Peer Support Facilitator - Youth wellness Hub (Short Term Contract)

Durham Community Health Centre•Oshawa, ON

8h•CA$51,000 - CA$57,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Peer Support Facilitator will integrate their personal lived experience with youth-centered focus to contribute insight, support, and leadership to services offered by Durham Community Health Centre’s Youth Wellness Hub. Working as a valued member of the Youth Wellness Hub Team, the Peer Support Facilitator will offer peer-based support, advocacy, and system navigation assistance to youth accessing the Hub services. This role is pivotal in fostering a welcoming, safe, and inclusive environment where clients feel empowered and supported. The Peer Support Facilitator will utilize their lived experience to contribute to program development and outreach activities related to YWHO’s Clinical Services, Skills & Well-being Activities and Community Support Services. The Peer Support Facilitator will be responsible for co-creating a welcoming space for youth who access Hub services, attending drop-in activities, as well as one-on-one mentorship. The Peer Support Facilitator brings essential lived experience to inform service delivery, guide program design and facilitation, and help shape the evolution of DCHC’s Youth Wellness Hub.

Requirements

2 year Diploma in Social Services / Mental Health and Addictions or similar
Lived/living experience with mental health or substance use challenges, or experience as part of a marginalized population, is required.
Strong understanding of the needs, challenges, and barriers youth in Durham Region, particularly in relation to healthcare and social service systems.
Minimum 2 years of program planning and delivery experience.
Demonstrated ability to relate to young people accessing services from a peer perspective and can work within an interdisciplinary health care team.
Strong self-awareness, self-care practices and can establish and maintain professional relationships with youth accessing peer services.

Nice To Haves

Peer Support Training Certificate is an asset.

Responsibilities

Engage youth and create a welcoming environment for youth accessing Hub services.
Facilitate support groups focused support for youth, fostering a safe, inclusive space for sharing and peer connection.
Connect with clients on an individual basis, providing one-on-one peer support, offering empathetic listening, guidance, mentorship, and emotional support.
Support youth with the completion of standardized measures to help improve youth outcomes (focus on measurement-based care).
Facilitate social and recreational activities, both within the Hub and (when relevant) community-based outings (e.g. gyms, community centres, etc).
Provide individual mentorship and coaching to youth to navigate mental health system.
Assist in the planning, outreach and development of skills activities and drop-in programming.
Complete documentation of client interactions and timely completion of data entry, case notes and other electronic records as required.
Attend team meetings as required and contribute to integrated care planning for youth.
Participate in community network meetings and support outreach.
Participate in YWHO Provincial Community of Practice. Work from a harm reduction and culturally responsive approach.
Assist clients in accessing healthcare, mental health, and community services related to youth.
Advocate for client needs by building bridges between community members and healthcare services, increasing trust and engagement.
Contribute lived experience to program design and planning, ensuring services are reflective of client needs and community realities.
Participate in ongoing training, supervision, and professional development opportunities to strengthen peer support skills.
Maintain confidentiality and appropriate professional boundaries at all times.
Other duties as assigned.