Youth Advocate I

Hillside Childrens Center•Syracuse, NY

25d

About The Position

The Youth Advocate I for Hillside Work Scholarship Connection (HWSC) provides support and mentoring to an assigned caseload of students. Using education and youth-development best practices, the advocate helps students achieve positive academic outcomes, graduate from high school, develop life skills, and complete successful employment experiences. The role works with students, families, schools, community resources, and employment or college-and-career partners to support students’ progress and post-graduation plans. The position requires travel among multiple work and school sites, including transporting students in a personal vehicle and/or agency vans. Scheduling may vary and include evenings and weekends. Employees may also be assigned other duties. The listed pay range is $18.50 to $22.00 per hour based on experience; a higher rate may be considered for highly experienced candidates. A $1,500 sign-on bonus is offered.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED, plus at least two years of relevant work, volunteer, or higher-education experience in human services, childhood or youth development, student mentoring, adolescent-youth coaching, or a related field; OR an associate degree in a relevant field plus at least one year of relevant experience; OR a bachelor's degree in a relevant field.
Unrestricted, valid New York State driver's license held for at least one year, a clean driving record, and minimum insurance coverage meeting agency standards.
Knowledge of and ability to apply services available through school sites and community resources.
Knowledge of adolescent development and positive youth development, including recognizing signs that students may be at risk and addressing them with appropriate interventions.
Proficiency with software applications and ability to learn new applications, including internet tools, ETO, Parent Connect, and Microsoft Office, to accurately track and record interactions and activities.
Basic group-facilitation skills.
Ability to work a variable schedule, including evenings and weekends, and drive between multiple work and school sites during a shift.
Ability to meet the stated physical demands, including lifting up to 50 pounds and carrying up to 55 pounds.
Ability to use required protective clothing or equipment, including close-toed shoes, protective shields, universal-precaution PPE, and gloves for toileting and food preparation.

Responsibilities

Assist in identifying and selecting youth suited to participate in the HWSC program.
Maintain an active caseload by recruiting new students and retaining current participants in line with enrollment targets.
Meet regularly with students at school to review grades, attendance, social skills, and future plans.
Connect students who do not meet GPA or core-subject grade expectations with tutoring services.
Teach students strategies for balancing school, work, relationships, and college planning, and developing self-sufficiency.
Help students build habits that support transitions after high school, including to employment, military service, college, vocational school, or trade school.
Develop Individualized Graduation Plans with students and family support, monitor progress, and revise plans twice yearly.
Build relationships with students and families to identify home issues that could affect school, work, or post-secondary success, and make community-service referrals as needed.
Keep parents or guardians informed of and in agreement with service goals through monthly home visits and/or phone calls.
Partner with teachers and school counselors to help students arrive on time and prepared to learn.
Facilitate evidence-based coursework, service-learning projects, and social-life activities, including pre-employment readiness training.
Transport students to tutoring, enrichment activities, and field trips using a personal vehicle and/or agency vans.
Complete required student documentation and reports accurately and on time; enter information into and create reports from Efforts Toward Outcomes (ETO) as needed.
Maintain accurate records of work time and travel.
Help seniors planning to attend college develop transition plans, monitor progress in weekly meetings, and track progress in ETO.
Apply state and local high school graduation requirements and post-secondary planning processes in coordination with students’ guidance counselors, including financial aid applications, SAT/ACT and/or Accuplacer testing, college applications, workforce preparation, and job placement.
Monitor student progress against Academic, Attitude, and Attendance standards to determine Youth Employment Training Academy eligibility.
Encourage and support students completing YETA and the job-search process.
Monitor the placement and progress of students employed by employment partners.
Partner with employment and/or college-and-career teams to address employment-partner challenges.
Perform other duties as assigned.