POSITION: Western Regional Youth Partner - The Regional Youth Partners are peer leaders that connect local youth groups, coordinate regional youth advocacy efforts and provide technical assistance on youth-guided practices and peer support.

LOCATION: Applicant must reside in one of the 19 counties in the region. Preferred location Rochester.

STATUS: Full-time salary employee - $30,000+ commensurate on experience, plus benefits package

QUALIFICATIONS:
· Must have personal life experience accessing children's mental health services and be willing to share this information publically. Additional experience with Disability, Foster Care, Addiction, or Juvenile Justice is beneficial.
· Experience as a Youth Peer Advocate strongly preferred
· Bachelor's or Associates Degree preferred but not required
· Must have valid driver's license and reliable transportation
· Must be able to travel

KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/EXPERIENCE:
· Independently motivated
· Excellent coordination and organization skills
· Experience with youth leadership and advocacy
· Experience with peer support preferred
· Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills
· Demonstrated ability to engage with diverse groups
· Demonstrated ability to speak with small and large groups of people
· Experience with various software packages: Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Go-To, Google applications

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Regional Representation

• Establish contacts in the following counties assigned to the Western Region: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Chemung, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Ontario, Orleans, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins, Wayne, Wyoming, Yates
• Network Organized Youth Involvement, Empowerment and Peer support
• Build and sustain a network of groups & councils to collaborate and share information
• Coordinate at least one Regional Youth Forum per year to engage no less than 50 young people.
• Host regional meetings of youth coordinators/advocates/facilitators

Directly Assist & Support Youth Groups and Councils

•  Assist groups in starting up & sustaining
• Attend youth groups & councils to see how they do things, learn from them and provide support and feedback if needed
• Help to set up meetings with service providers & government officials for systems advocacy
• Train and Educate Youth and Adults
• Provide educational and empowerment activities related to YP!'s mission areas
• Provide education on grass-roots organizing and sustainability strategies
• Offer training to adult allies, government entities, agencies and organizations on youth engagement and youth guided services
• Increase Youth Involvement & Advocacy
• Identify youth leaders to participate in regional and local planning councils
• Participate in the regional interagency technical assistance team
• Organize regional youth input for statewide advocacy, as well as helping to increase youth involvement locally and regionally

Additional Obligations

• Develop outreach materials
• Input daily reporting
• Produce a monthly report of job activities
•  Attend statewide staff meetings
• Collaborate with the Office of Mental Health Division of Children and Families regional coordinators, Families Together in New York State chapters, Parent Advisors and New York State Success
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Executive Director of YOUTH POWER!

APPLICATION PROCESS:
Applicants must send a resume with a formal cover letter in order to be considered. Emails and letters must indicate the tile of the position that the applicant is seeking.

Mail to:
YOUTH POWER!
Attn: Management Office
737 Madison Avenue, Albany NY 12208

Email to: employ@youthpowerny.org

Help us share this opportunity!  Click here for the PDF posting.

 

New York State is large, both in size and population. YOUTH POWER! wants to make sure that youth from all over the state have the same access to opportunities to get involved! That's why we have five Regional Teams scattered throughout the state, one in each of the five regions: Long Island, NYC, Hudson River, Central, and Western!

The Transition Age Youth Institute offers professionals and peers working with school age youth the opportunity to enhance knowledge through interactive discussions in critical areas such as CTW & employment, inclusion, life-enrichment, literacy and managed care; reflect and deliberate on the challenges and rewards of innovative designs and youth service delivery models; and share, capture and take back experiences, strategies and informational tools that will successfully move transition services forward.

Deadline for Submissions: Friday, April 1, 2016.

University of YOUTH POWER! (UYP) is a for-youth-by-youth social justice conference that is modeled after a college experience. Young people ages 18 to 30 may register with a major of Peer Advocacy or Systems Advocacy. UYP will take place in Albany New York at the College of Saint Rose.  

UYP16 will include a variety of classes and activities to empower young people and Amplify Our Voices.

