LGBTQ Youth Outreach Worker – Violence Recovery Program

Fenway Health’s Violence Recovery Program (VRP) provides counseling, support groups, advocacy, and referral services to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and queer (LGBTQ) clients who have experienced recent anti-LGBTQ bias crime, partner abuse/​domestic violence, sexual assault and police misconduct.​  The VRP also offers training and education to community groups and professionals about violence issues.​

This new position is part of the VRP’s newly launched Youth Empowered Project, made possible by funding from the Youth at Risk grant through the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.​  The Youth Empowered Project (YEP) will allow the VRP to expand services to transitional age youth (ages 16 to 24).​ Utilizing a harm-reduction, trauma-informed model that incorporates the strengths-focused tenets of positive youth development, YEP will outreach to LGBTQ youth who have experienced recent violence to provide trauma-informed education, support, advocacy, and access to clinical services.​  For the first two years of the grant, expansion will focus on building VRP capacity to serve young adults, ages 18 to 24 in preparation to extend outreach and services to minors as well.​ 

Apply on Monster.com  – Youth Outreach Worker [Job ID #504]

The YEP Youth Outreach Worker will be the primary liaison between the VRP and state and community based youth-focused organizations.​  The Youth Outreach Worker will target high risk youth in venues where they congregate or where they seek other supports and services.​  Engagement of youth may be done through the delivery of workshops, groups, events and activities focused on education and empowerment in response to trauma.​  The Youth Outreach Worker may also engage youth individually through supportive counseling and/​or advocacy.​  Individual services will include safety planning, facilitating access to basic needs and services, coordinating care with other providers, and advocating with clients to navigate the legal and criminal justice systems, including court accompaniment.​  The Youth Outreach Worker will refer individual clients to trauma-informed counseling or therapy at the Sidney Borum Health Center (The Borum), the VRP and Fenway’s Behavioral Health Department.​  The Youth Outreach Worker will often be in the field, networking and conducting outreach.​  When not in the field, the Youth Outreach Worker will be based mostly out of The Borum (75 Kneeland Street, Boston), also spending part of each week at the main VRP site (1340 Boylston Street, Boston).​  While at The Borum, The Youth Outreach Worker will serve as a resource to staff, providing consultation and free on-site, intervention, including one-time or on-going services to LGBTQ clients who disclose current or recent violence.​

Additional duties will include the following: collaborating with partnering agencies and community groups to develop public awareness campaigns; creating and distributing outreach materials; leading and maintaining social media efforts; developing and maintaining a referral network of service providers; and training and educating students, advocates, professionals and community groups about LGBTQ youth violence issues.​

Note: Applications or resumes submitted without a cover letter will not be considered.​

Qualifications:

·         Bachelor’s degree required.​

·         Experience working/​advocating within or on behalf of LGBTQ communities required.​

·         Experience working with transitional age youth required.​

·         Strong public speaking skills required, along with experience in creating and conducting groups, trainings and activity-based workshops.​

·         Experience in advocacy and direct service with survivors of violence strongly preferred.​

·         Knowledge of the legal and criminal justice systems preferred.​

·         Experience with and commitment to working with people from a range of diverse backgrounds, cultures, identities and lived experiences required.​

·         Flexibility with work schedule required.​

·         Fluency in Spanish ideal.​

When applying for this position, please reference the job title and job ID #504

Fenway Health is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer.​ Fenway Health is strongly committed to diversity and inclusion, and encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, national origin, sexual orientation or identification, age, marital status, disability or veteran status, or to other non-work-related factors.​