Self-Determination Coordinator

Young Women's Freedom Center; Oakland (CA); On-site; USD 37,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

The Young Women’s Freedom Center in Oakland is seeking a Self-Determination Coordinator for the Beloved Village program. This full-time role (40 hours/week) reports to the Program Manager and offers compensation of $31.25/hour.

The position entails direct coaching, advocacy, and coordinated services to empower youth and caregivers while strengthening their self-determination. You will lead activities, help navigate juvenile justice and related systems, and maintain rigorous documentation.

Qualifications

• 1–3 years of direct experience working with system-impacted young people, caregivers, or families in a community-based, youth development, advocacy, or related setting.
• Experience providing individualized coaching, case management, resource navigation, advocacy, or other direct support.
• Experience facilitating structured group programming, healing-centered activities, or leadership development opportunities.
• Ability to build authentic relationships while maintaining clear professional boundaries.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate multiple responsibilities while maintaining strong documentation, participant data, case notes, reporting systems, organization, and follow-through.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and comfort with digital tools and spreadsheets.
• Ability to collaborate with youth, caregivers, colleagues, community partners, and public systems; experience with probation, courts, foster care, behavioral health, or schools preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide services required to implement each child’s or non-minor dependent’s Needs and Services Plan, including conducting interviews and assessments, developing Self-Determined Life Maps, and connecting youth and caregivers to appropriate resources.
• Build authentic, consistent relationships with youth and caregivers at the Center, in the community, and at program locations, including juvenile hall, county jail, group homes, and other facilities. Maintain engagement through phone calls, mail, advocacy letters, referrals, and individualized support.
• Plan, facilitate, and coordinate Self-Determination Advocacy activities, including Culture and Healing Circles, structured programming, youth-driven community projects, special events, and outings.
• Coordinate career exploration, education, healing-centered opportunities, economic opportunities, and leadership development, including employment and scholarship information, college tours, financial aid workshops, and career mentoring.
• Engage participants as community experts and collaborate with program staff to prepare youth and caregivers for leadership roles in Beloved Village’s organizing, advocacy, movement, policy, and local campaign work.
• Support participants in navigating juvenile justice, foster care, behavioral health, education, and other systems through advocacy, referrals, resources, self-advocacy strategies, and ongoing coordination with community and system partners.
• Participate in team meetings and collaborate with colleagues, caregivers, service providers, and external partners to coordinate holistic support and strengthen participant support strategies.
• Maintain timely and accurate case notes, program notes, attendance and engagement records, participant data, required forms, curricula, flyers, and other program materials in accordance with organizational documentation and storage procedures.
• Complete all reporting requirements for assigned work plans, including data collection, operations reports, supervision check-ins, and monthly program summaries reflecting quantitative and qualitative activities, outcomes, and progress toward goals.
• Use participant feedback, evaluation findings, and program data to strengthen programming, address gaps, and support consistent attendance and engaged participation among youth and caregivers.
• Participate in organizational events, staff meetings, trainings, professional development, and special projects; respond to correspondence in a timely manner; and embody YWFC’s values of Sisterhood/Siblinghood, Self-Determination, Social Justice, and Spirituality.

Skills

Relationship-building

Documentation

Coaching

Communication

Organization

Education

Associates or Bachelor's degree (not required)

Tools

Spreadsheets

MS-Office

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.

Position Overview

The Self-Determination Coordinator is grounded in Beloved Village’s approach to personal and structural transformation and YWFC’s guiding principles of Sisterhood/Siblinghood, Self-Determination, Spirituality, and Social Justice. The Coordinator ensures that participants have the space, resources, access, and advocacy needed to support their healing and strengthen their power and voice as they navigate the systems and conditions that impact their lives. This role provides direct coaching, systems navigation, advocacy, leadership development, and program coordination in alignment with YWFC’s mission, vision, values, Theory of Change, methodology, grant requirements, annual goals, and site goals. The position carries a caseload of both youth and caregivers and includes Parent Navigator duties.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide services required to implement each child’s or non-minor dependent’s Needs and Services Plan, including conducting interviews and assessments, developing Self-Determined Life Maps, and connecting youth and caregivers to appropriate resources.
• Build authentic, consistent relationships with youth and caregivers at the Center, in the community, and at program locations, including juvenile hall, county jail, group homes, and other facilities. Maintain engagement through phone calls, mail, advocacy letters, referrals, and individualized support.
• Plan, facilitate, and coordinate Self-Determination Advocacy activities, including Culture and Healing Circles, structured programming, youth-driven community projects, special events, and outings.
• Coordinate career exploration, education, healing-centered opportunities, economic opportunities, and leadership development, including employment and scholarship information, college tours, financial aid workshops, and career mentoring.
• Engage participants as community experts and collaborate with program staff to prepare youth and caregivers for leadership roles in Beloved Village’s organizing, advocacy, movement, policy, and local campaign work.
• Support participants in navigating juvenile justice, foster care, behavioral health, education, and other systems through advocacy, referrals, resources, self-advocacy strategies, and ongoing coordination with community and system partners.
• Participate in team meetings and collaborate with colleagues, caregivers, service providers, and external partners to coordinate holistic support and strengthen participant support strategies.
• Maintain timely and accurate case notes, program notes, attendance and engagement records, participant data, required forms, curricula, flyers, and other program materials in accordance with organizational documentation and storage procedures.
• Complete all reporting requirements for assigned work plans, including data collection, operations reports, supervision check-ins, and monthly program summaries reflecting quantitative and qualitative activities, outcomes, and progress toward goals.
• Use participant feedback, evaluation findings, and program data to strengthen programming, address gaps, and support consistent attendance and engaged participation among youth and caregivers.
• Participate in organizational events, staff meetings, trainings, professional development, and special projects; respond to correspondence in a timely manner; and embody YWFC’s values of Sisterhood/Siblinghood, Self-Determination, Social Justice, and Spirituality.

Qualifications

Young Women’s Freedom Center prioritizes the leadership and lived experience of cis and trans women and girls, trans men and boys, and gender-expansive youth of color impacted by incarceration, foster care, gender-based violence, and poverty. Lived experience is deeply valued.

This role also requires demonstrated relationship-building, coordination, and direct service capacity.

• 1–3 years of direct experience working with system-impacted young people, caregivers, or families in a community-based, youth development, advocacy, or related setting.
• Experience providing individualized coaching, case management, resource navigation, advocacy, or other direct support.
• Experience facilitating structured group programming, healing-centered activities, or leadership development opportunities.
• Ability to build authentic relationships while maintaining clear professional boundaries.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate multiple responsibilities while maintaining strong documentation, participant data, case notes, reporting systems, organization, and follow-through.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and comfort with digital tools and spreadsheets.
• Ability to collaborate with youth, caregivers, colleagues, community partners, and public systems; experience with probation, courts, foster care, behavioral health, or schools preferred.

Education & Equivalent Experience

We value multiple pathways to leadership. Lived experience, community leadership, and professional development are meaningful foundations for this work. An associate’s or bachelor’s degree in a related field may strengthen a candidate’s application but is not required. All candidates must demonstrate the applied skills necessary to support youth and caregivers, coordinate services and programming, maintain documentation and reporting systems, and uphold strong standards of accountability and professionalism.