Street Outreach and Community Youth Programming Specialist

Midwest Youth Services•Jacksonville, IL

4d•Onsite

About The Position

Midwest Youth Services is seeking an energetic, innovative, and relationship-driven professional to assist in developing, implementing, and delivering a proactive, community-based street outreach model for youth who may be at risk, underserved, or disconnected from traditional support systems. The specialist represents the agency through direct engagement, relationship-building, and creative programming, connecting young people with positive opportunities, supportive relationships, and available resources. The position identifies places and opportunities where youth naturally gather, develops youth-centered engagement strategies and activities, and builds relationships with community partners to strengthen outreach and access to services. It also supports prevention and educational programming, collaborates with other agency programs, maintains records and reports program data, and follows agency policies, safety procedures, confidentiality requirements, and professional boundaries. This is a primarily community-based role based in Jacksonville, Illinois, with regular travel throughout the agency’s eight-county service region. The schedule requires flexibility, including occasional evenings and weekends, to reach youth in community settings.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in social work, human services, psychology, sociology, criminal justice, education, community development, or a related field.
Strong interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
Demonstrated ability to establish rapport and build positive relationships with youth from diverse backgrounds and experiences.
Ability to work effectively as part of a team and independently carry out assigned responsibilities.
Strong problem-solving skills, sound judgment, adaptability, and ability to respond appropriately to changing community environments.
Creativity, initiative, and enthusiasm for developing engaging youth-centered activities and outreach strategies.
Passion for working with youth, strengthening families, and supporting community development.
Ability to maintain professional boundaries and follow established safety procedures.
Ability to represent the agency professionally and communicate its mission and services effectively.
Basic computer proficiency, including electronic documentation and reporting.
Valid driver’s license and ability to travel throughout the agency’s service region.
Ability to work occasional evenings, weekends, and nontraditional hours.
Professionalism, flexibility, sound judgment, cultural responsiveness, and commitment to safe and appropriate outreach practices.

Nice To Haves

Experience working directly with at-risk youth, underserved populations, or community-based programs.
Experience in street outreach, youth engagement, mentoring, prevention, or direct service programming.
Familiarity with trauma-informed care, positive youth development, and strengths-based engagement practices.
Experience developing or implementing youth-centered activities, outreach initiatives, or community programming.
Knowledge of community resources and barriers affecting youth and families.
Experience establishing collaborative relationships with community organizations or service providers.

Responsibilities

Assist in developing, implementing, and maintaining a structured street outreach service delivery model throughout the agency’s designated service region.
Identify community locations, gathering spaces, events, and other environments where youth may benefit from direct outreach and engagement.
Conduct proactive outreach to youth experiencing risk factors, barriers to services, or limited access to positive community supports.
Develop effective approaches to reaching youth who may not engage with traditional service providers, and build appropriate, professional, trusting relationships through consistent engagement.
Provide youth with information about agency programs, community resources, services, and opportunities for positive involvement.
Identify emerging youth needs, trends, and barriers to engagement, and help adapt outreach strategies.
Work with supervisory staff to align outreach with agency priorities, contractual requirements, and program objectives.
Develop, coordinate, and facilitate creative, youth-centered activities, including informal educational, recreational, and skill-building opportunities.
Promote youth leadership, positive peer interaction, healthy decision-making, personal development, and connections to supportive adults and resources.
Adapt programming to the interests and needs of youth in the communities served; assist youth and families in connecting with agency programs and community resources.
Represent Midwest Youth Services professionally and maintain a visible, consistent agency presence in community settings.
Engage youth, families, organizations, businesses, and other stakeholders; develop and maintain partnerships that support youth engagement and access to resources.
Represent the agency at community events, youth activities, collaborative meetings, and other outreach opportunities; identify ways to increase agency visibility and expand youth engagement.
Follow agency safety procedures, remain aware of surroundings and potential risks, use sound judgment about outreach settings and activities, and coordinate activities with supervisory staff.
Recognize situations requiring additional support, crisis intervention, or referral; promptly communicate safety concerns, incidents, and emerging risks to supervisors.
Maintain professional boundaries, confidentiality, and ethical standards in interactions with youth and community members.
Collaborate with the Community Prevention & Education Specialist on educational programming, awareness initiatives, community events, prevention activities, presentations, and resource sharing.
Work with other agency programs to coordinate outreach and connect youth with available services; participate in agency events and special initiatives.
Maintain accurate records of outreach activities, youth contacts, community engagement, resource distribution, referrals, and program participation.
Track program outcomes, engagement trends, and progress toward assigned objectives; collect and report required data in accordance with agency policies and contractual obligations.
Communicate with supervisors about outreach activities, program progress, challenges, and improvement opportunities; participate in planning, staff meetings, training, and professional development.
Follow agency policies and procedures and perform additional duties as assigned to support programming and operational needs.