Youth Peer Advocate - Part Time

City of Stamford•Stamford, CT

About The Position

The Youth Peer Advocate serves as a liaison between the Stamford Prevention Council and its Youth Coalition, helping foster collaboration and ensuring youth perspectives are represented throughout the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) process. The role supports prevention education and community engagement through youth-focused campaigns, outreach, coalition activities, and participation in training and professional development. The advocate helps develop and implement social media, social marketing, public awareness campaigns, and prevention materials for youth, parents, and the broader community. They recruit and engage young people, contribute to focus groups and prevention strategies, build collaborative relationships with community partners, and share youth-related information and perspectives with community stakeholders. The position also involves attending coalition events and serving as a positive youth representative for meaningful youth involvement in prevention efforts.

Requirements

Be 14–18 years of age.
Have familiarity with the Stamford community.
Have an interest in youth leadership, community engagement, and substance use prevention.
Have a basic understanding of prevention or willingness to learn about prevention principles and strategies.
Have strong oral and written communication skills.
Be able to communicate effectively and respectfully with youth and adults.
Have good organizational and time management skills.
Be familiar with and proficient in social media platforms.
Be able to work collaboratively as part of a team.
Be dependable and able to participate in scheduled meetings, training, and community activities.
Be enthusiastic about making a positive difference in the community.
Be comfortable sharing ideas and representing youth perspectives.
Be creative and knowledgeable about ways to engage young people.
Be open-minded and willing to listen to different perspectives.
Be responsible, dependable, and able to follow through on commitments.
Be interested in developing leadership, communication, and prevention skills.

Nice To Haves

Bilingual English/Spanish skills.

Responsibilities

Serve as a liaison between the Stamford Prevention Council and its Youth Coalition, fostering collaboration and ensuring youth perspectives are represented throughout the Strategic Prevention Framework process.
Participate in training on the Strategic Prevention Framework and other relevant prevention topics.
Assist with developing and implementing social media, social marketing, and public awareness campaigns targeting youth, parents, and the broader community.
Help develop prevention messages and materials that are relevant and appealing to young people.
Recruit and engage youth in coalition activities, focus groups, prevention initiatives, and community events.
Participate in youth focus groups and provide input on prevention strategies, programs, messaging, and materials.
Assist with school- and community-based information and awareness campaigns.
Develop collaborative relationships with schools, youth organizations, community groups, and other partners.
Assist with presenting youth-related data, perspectives, and prevention information to community groups, boards, schools, and other stakeholders.
Participate in community awareness events and other coalition-sponsored activities.
Attend prevention trainings, conferences, and professional development opportunities as appropriate.
Serve as a positive youth representative and advocate for meaningful youth involvement in community prevention efforts.
Perform other prevention-related activities consistent with the goals of the Drug-Free Communities Support Program and the Stamford coalition.