Youth Advocate II

Hillside Childrens Center•Utica, NY

About The Position

The Youth Advocate II for Hillside Work Scholarship Connection (HWSC) supports and mentors an assigned caseload of youth in the program. The role applies education and youth-development best practices to help students achieve positive academic outcomes, graduate from high school, build life skills, and complete successful employment experiences. The Youth Advocate II also mentors Youth Advocate I staff and may represent the program at new schools or lead new staff.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED and at least 3 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; alternatively, an associate degree in a relevant field and at least 1 year of relevant experience; or a bachelor's degree in a relevant field and at least 1 year of relevant experience.
Unrestricted, valid New York State driver's license held for at least 1 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 responding with appropriate interventions.
Proficiency with software applications and ability to learn new applications, including internet tools, ETO, Parent Connect, and Microsoft Office, to track and accurately record interactions and activities.
Intermediate group-facilitation and project-management skills.
Ability to work a variable schedule, including evenings and weekends.
Ability to drive between multiple work and school sites during a shift.
Ability to meet the physical demands described for the role, including lifting up to 50 pounds and carrying up to 55 pounds.
Ability to change positions as needed.

Responsibilities

Represent HWSC at new schools or serve as a mentor or group leader for new Youth Advocate I staff.
Participate in projects and additional responsibilities, including a regular additional caseload of 36–40 students.
Build and maintain relationships with school principals, administrators, and teachers in the absence of the HWSC Supervisor to support program fidelity, continuity, and sustainability.
Identify and select youth with characteristics suited to success in the HWSC program.
Maintain an active caseload by recruiting students and retaining existing 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, friendships, and college planning, and for becoming self-sufficient.
Help students develop habits that support transition after high school to employment, military service, college, vocational school, or trade school.
Develop Individualized Graduation Plans (IGPs) with students and family support, use them to assess progress, and revise them twice a year.
Build relationships with students and families to identify home issues that may impede school, work, or post-secondary success, and refer families to community support services as needed.
Keep parents and guardians informed of and in agreement with service goals through monthly home visits and/or phone calls.
Partner with core-subject teachers and school counselors to help students arrive on time and prepared to learn.
Lead, coordinate, and facilitate evidence-based coursework, service-learning projects, and social-life activities, including pre-employment readiness training.
Transport students using a personal vehicle and/or agency vans to tutoring, enrichment activities, and field trips.
Complete program documentation and student reports accurately, in the required format and within required timeframes.
Enter information into Efforts Towards Outcomes (ETO) and create reports from it as needed.
Maintain accurate records of work time and travel.
Help college-bound seniors 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 with students’ guidance counselors, including FAFSA, SAT/ACT and/or Accuplacer testing, college applications, workforce preparation, and job placement.
Monitor student progress against Academics, Attitude, Attendance (AAA) standards to determine Youth Employment Training Academy (YETA) eligibility.
Support and encourage students completing YETA and the job-search process.
Monitor the placement and progress of students employed by an employment partner.
Partner with employment and/or college and career teams to resolve challenges involving employment partners.
Perform other duties as assigned.