Peer Mentor

Boys Town • New Orleans, LA

19h

About The Position

The Peer Mentor promotes and elevates youth voice and engagement within child welfare and youth-serving programs. The role serves as a liaison between youth and program leadership by facilitating youth advisory boards and focus groups, participating in administrative reviews, and sharing feedback to improve services and outcomes. The Peer Mentor helps youth identify resources and develop life skills while ensuring their perspectives are represented in program development and evaluation.

The position provides safe and effective services by following safety, boundaries, medication administration, and mandated reporting policies and procedures. It supports youth through referrals and follow-up, regional advisory boards, statewide youth engagement initiatives, and life skills training for youth ages 14–17 in foster care and youth ages 18–21 who are not enrolled in Extended Foster Care. The role also gathers and reports youth feedback to leadership and stakeholders.

The Peer Mentor is expected to model the values and principles of the Boys Town mission. The work may involve stressful situations, frequent interruptions, inappropriate behaviors, and potential verbal or physical threats from youth. The role requires the ability to monitor and participate in activities with youth, and may involve occasional outdoor and frequent indoor environmental conditions.

Requirements

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Must be at least 21 years of age.
• Knowledge of youth development principles and practices, child welfare systems and services, and community resources for youth and young adults.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Presentation and group facilitation skills.
• Active listening and conflict resolution skills.
• Organizational and time management skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.
• Ability to engage and build trust with youth from diverse backgrounds.
• Ability to facilitate discussions and encourage youth participation.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and professional boundaries.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to assess youth needs and connect them with appropriate resources.
• Ability to represent youth perspectives professionally and constructively.
• Sufficient agility and endurance to perform job requirements, including stressful situations, without compromising personal or others' health and well-being.
• Sufficient vision, hearing, speech, and mobility to monitor youth, assist with and perform daily household chores, and participate in activities with youth.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in youth advocacy, mentoring, peer support, child welfare, foster care, or related human services work.
• Experience facilitating groups, trainings, or youth engagement activities.

Responsibilities

• Follow safety and boundary policies, attend assigned safety and abuse risk management training, and follow procedures for high-risk activities and supervision.
• Report suspicious or inappropriate behaviors and policy violations, and comply with mandated abuse reporting requirements.
• Follow policies and procedures for medication administration for service recipients.
• Participate in up to 15 Administrative Reviews per month, or as assigned; take detailed notes, submit documentation to the Administrative Review Coordinator, and provide constructive input when appropriate.
• Offer information, referrals, and resources to youth, and follow up regarding identified needs and available support services.
• Recruit youth participants for regional Youth Advisory Boards and plan, coordinate, and facilitate board meetings and activities.
• Develop leadership opportunities and training initiatives to strengthen youth engagement and advocacy.
• Encourage youth participation in program development and decision-making.
• Collaborate with the Statewide Youth Advisory Board on regional concerns, recommendations, and progress.
• Share youth feedback and recommendations with leadership and stakeholders, and help advance statewide youth engagement initiatives.
• Coordinate and facilitate quarterly regional Youth Focus Groups, document participant feedback, prepare written summaries, and communicate trends, concerns, and recommendations to program leadership.
• Assist with life skills training for youth ages 14–17 in foster care and youth ages 18–21 who are not enrolled in Extended Foster Care.
• Support youth in developing independent living, self-advocacy, education, employment, and community engagement skills.
• Perform other duties as assigned to meet organizational needs and serve as a role model consistent with Boys Town's mission.

Benefits

• Reduced- to no-cost visits for employees and dependents enrolled in medical benefits when services are performed by a Boys Town provider at a Boys Town location.
• Low- to zero-dollar copays on certain maintenance drugs through pharmacy benefits.
• No-cost mental health visits with an in-network provider.
• Generous match on a 401(k) or 401(k) Roth account.
• Tuition reimbursement.
• Parenting resources from Boys Town experts.
• Professional development opportunities.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Education Level: High school or GED