Youth Peer Worker (2024-412-YW) in Toronto, Ontario

Competition: (2024-412-YW) Youth Peer Worker (2024-412-YW)

Employment Type: Part-Time, Bargaining Unit (1 Vacancy)

Work Hours: 21 hours/week – Shifts run anywhere between 11am-7pm on specific days of the week

Work Setting: Onsite – Hybrid Eligible

Salary: F – $24.00 per hour

Application Deadline: November 4, 2024, by 11:59 pm

Program Overview – Slaight Family Foundation, Youth Wellness

As part of a collaborative project between Michael Garron Hospital and WoodGreen Community Services funded by the Slaight Family Foundation, a new community-based service for youth struggling with complex mental health and substance use has been developed, focused on youth ages 16-29 in east Toronto. The peer worker role makes up a core feature of this holistic, collaborative team, working alongside a case manager, two clinical therapists and a psychiatrist. The peer worker actively listens to clients and provides meaningful insights from a place of lived experience  in the areas of addictions and mental health . The candidate will provide social and emotional support as needed, and most importantly, will seek to inspire hope in those that they work with and serve by drawing on their own experience of substance use, mental health and recovery journey . Our peer support workers will offer flexible scheduling, safe, non-judgemental spaces to hold difficult conversations and promote comfort and security in ways that traditional counselling and therapeutic models are not always in a position to provide. Because we honour the importance of lived experience and youth voice as integral to the project, the program will be designed, named, and intermittently reevaluated with the support of young people with lived experience of mental health and substance use through focus groups and advisory committees.

Please note that this is not a traditional case worker role. The incumbent of this role must have previous personal, lived experience of mental health and substance use and have past professional involvement using that experience to support others in their recovery journey.

What You Will Do

• Operates from a critical, trauma-informed lens, including Anti-Black Racism (ABR), Anti-Oppressive practice (AOP), and a demonstrated understanding of colonialism and its intergenerational effects on black, racialized and Indigenous communities

• Interacts and engages with 2SLGBTQIA+ content and communities and helps to support safe and brave spaces for youth from all diverse backgrounds with a stress on equity

• Draws on personal, lived experience of challenges with substance use and mental health to build trust, establish a working relationship and assist in navigating systems in addictions and mental health

• Provides short-term, one-on-one support that is tailored to the individual needs of the client (active listening, coaching, mentoring, sharing, guiding, liaising etc)

• Supports discussion around goal-creation and goal-setting and works across a multi-disciplinary team to assist in actualizing the client’s unique recovery plans

• Assists in establishing bridges, pathways and linkages across WoodGreen and all youth programs and services in Toronto

• Provides information and supports connections to programs, services and supports that are relevant to the specific needs of the client in both mental health and substance use

• Where appropriate, supports the design, development and facilitation of workshops in addiction and mental health through the Youth Wellness Centre on Wednesday and Thursday evenings

• Where appropriate, supports the co-creation of spaces that assist in amplifying youth voices on topics specific to mental health and substance use (focus groups, advisories etc)

• Attends monthly supervisions with management

• Participates in staff meetings and consultations as needed and/or required

• Attends committee meetings to collaborate with agency partners as needed

  What You Bring to the Team

• Bachelor’s degree or Diploma in the health or social services, or a related discipline preferred.

• Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP) certificate, or other peer support training, preferred.

• A personal experience with mental health and/or addiction, and established recovery.

• One-year experience in a peer support role.

  What Will Set You Apart

• Personal experience with mental health and/or addiction, and established recovery.

• Willingness to share their own personal recovery journey

• One-year experience in a peer support role

• Open, willing and comfortable to engage, couch and support individuals who may be experiencing crisis

• Knowledge of systemic issues such as stigma and the isolation felt by individuals with serious mental illness and their families.

• Knowledge of recovery principles (i.e. stages of change) and empowerment-oriented philosophies and practices that support self-determination and independence 

• Demonstrated knowledge of youth mental health and substance use resources and youth community services

• Knowledge of harm reduction principles and activities

• Demonstrated ability to work with diverse populations and to recognize and respond appropriately to the needs of peers/clients/consumers of services

• Demonstrated ability to role-model therapeutic relationships with marginalized populations and work from an anti-oppressive and trauma informed lens

• Ability to establish and maintain rapport with clients

• Ability to observe and recognize changes in clients

• Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing

• Ability to work independently and in cooperation with others

• Ability to use effective interpersonal skills to establish/maintain effective working relationships with coworkers, the public and other agencies.

• Ability to organize and prioritize.

• Demonstrated skill in using computers including using technology-based solutions for service delivery, documentation, and viewing screening and assessment data.

WoodGreen is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to providing an inclusive and barrier-free selection process and work environment. If contacted in relation to an employment opportunity, please advise our People & Culture representatives at careers@woodgreen.org of the accommodation measures required. Information received relating to accommodation will be addressed confidentially.

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