Self Determination Coordinator

Young Women's Freedom Center; Oakland (CA); On-site; USD 59,000 - 72,000; Full time

Job summary

The Young Women’s Freedom Center in Oakland is seeking a Self-Determination Coordinator for its Beloved Village program. This full-time role will support youth using peer-based restorative justice, helping identify needs, set goals, and access housing, childcare, education, and other resources.

You will conduct intakes, build relationships with youth in the community, train staff, plan advocacy activities, and coordinate partnerships to fulfill grant goals and site objectives.

Qualifications

• Comfortable and professional interacting with diverse partners, custody staff, students and colleagues of varied backgrounds.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Google Suite.
• Strong organizational skills with ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines.
• Willingness to grow professionally, be accountable, and adapt to changing circumstances.
• Advanced problem-solving and conflict resolution.

Responsibilities

• Building rapport with youth on-site at YWFC and off-site at program locations to ensure access to appropriate support.
• Conduct interviews, assessments, and develop Self-Determined Life Maps with resources for youth.
• Provide orientation and training to new staff, interns and volunteers on leadership programming.
• Plan, facilitate, and oversee Self-Determination Advocacy activities and youth projects.
• Coordinate early career exploration and leadership development, including scholarships, college tours, and mentoring.
• Engage participants as community experts and create leadership-based opportunities within YWFC’s framework.
• Monitor referrals and maintain relationships with external stakeholders and system partners (Probation, Public Defender, schools, etc.).
• Participate in movement, policy and local campaigns; represent the organization publicly as requested.
• Support participants in navigating systems (juvenile justice, foster care, mental health) with advocacy and resources.

Job description

Position: Self-Determination Coordinator

Program: Beloved Village - Oakland

Hours: Full-Time, 40 hours/week

Reports to: Program Manager

Compensation: $31.25/hour

About The Young Women’s Freedom Center

Young Women’s Freedom Center (YWFC) is a leadership and advocacy organization that builds the leadership of directly impacted women, girls, trans people, and gender-expansive young people to transform the systems, policies, and conditions that perpetuate poverty, incarceration, and gender-based violence. Through Beloved Village, YWFC works alongside system-impacted young people and caregivers, combining individualized support, advocacy, healing-centered engagement, and leadership development to help participants strengthen their voice, exercise self-determination, and create change in their lives, families, communities, and the systems that affect them.

The Position

The role of the Self Determination Coordinator is to ensure that youth at YWFC are provided support from a peer-based, restorative justice framework that is culturally grounded, and gender-specific. Additionally, the SD Coordinator ensures that the organization has the proper resources, support, and partners in place to support this work. They are responsible for conducting initial intakes and assessments, working with youth to identify their needs and strengths, assisting them in developing personal and professional goals, and providing support in accessing community resources, such as housing, child care, educational programs, etc. Additionally, this position is responsible for ensuring that all coaching approaches and methods are in line with the organization's mission, vision, values, theory of change, methodology, as well as ensuring that we fulfill grant requirements, and YWFC annual goals and Site goals.

Core Duties

• Building rapport with youth on-site at YWFC and off-site at program locations including juvenile hall, jail, group homes, and county jail, to ensure folks receive the appropriate support through phone calls, snail mail, advocacy letter, and referrals appropriate services
• Conduct interviews, assessments, and develop Self-Determined Life Maps and provide resources for youth onsite at the Center and off-site at program locations including juvenile hall, jail, and group homes, and in the community
• Provide orientation and training to new staff, interns and volunteers who will support leadership programming of YWFC’s guiding principles, methodology, and policy and procedures
• Plan, facilitate, and oversee Self-Determination Advocacy activities, including Culture and Healing Circles and Programs, youth-driven community projects, special events, and other outings
• Coordinate early career exploration and leadership development, including sharing job opportunities, scholarship information, college tours, financial aid workshops, career mentoring, and healing centered opportunities
• Engage participants as community experts and provide leadership based economic opportunities for participants to begin to engage in YWFC’s work as appropriate and as a part of a larger site based strategy
• Monitor referrals and maintain relationships with the staff of external stakeholders and system partners working with participants, including, but not limited to Probation Departments, Public Defender's, community-based agencies, School districts, Social Workers, etc.
• Participate in YWFC’s movement, policy, and local campaign work on an ongoing basis including; participating in strategy and strategy related meetings as necessary, participating in work to advance local campaigns, represent the organization publicly as requested and approved, and participate in coalitions and other community based work as approved/ requested by supervisor
• Support participants in navigating systems (juvenile justice, foster care, mental health, etc.) by providing advocacy, resources, and ongoing support in self-advocacy strategies and education.

Reporting and Evaluation

• Maintain and enter data into appropriate data collection systems for reporting for both city and county, and foundation grant requirements and internal organizational systems/databases in a timely manner
• Maintain weekly program notes and reporting, and collect data pertaining to programmatic goals to contribute to quarterly progress reports
• Oversee all reporting requirements for your respective work plans (monthly reports, data collection, operations reports, Supervision check ins, etc.) and ensure all proper forms are completed, progress is monitored, and data is updated.
• Provide monthly program summaries to the Site Director including quantitative and qualitative data of all programmatic activities, trainings and outcomes pertaining to programmatic goals
• Ensure programs and program activities are evaluated and updated on an ongoing basis and that feedback and findings from evaluations are used to develop, revise, and update programs and activities
• Track participant attendance and engagement, and provide support and accountability to youth around consistent attendance and engaged participation
• Ensure program forms, overviews, flyers, curriculums, and any other significant program data is updated and stored appropriately, in accordance with YWFC’s filing and storage procedures

Requirements

• Deep familiarity in California and local site socio-political landscape and youth service providers, and passionate about youth, community development, issues of youth leadership.
• The person must be comfortable, mature and professional in interacting with diverse community partners, custody staff, students and colleagues with diverse heritage and backgrounds.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills demonstrating the ability to interact effectively with program participants, staff colleagues, board members, external stakeholders, and public speaking events
• Strong organizational skills, ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects simultaneously, and meet and handle multiple deadlines and tasks simultaneously deadlines
• Demonstrated proficiency in Microsoft Office, Google Suitel, and general computer/ internet use.
• Willingness and ability to grow professionally, be accountable, and to expand skills and adapt to evolving organization environments and constantly changing circumstances
• Advanced problem-solving skills; tactfully address and resolve questions/concerns
• Must be able to meet participants in the field and community, and attend external meetings outside of the designated office as an essential function of this role (Driver's License Strongly preferred)