Health Educator/Youth Advisor

About the role

This is a full-time position providing high-quality sex education to youth, young adults and parents located within Chemung, Steuben, and Tompkins counties. Educators conduct community outreach to raise awareness of PPGNY’s broad range of services and to connect clients to those services. As part of the outreach strategy, the educator will collaborate with other team members to inform, educate and raise awareness about sexual and reproductive health and sexual and reproductive justice related topics. This position is responsible for the oversight and implementation of the Youth Health Promoters program. The Advisor/Health Educator develops programming for participating youth who engage their peers with sexual and reproductive health information and care using a variety of approaches, including workshops, outreach, community engagement, and events. The Advisor/Sexuality Educator will plan and implement the daily operations of the youth development program. Educators provide support and technical assistance for special projects within the Education Department, as well as in partnership with other PPGNY departments and PP affiliates. The role involves travel within the region and New York State about 5% of the time. Flexibility in work schedule is essential; some evenings and weekends are required.

Responsibilities

Education and Enhanced Community Outreach (55%)

• Facilitate evidence-based (EBP) sex education curriculum with fidelity to youth and other approved curricula to youth, young adult and families in accordance with grant and work plan objectives
• Promote and engage in meaningful outreach programs to community members, organizations, parents and professionals in prioritized zip codes in accordance with grant and work plan objectives
• Provide assistance and/or referrals for youth to obtain comprehensive family planning services, health services or other essential support services as identified
• Maintain community relationships by representing PPGNY at community meetings, and engaging professionally with community stakeholders, organizations, youth, parents and professionals
• Participate in regular team meetings and engage in ongoing feedback with supervisor and colleagues

Peer Education Coordination (30%)

• Collaborate with the CAPP Health Educator to recruit and train Youth Health Promoters (YHPs)
• Provide support and oversight for YHPs
• Coordinate, plan, and prepare weekly meetings for YHPs to ensure they are well-trained and provided with opportunities to support their growth and development
• Collaborate with the Education Manager to schedule outreach and education sessions for YHPs and provide onsite support during these events
• Develop strong connections with youth-based agencies and groups (e.g., local schools, homeless shelters, youth serving programs, after school programs, public housing complexes, faith based, etc.)
• Implement multi-dimensional educational, vocational, economic, and recreational opportunities for youth on multiple health and development topics that introduce them to new situations, ideas, and people, and challenge them to build or learn skills
• With YHP involvement, plan events that are youth driven and focused (e.g., film screenings, sex ed trivia/bingo, youth panel events, youth fairs, etc.)

Program Administration (10%)

• Coordinate and schedule requests for programming via phone, email and in-person
• Complete administrative paperwork (timesheets, etc.) related to the Peer Educators
• Collect demographic, monitoring and evaluation data from workshop and training participants; compile data appropriately and prepare submission and periodic reporting
• Complete required CAPP EBP reporting accurately and timely as designated

Other (5%)

• Stay current on research related to sexuality and reproductive health
• Help identify articles to be read by other Education and Training staff
• Perform other educational and experience related duties or projects as outlined by the Education Department’s annual Work Plan or as outlined in grant applications

Special Projects and Additional Duties: This position requires flexibility and adaptability. In response to programmatic and grant-related needs, employees may be assigned additional responsibilities or cross-functional duties to ensure program goals, timelines, and deliverables are met.

Core competencies

• A demonstrated commitment to PPGNY’s mission related to bodily autonomy, health equity, and gender and racial justice
• A demonstrated commitment to learning about and enhancing practices related to racial equity and its impact on healthcare systems
• Strong relationship building and communication skills, including an ability to work and build trust across cultural differences related to race, class, age, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, national origin or ability; and to reflect on one’s personal identity with humility
• Ability to provide compassionate, non-judgmental, medically accurate and culturally responsive education across race, class, age, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, national origin or ability

Required skills

• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
• Strong public speaking and facilitation/teaching skills
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to take initiative and work independently, and be creative and flexible
• Excellent listening and relationship building skills across difference
• Understanding of and adaptability to needs of working with young people
• Understanding of and adaptability to needs of working with community

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree
• One (1) to two (2) years of experience providing direct education to youth, coordinating youth programming/youth groups, and/or managing a community based outreach program for youth preferred
• 1+ years of Positive Youth Development experience
• Experience with communities impacted by adverse health outcomes, knowledge of systemic barriers to sexual reproductive health and wellbeing faced by marginalized communities especially women, LGBTQ, poor/working class and communities of color
• Experience in working with diverse populations and knowledge of sexual and reproductive health
• Analysis of how systemic oppression and racism impacts communities of color
• Access to private transportation is required, with a valid NYS driver’s license, inspection, registration, and adequate insurance
• Ability to work a flexible schedule
• Must have car for travel around region
• Proof of immunization or immunity to certain communicable diseases (including influenza during the flu season and Covid-19) and testing for tuberculosis (required by NYC DOHMH Health Code, NYSDOH and OSHA)

Preferred qualifications

• Experience in public health and/or education
• Bilingual (Spanish/English) preferred but not required

Physical demands

• Requires prolonged sitting and repetitive tasks including use of a computer
• Periodic standing, walking, bending
• Requires lifting or moving of up to 25 pounds of programming or event materials
• Must be able to occasionally walk up and down stairs
• Visual acuity sufficient to perform frequent work on a computer screen and review printed reports and other materials
• Requires the ability to hear and to communicate orally with others
• Routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, and filing cabinets, and will require reaching, grasping