing barriers to access.
- Provide personalized one-on-one support, informal case management, advocacy, and referrals across various domains such as employment, housing, legal aid, mental health, and volunteering.
- Inform youth about community events including job fairs, recreation programs, and employment opportunities.
- Collaborate with school personnel to address issues related to anger management, life skills, absenteeism, and academic performance.
- Collect relevant information pertaining to the needs of individual youth.
Community Engagement:
- Build and sustain positive relationships with local community groups, service providers, and agencies.
- Regularly participate in community meetings and partner in festivals and cultural events.
Collaboration with Local Service Providers:
- Work collaboratively with local service providers to ensure youth have access to relevant programs.
- Respond to requests and inquiries from community groups.
- Support local programs offered to youth.
- Lead, develop, and implement community outreach activities such as workshops and events.
Data Management and Reporting:
- Maintain statistics including service delivery, referrals, and follow up.
- Perform other duties as required.
Professional Development:
- Participate in training sessions to ensure that service delivery remains relevant and up-to-date with the trends and issues faced by the community and youth.
Equity, Diversity and Belonging:
- Proactively and enthusiastically stays updated on best practices as it relates to Equity, Diversity and Belonging and organizational development. Works collaboratively with the ABR Committee and Director of Anti-Racism, Equity and Belonging to embed best practices into all programs, operational goals and processes.
- Development and Implementation of the Agency’s Strategic Plan by participating in initiatives and committees to support the overall Plan.
What You Bring
:
- Completion of Diploma in Social Services field or combination of education and directly related experience.
- Trainings in CPI and CPR an asset.
:
- 1 – 2 years’ experience working with youth engagement, community and program development and working successfully with community partners.
- Demonstrated ability and experience in working with marginalized youth, their families, newcomers and diverse youth populations living in under-served communities is an asset.
- Demonstrates a commitment to inclusiveness diversity and anti-oppressive practices is an asset.
- Demonstrated ability to work in a team environment is an asset.
- Knowledge of adolescent developmental theory and the Stages of Change theory and specific issues related to at risk youth is an asset.
- Understanding of the complex issues facing our clients is an asset
- Appreciation of the importance of engaging youth and families from a trauma informed strengths based relationship-based approach is an asset
- Sensitivity to and ability to work with a diverse client and staff group is an asset
- Sound knowledge of the issues facing priority neighbourhood communities in Scarborough is an asset
- Knowledge of relevant community resources is an asset.
- Operating using an Anti-Black Racism lens is an asset.
:
- Understanding of youth development principles and community resources.
- Awareness of relevant laws, regulations, and mental health issues.
- Knowledge of diversity, equity, and trauma-informed care principles.
- Effective communication and active listening skills.
- Interpersonal skills and problem-solving abilities. Collaboration and time management skills.
- Capacity to remain calm and maintain confidentiality. Empowerment and cultural competency.
- Advocacy skills and commitment to ongoing learning.
:
- Broad Record Police Check is required.
- This position requires evening and occasional weekend hours. There are some risks involved in this position such as crisis management. Minimal travelling required.
- To some extent, this position requires walking within the community.
Full job description available here: JD-Youth-Outreach-worker-Nov-2024.pdf
Salary: starting $50,101.
How to Apply
· Submit application to [email protected] - Please quote posting #1488 in the subject line.
- As an organization committed to equity and justice in our community, we believe lived experience and knowledge of equity, diversity, belonging and anti-Black racism is a critical component in our recruitment process. If you have a disability and require accessibility accommodations with the application process, please contact [email protected].
· Application Deadline: Open until Filled.
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Pay: From $50,101.00 per year
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Company events
- Company pension
- Dental care
- Employee assistance program
- Extended health care
- Life insurance
- On-site parking
- Paid time off
- Vision care
Schedule:
- Monday to Friday
- Weekends as needed
Work Location: In person
