Youth Advocate II

Job Summary

The Youth Advocate II for Hillside Work Scholarship Connection (HWSC) provides support and mentoring services to an assigned caseload of youth in the HWSC program. This position utilizes best practices from education and youth development models to assist students in achieving positive academic outcomes including high school graduation, attaining life skills, and completion of a successful employment experience.

About the Role

• Act as the sole representative at new schools or as a mentor or group leader for new Youth Advocate I staff.
• Participate in projects and additional responsibilities (regular additional caseload of 36-40 students).
• Build, lead, and maintain strong relationships with school principals, administrators, and teachers in the absence of the HWSC Supervisor to ensure program fidelity, continuity, and sustainability.
• Identify and select youth with personal characteristics to become successful participants in the HWSC program.
• Maintain an active caseload of students based on enrollment targets by recruiting new students and retaining existing students.
• Meet regularly with assigned students in the academic environment to review grades, attendance, social skills, and future plans.
• Connect students who do not meet established expectations for GPA and/or core subject grade with tutoring services.
• Teach student strategies for becoming self-sufficient (juggling/balancing school, work, friends planning for college).
• Support the development of good habits by students that enable a successful transition from high school to a variety of pathways post-graduation, including full-time employment, military, 2 or 4 years of college, vocational, or trade school.
• Develop Individualized Graduation Plans (IGPs) for assigned students with family support and use the IGP as a guide to gauge student progress and revise IGPs bi-annually.
• Develop strong relationships with students and their families to understand and/or identify home issues that might impede school, work, and post-secondary success.
• Provide referrals to community support services as necessary.
• Ensure parents and/or guardians are informed of, and in agreement with, the service goals established for their child during monthly family home visits and/or phone calls.
• Partner with core subject teachers and school counselors to ensure assigned students come to class on time and are prepared to learn.
• Lead, coordinate, and facilitate evidence-based course work, service-learning projects, and social-life activities (i.e. pre-employment readiness training, evidence-based course work facilitation, etc.).
• Provide transportation services (using personal vehicle and/or agency vans) for HWSC students attending tutoring services, enrichment activities, and field trips.
• Accurately complete program documentation and reporting on assigned students in the required format and in accordance with required timeframes.
• Input into and create reports from Efforts Towards Outcomes (ETO) as needed.
• Maintain accurate records of own work time and travel information.
• Assist seniors planning to attend college in developing a transition plan and monitor student progress against the plan during weekly meetings, tracks plan progress in ETO.
• Monitor student progress against Academics, Attitude, Attendance (AAA) standards to determine Youth Employment Training Academy (YETA) eligibility.
• Provide support and encouragement to students completing YETA, and the job search process.
• Monitor placement and progress of students employed by an employment partner.
• Partner with the employment and/or college and career team to resolve employment partner challenges/issues.

Essential Job Functions

Employees may be required to perform other duties as assigned.

Education & Experience

• High school diploma or GED required.
• Minimum 3 years of relevant work, volunteer or higher education experience in human services, childhood or youth development, student mentoring, coaching adolescent youth, or related field required.
• OR Associate's Degree in a relevant field and minimum 1 year of relevant experience required.
• OR Bachelor's Degree in a relevant field required and minimum 1 year of relevant experience required.

Special Requirements

• Unrestricted, valid NYS driver’s license for minimum of 1 year with a clean driving record and minimum insurance coverage that meets agency standards.
• Knowledge of and ability to apply services from the school site and community resources.
• Knowledge of and ability to apply theoretical and practical adolescent development and positive youth development and recognize signs and symptoms of students heading at risk (decisions, patterns of behavior, negative peer relationships) and ability to address with appropriate interventions for student.
• Knowledge of and proficiency with software applications and ability to learn new applications (internet, ETO, Parent Connect, Microsoft Office) to track and accurately record all interactions and activities.
• Intermediate group facilitation and project management skills.

Physical Demands & Work Environment

• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• Must be able to work a variable scheduling including evenings and weekends.
• Occasional sitting (up to 4 hours), standing (up to 1 hour), walking (up to 2.5 hours), driving (up to 8 hours), balancing (up to 8 hours), bending, stooping, climbing, kneeling, pushing, pulling, reaching forward or down, reaching overhead, running, and twisting (up to 2.5 hours).
• Lifting up to 50 lbs. (staff may be required to move and lift desks, set up tables, large screens, backdrops, etc.), 10-15 lbs. on a daily basis, carrying up to 55 lbs. approximately 10-100 ft., 10-15 lbs. on a daily basis.
• Manual dexterity is required, including the frequent ability to grasp in both hands and continuous use of fine manipulation skills in both hands (approximately 1-2.5 hrs.).
• Occasional exposure to dust, fumes, gases or chemicals is apparent. Protective clothing or equipment required: Close toed shoes; Protective Shields, Universal Precaution PPE, Gloves for toileting and food preparation.
• Ability to change positions as needed.
• Special Considerations:
• May be required to climb stairs as necessary.
• May be required to transport students to community events or home sites that may occasionally expose employee to cigarette smoke, cleaning supplies, recreational marijuana, pets etc.

Pay

$18.50 Minimum pay rate, $26.00 Maximum pay rate, based on experience.