Youth Empowerment Coach

PURPOSE:

The Kaplan House (Manhattan) and Cedar Knolls House (Bronx) provides therapeutic and support services to adolescent’s ages 16-21 who are referred through the Administration for Children’s Services. Our residents have experienced significant trauma and often struggle with managing their emotional and behavioral needs. The program provides an array of services including medical, clinical, education/vocation, recreation, substance use and additional support services that emphasize family interaction and strengthening of community support networks, as well as increasing independent living skills.

POSITION OVERVIEW:

The Youth Empowerment Coach is part of The Jewish Board’s “A Step Ahead” coaching program, sponsored by Fair Futures where young people ages 14 are matched with a full-time, professionally trained Coach. 

Fair Futures is a coalition of child welfare agencies, non-profits, foundations, advocates and young adults working to ensure they fulfill their promise to New York City’s foster youth.

As a Fair Futures Coach you will be part of a successful, innovative, and collaborative movement that is changing the landscape of Child Welfare, and make an immediate impact in the lives of young people by helping them carve out a pathway to success in life as they define it. You will receive significant professional development supports from the Center for Fair Futures, including quality trainings and workshops on every topic you will need to succeed as a coach, unlimited 1:1 support in any area, 1:1 professional coaching to help you with your goals, and access to a learning community for Coaches where you can share best practices, challenges, and build your network.

The overall goals of the Fair Futures program model are to help young people:

KEY ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Utilize Fair Futures’ Goal & Steps framework in the core areas of: academic, career development, social/emotional; and housing and independent living
• Work 1:1 with youth onsite/offsite to develop individualized academic and career development goals based on their interests and strengths and take measurable steps towards their goals
• Employ creative, out-of-the box approaches to engaging youth and do not give up if they are not responsive.
• Provide Aftercare Coaching Services for discharged youth (up to 26 y/o) who are interested in continuing coaching or re-engaging in coaching. 
• Connect youth to quality schools, programs, resources, and opportunities in connection with their goals
• Collaborate with residential team members as well as outside service providers, parents/caregivers, department of education, etc. to develop youth-focused plans.
• Re-engage disconnected youth and help them re-enroll in an academic setting as well as assessing the fit between a youth and their current academic setting.
• Consistently visit the youth’s school/program and build relationships with school staff, review transcripts, provide educational advocacy, and discuss progress towards graduation/HSE obtainment

•     Ensure youth are attending school and have the supports and resources they need to be successful, such as tutoring, individualized educational plans (IEPs), 504 Plans, or other special accommodations

• Work closely with the program’s College Specialist to expose youth to post-secondary pathways, such college and/or accredited vocational programs and assist youth with post-secondary planning, along with the guidance counselors and/or College Specialists and Career Development Specialists.
• Provide college persistence coaching, including ensuring students are receiving all of the financial and academic supports they need to succeed each semester.
• Assist youth in obtaining working papers, conduct career exploration activities, and connect to career development experiences in line with the youth’s interests, strengths, and academic/vocational plans, etc.
• Establish relationships with local employers, internships, and visit sites to ensure youth are attending work.
• Facilitate monthly Preparing Youth for Adulthood (PYA) Workshops in collaboration with your fellow YEC.
• Coordinate with the housing specialist to ensure all housing applications are submitted timely
• Support youth with transitioning to adult housing included but not limited to: attending interviews/tours, moving in, obtaining furniture, and supporting them with maintaining housing through IL skills (budgeting, opening bank accounts, etc.)
• Use an online platform each week to track contacts, young people’s goals, steps taken towards goals, and other key data.  Full support will be provided on how to use Care4.
• Ability to work evenings, weekends, as needed/after-hour calls.
• Frequent fieldwork and willingness to travel within the boroughs by public transportation or in an agency vehicle as available.
• Build trusting relationships and a network of positive adult and peer supports;
• Prepare for and graduate from high school;
• Connect to and persist in post-secondary settings;
• Engage in career exploration and career development experiences in line with their interests to help them eventually navigate onto a living wage career pathway;
• Access and maintain stable, affordable housing if they are exiting foster care and gain independent living and life skills
• Other duties as assigned

CORE COMPETENCIES:

Relational Skills:

• Ability to work from a strength-based, trauma-informed, youth development lens;
• Compassionate, warm, empathetic;
• A love for working with young people;
• Strong ability to relate to young people, and provide support and encouragement
• Consistent and reliable;
• Values and promotes diversity;
• A belief that change is possible;
• Able to maintain healthy boundaries;
• Able to remain calm during moments of tension and stress.

Technical & Professional Skills:

• Strong written and verbal communication skills;
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail;
• Strong time-management skills;
• Ability to troubleshoot, advocate, and navigate obstacles where there is not always a clear-cut pathway;
• Open to learning how to use and interpret data to inform decision-making;
• Ability to adapt quickly and thoughtfully to ever changing needs of the youth served;
• Valid driver’s license is preferred but not required
• Bilingual in Spanish preferred

Team Process:

• Ability to effectively collaborate in team settings and build relationships with external partners;
• Attend all group supervisions and weekly treatment team meetings

EDUCATION/TRAINING REQUIRED:

• Bachelor’s degree and at least 2 years of working with young people
• Experience working with at-risk or system-involved young people is strongly preferred.

COMPUTER SKILLS REQUIRED:

• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office
• Fluent in OCFS Connections database preferred
• Ability to learn electronic health records, Care4 System, and other software as required.

WORK ENVIRONMENT/PHYSICAL EFFORT:

• Must be willing to be trained in Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI)
• Group Home Setting
• Must be able walk up/down stairs

If you join us, you’ll have these great benefits:

• Generous paid time off in addition to paid agency holidays and 15 sick days
• Affordable and high-quality medical/dental/vision plans 
• Tuition assistance and educational loan forgiveness
• Free continuing education opportunities 
• 403(b) retirement benefits and a pension
• Flexible spending accounts for health and transportation 
• 24/7 Accessible Employee Assistance Program  
• Life and disability insurance 
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion working groups that are available for you to join, including Confronting Structural Racism (COR), Coalition Against Anti-Semitism (CAAS), and the LGBTQ Steering Committee

Who we are:

The Jewish Board delivers innovative, high-quality, and compassionate mental health and social services to over 45,000 New Yorkers each year. We are unique in serving everyone from infants and their families to children, teens, and adults. We are proud to employ and serve people of all religions, races, cultural backgrounds, gender expressions, and sexual orientations. We are committed to building diverse, equitable, and inclusive teams to help support our mission, and we strongly encourage candidates from historically marginalized backgrounds to apply to work with us.

More on Equal Opportunity:

We are an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Salary : $66,300