Community Prevention and Education Specialist

Midwest-Youth-Services; Jacksonville (IL); In loco; USD 42.000 - 62.000; Tempo pieno

Descrizione del lavoro

Midwest Youth Services is seeking a Community Prevention & Education Specialist for a full-time role in Jacksonville, IL, with travel across the service region. The position develops and delivers prevention and educational programs to youth and families, engaging schools and community partners.

The ideal candidate has a Bachelor’s degree in a related field and strong communication skills, with the ability to plan, present, and evaluate activities. Some evenings and weekends may be required.

Competenze

• Bachelor's degree required in social work, human services, education, psychology, sociology, public health, communications, or a related field.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including engaging youth, families, professionals, and community audiences.
• Ability to work as part of a team while independently managing responsibilities.
• Strong organizational, time-management, and problem-solving skills.
• Creativity and enthusiasm for developing engaging educational activities and community programming.
• Genuine passion for working with youth, families, and community partners.
• Ability to represent the agency professionally and communicate its mission and services.
• Valid driver's license and ability to travel throughout the agency's service region.

Mansioni

• Develop, coordinate, and deliver age-appropriate prevention and educational programming for youth, families, and community groups.
• Identify relevant topics and community needs to guide educational activities and awareness initiatives.
• Plan and facilitate educational presentations, workshops, and other prevention-based learning opportunities.
• Coordinate programming related to national awareness months and community initiatives.
• Evaluate programming and identify opportunities to improve participation and effectiveness.
• Represent Midwest Youth Services at community events and build partnerships with stakeholders.
• Maintain accurate records of activities, attendance, and outcomes.
• Support outreach and collaboration with other agency programs.

Conoscenze

Verbal and written communication

Team collaboration

Organizational skills

Problem-solving

Creativity

Public speaking

Driver's license and travel

Formazione

Bachelor's degree in social work, human services, education, psychology, sociology, public health, communications

Strumenti

Microsoft Office

Electronic documentation tools

Presentation tools

Descrizione del lavoro

Community Prevention & Education Specialist – FT Position

Department: Outreach & Community Youth Programming
Reports To: Senior Outreach and Community Development Coordinator
Location: Jacksonville, Illinois, with travel throughout the agency's service region
Education Requirement: Bachelor's Degree Required

Position Summary

Midwest Youth Services is seeking a motivated, creative, and community-minded professional to serve as our Community Prevention & Education Specialist. This position is responsible for developing, coordinating, and delivering prevention and educational programming designed to increase awareness, promote positive youth development, and connect youth and families with meaningful resources and opportunities.

The Community Prevention & Education Specialist will play an important role in representing Midwest Youth Services throughout the communities we serve. This individual will actively engage youth, families, schools, community organizations, and other stakeholders to build relationships, strengthen community partnerships, and increase awareness of the agency's programs and services.

This position requires creativity, initiative, strong communication skills, and the ability to develop engaging educational and awareness opportunities that respond to emerging youth-centered topics, community needs, and awareness initiatives. The ideal candidate will be passionate about working with youth and families, comfortable interacting with diverse audiences, and committed to promoting the mission and values of Midwest Youth Services.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Prevention & Educational Programming

• Develop, coordinate, and deliver age-appropriate prevention and educational programming for youth, families, and community groups.
• Identify relevant youth-centered topics, emerging trends, risk factors, and community needs to guide educational activities and awareness initiatives.
• Plan and facilitate educational presentations, workshops, interactive activities, and other prevention-based learning opportunities.
• Develop creative educational materials and activities addressing topics such as healthy decision-making, personal safety, positive relationships, life skills, risk reduction, youth development, and available community resources.
• Coordinate programming and awareness activities related to national awareness months, community initiatives, and other youth- and family-centered topics.
• Evaluate programming activities and identify opportunities to improve participation, relevance, and effectiveness.

Community Engagement & Agency Representation

• Serve as a positive, professional, and visible representative of Midwest Youth Services throughout the agency's service region.
• Actively engage youth, families, schools, community organizations, and other stakeholders to increase awareness of agency services and resources.
• Represent the agency at community events, resource fairs, school activities, collaborative meetings, and other appropriate engagement opportunities.
• Develop and maintain positive working relationships with community partners to support prevention, education, and youth engagement initiatives.
• Identify opportunities to expand the agency's community presence, strengthen partnerships, and increase access to programming.
• Communicate agency programs, resources, and services accurately and professionally while promoting the agency's mission and values.

Outreach & Collaborative Programming

• Collaborate with the Street Outreach & Community Youth Programming Specialist to support outreach activities and community-based youth engagement.
• Assist with street outreach initiatives, resource sharing, and direct community engagement as needed.
• Support the planning and implementation of agency-sponsored events, youth activities, and community initiatives.
• Work collaboratively with other agency programs to promote coordinated services and appropriate connections to available resources.
• Contribute creative ideas and strategies to enhance outreach efforts and expand community participation.

Program Documentation & Accountability

• Maintain accurate records of educational activities, outreach efforts, attendance, community contacts, and program outcomes.
• Assist with collecting and reporting information necessary to meet agency goals and applicable contractual requirements.
• Monitor assigned programming objectives and communicate progress, challenges, and opportunities for improvement to supervisory staff.
• Participate in program planning, staff meetings, training, and professional development opportunities.
• Follow agency policies and procedures, including confidentiality, professional boundaries, and ethical standards.
• Perform additional duties as assigned to support agency programming and operational needs.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required in social work, human services, education, psychology, sociology, public health, communications, or a related field.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to engage youth, families, professionals, and community audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively as part of a team while independently managing assigned responsibilities.
• Strong organizational, time-management, and problem-solving skills.
• Creativity, initiative, and enthusiasm for developing engaging educational activities and community programming.
• Genuine passion for working with youth, families, and community partners.
• Ability to build and maintain positive professional relationships with diverse populations.
• Ability to represent the agency professionally and communicate its mission and services effectively.
• Basic computer proficiency, including electronic documentation and presentation tools.
• Valid driver's license and ability to travel throughout the agency's service region.
• Ability to work occasional evenings, weekends, and nontraditional hours to accommodate community events and programming.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in prevention education, youth development, community outreach, or public education.
• Experience facilitating workshops, group activities, or community presentations.
• Familiarity with trauma-informed practices, positive youth development, and strengths-based approaches.
• Experience planning community events, awareness campaigns, or educational initiatives.
• Knowledge of community resources and issues affecting youth and families.

Work Environment & Expectations

This position involves a combination of office-based planning, community engagement, educational programming, and participation in outreach activities. Regular travel throughout Midwest Youth Services' eight-county service region is expected.

Occasional evening and weekend hours may be required to accommodate community events, school activities, and other programming opportunities.

The employee must demonstrate professionalism, adaptability, initiative, cultural responsiveness, and a commitment to representing Midwest Youth Services positively throughout the communities served.

Community Representation & Professional Expectations

As a representative of Midwest Youth Services, the employee is expected to promote the agency's mission, maintain positive relationships with community members and partners, and demonstrate professionalism in all interactions. The employee should actively seek opportunities to engage youth and families, expand community awareness, and contribute to a collaborative, supportive work environment.