On February 15 2015, Systems Advocate Melanie Hecker was inducted into Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities. This elite group recognizes students who excel in campus activities and community service.  It is one of the highest honors a college student can receive. 

YP! Played a huge role in Melanie's induction and was mentioned among the student accomplishments at the induction ceremony held at Hudson Valley Community College.

To be eligible for Who's Who, you must be nominated by college faculty. Then your colleges nominating committee picks those who will be honored. Factors taken into consideration include GPA, participation in school activities, community service, and future leadership potential.

The Peer Leader Support and Development (PLSD) meetings are monthly meetings open to any young adult working as youth advocate throughout the child-serving systems (Mental Health, Juvenile Justice,Education, and Child Welfare). The goal is to provide the youth advocates with the support and resources they need in order to continue to be the best advocates they can be. 

Join us every 1st Friday for more information contact Co Facilators: 

Diana Viglucci , NAMI youth@naminyc.org

Desiree Moore YOUTH POWER! dmoore@youthpowerny.org

Meets bi-weekly @ 4:00pm 

Williamsburg Charter School 

198 Varet , Brookklyn NY11206 

For more information, contact the NYC Regional Youth Partner, Desiree Moore at dmoore@youthpowerny.org.

Families Together in NYS recently hosted their annual Legislative Awareness Day. It is important to be informed of the issues that affect our state systems and hear from the people most affected by these issues. Whether it relates to mental health, addiction, education, foster care, juvenile justice, or any other state system, one needs to know what is going on. It is also important to relay to legislators how you feel about certain issues and why they should care and take action. This is what Legislative Awareness Day is about. People from all over the state come to the Empire State Plaza Convention Center to meet, listen to speakers, and talk with legislators.

This day is one I always look forward to. It is amazing to see families, advocates, youth and lawmakers come together to discuss matters of importance to the state systems that serve so many people. This year's event was bigger and better than ever!

My day started with a legislator visit at Senator Marcellino's office. The topic was Multiple Pathways to a High School Diploma. We met with a staff person of the senator and told him all of the reasons why this issue is so important. There are a lot of diverse students in our education system, but only one way to obtain a high school diploma: the five Regent's exams. The Multiple Pathways to a Diploma Campaign seeks to establish alternatives to the Regents exams such as a portfolio assessment and a career and technical education pathway. We shared with Marcellino's staff the experiences students have had with the current systems and the changes that can be made for improvement. It is very empowering to be able to talk to people with the ability to help make the change you want to see happen. In addition to the Multiple Pathways to a Diploma visits, there were also legislative visits going on about Raise the Age and the heroin crisis.

After the visits came the main program. One of the focuses of this year's speakers was addiction. Addiction affects a large number of people to the point of being an epidemic. While some speakers discussed their loved ones overcoming their addictions, others weren't so lucky and instead spoke on losing their child to addiction. It is hard to imagine having to lose a loved one due to a drug overdose, but it is a harsh reality we have to fight. No matter what to tone of the addiction talk, a message was sent that it is a problem that needs to be addressed. It will take a team effort all across the state to battle addiction and we all have to do our part.

Another common subject was Raise the Age. New York is currently one of only two states that puts 16 and 17 year olds on trial as adults. Because the brains of 16 and 17 year old are still developing, many believe the age should be raised to 18. Speakers spoke on how outcomes would improve if this change were to be made. People have stated that 16 and 17 year olds in adult prisons are more likely to commit crimes again and that being in an adult prison can damage their mental health. We are very close to making Raise the Age a reality.

This year I had the honor of presenting on the topic of Multiple Pathways to a Diploma. With enthusiasm I informed the audience of how the only available graduation pathway offered right now isn't always compatible with student's learning styles. I spoke of the available great alternatives such as a portfolio assessment or a career and technical pathway. It was empowering to be able to express the needs our state's youth to a huge audience, especially one where legislators were present. 

Responsibilities:

Empire State Plaza, Meeting Rooms 2-4

For more information, please contact info@youthpowerny.org