ABOUT B:E
B:E’s mission is to support young people as they imagine and create their own life beyond foster care. Through B:E’s innovative coaching model, youth discover their own potential, take responsibility for their own decisions, and plan their futures with the support of an adult who follows their lead. B:E provides a transformational environment for transition age youth, offering programs that include access to safe housing, educational supports, and coaching in the areas of life skills, health and wellness, and employment training.
B:E’s core values are at the heart of everything we do, and we look for individuals who share our commitments:
• YOUTH-CENTERED: We put youth first.
• EQUITY: We are committed to leveling the playing field.
• TRANSFORMATION: We are agents of change.
• COMMUNITY: We are in this together.
• CONTINUOUS LEARNING: We strive for excellence.
POSITION OVERVIEW
B:E is seeking a YAC (Youth Advisory Council) Coordinator who has excellent organizational skills combined with a youth development and youth leadership mindset. If you love working with young people and a knack for helping to develop their leadership skills, then you might be the perfect fit.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The Youth Advisory Council (YAC) is a cohort of 10-15 youth leaders who promote youth voice, leadership and engagement within the Alameda County juvenile justice system.
The proposed outcomes of the YAC are the following:
• Increase Youth Involvement: Ensure that the perspectives, experiences, and insights of youth directly impacted by the juvenile justice system are incorporated into decision making processes.
• Develop Leadership and Advocacy Skills: Provide a robust framework for youth to develop essential leadership and advocacy skills through training, mentorship, and active participation.
• Serve in an Advisory Capacity: Enable youth to serve as advisors to collaborative partners, contributing valuable input to improve policies, programs, and services within the juvenile justice system.
• Promote Systemic Improvements: Utilize the feedback and recommendations from the YAC to drive continuous improvements in the juvenile justice system, ensuring it better meets the needs and rights of young people.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Program Coordination
• Lead formation and coordination of the Probation Youth Advisory Council, including leading outreach initiatives for recruiting new members into the council.
• Coordinate all aspects of programming by ensuring all program services and workshops
are delivered with fidelity.
• Collaborate with YAC members and oversee the coordination of probation orientations, probation Q&A Panels, Know your Rights workshops, and other workshops as necessary.
• Development and implementation of youth feedback systems to provide insights from justice-impacted youth to inform ACPD programming.
• Coordinate payment for youth incentives to ensure all YAC members receive their quarterly stipends.
• Ensure all data is captured correctly and collaborate with the Director of Impact and Learning to
submit accurate reports reflective
of the program services delivered.
• Establish and maintain ongoing coordination of the YAC leadership committee and coordinate all meetings.
Youth Leadership Training and Development
• Coordinate ongoing leadership development training for YAC members by scheduling and executing multi-day training series and collaborating with external partners to provide training sessions, when necessary.
• Engage in ongoing development and implementation of youth feedback systems to provide insights from justice-impacted youth to inform ACPD
programming.
• Utilize B:E’s CCRW coaching model to coach individual YAC members through their own personal leadership journey.
• Mentor YAC members around their own individual personal and professional development goals.
Community Partnership and Liaising
• Serve as a liaison between Alameda County Probation Department and the Youth Advisory Council.
• Seek out external community organizations that support justice-impacted youth and work to strengthen relationships to build knowledge around resources available to probationary youth.
• Identify opportunities for YAC members to participate in community events and conferences
in order to share their stories with the greater community.
• And other duties as assigned.
QUALIFICATIONS
• Strong commitment to B:E mission with an understanding of the challenges facing current and
former probationary youth.
• Prior experience working with systems-involved youth.
• Personal and/or professional experience in juvenile justice and other systems that impact foster
youth.
• Youth mentoring or coaching experience preferred.
• Workshop curriculum
development and experience developing and facilitating engaging workshops for youth preferred.
• Ability to build collaborative relationships and rapport with a variety of stakeholders, including
staff, youth, and external partner organizations such as the Alameda County Probation Department.
• Strong communication and organizational skills with a positive approach to work.
• Knowledge of restorative justice strategies and in particular experience with Circle-keeping is a plus.
• Proficiency in both English and Spanish verbal and written communication preferred.
• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university in a relevant field preferred.
• Must hold a valid CA driver’s license
YAC - Youth Development Specialist