Creative Advocate/Youth Mentor

Creative Oasis is a youth advocacy/life skill development program. We work with “troubled/at risk youth” (we don’t like those terms) within the Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Denver, and Grand Junction areas, set goals with them, their family, and their professional support team. The advocates are independent contractors (receive your pay with no taxes taken out, and even utilize tax deductions to lower taxable income when done appropriately). They take the youth to one of our studio locations (depending on the location of the client's home), and make music or art with the youth whilst working on the goals set in place during the intake. Sessions with clients are typically 2-3 hour sessions, two times per week. In Grand Junction, we are looking to build a team who is willing to go into the youth detention/commitment facility and build relationships while running some creative mentorship sessions with youth currently detained/committed. Creative Advocates for music are able to efficiently run a DAW (Pro Tools, Logic, FL Studios, Ableton, etc.), and be able to educate a youth in any of the processes including but not limited to, writing/recording lyrics, beat production, and mixing/mastering, or be able to teach a youth an instrument (piano and guitar are most common). Creative Advocates for art will be able to educate youth in the technical development of art mediums (not everyone can do every medium and that is okay!). We are also seeking one photography/videography/music video specialist.

Music advocates- Please do not apply if you do not know how to effectively run a DAW.

Art advocates- Please do not apply if you cannot demonstrate knowledge of at least 2-3 mediums.

www.creativeoasis.org/advocateapplication

Responsibilities

• Transportation of youth- youth in our program often don’t have adequate modes of transportation or inconsistent transportation, and some of our youth require transportation in order to be able to attend services. We have 1 company vehicle available at the moment that can be scheduled out with any of the advocates to avoid having to use your own vehicle, and will expand the fleet with every opportunity we get.
• Professionalism- art/music is typically a very relaxed setting and can get inappropriate rather quickly. All of our advocates maintain professional boundaries with clients and do not engage in conversation/activity surrounding inappropriate behaviors.
• Confidentiality- The youth we serve live in the same community as their advocates. It is a requirement that their identities and cases be 100% confidential. The youth we serve deserve the opportunity to grow out of their situations and leave it all in the past, rather than having their past follow them due to their situations being spoken about with people not on the professional team.
• Session notes- each session requires a session note that we submit with each billing cycle. These notes average 5-8 min per note, and should be done within 24 hours of completing a session. They are unpaid, as we only get paid for service hours directly with the client.
• Technical Development of creative medium- Advocates will be able to meet a youth where they are at in their development of their art form, and help them improve their skills and become more independent with utilizing this art form within their lives.

Skills

• Human Connection- while we enjoy making art, the organization is funded for it’s mentorship/life skill development services. Mentorship/Advocacy can only exist if you have a connection with the client, so being able to communicate and connect with our clients is a must, sometimes you have to lead the entire conversation!
• Communication skills- Things change, schedules rearrange, these are normal parts of life. Communication through your situation is a requirement.
• Timeliness- our youth look forward to their sessions and timeliness goes hand in hand with professionalism. When you show that you care, the youth are more engaged.
• Organization- with having multiple clients on your caseload, there comes a certain level of organization you have to maintain as an independent contractor. Our systems helps with the majority of things, but given the nature of the client’s lives, things often change and change quickly. Staying organized is integral as an advocate.
• Efficiency within the DAW of your preference. Our studios currently operate four different DAW’s!
• Ability to set up a microphone/interface for vocal recording, record, and apply a basic mix to a record so that the client can leave with an audible copy of their song. Technical ability within the realm of Mixing/Mastering is preferred, as clients want to learn this aspect and the owner is currently the only advocate who can teach music in this capacity.
• Ability to produce instrumentals, using both live instrument/MIDI recordings as well as sampling.

Become a Creative Advocate today and help the youth in our community overcome the circumstances they were handed in life! Please apply online at our website,

www.creativeoasis.org/advocateapplication

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time, Contract

Pay: $20.00 - $28.00 per hour

Application Question(s):

• Can you operate a DAW? If so, which one(s)?
• Do you have a bachelor’s degree or QBHA certification? (Not a disqualifying factor)

Experience:

• working with youth: 1 year (Preferred)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $20 - $28