Refugee Youth Mentorship Program Specialist

Job Overview: The vision of the IRC Washington's Youth and Education Department is for youth from refugee and immigrant backgrounds to have the skills and resources necessary to pursue a future of opportunity. The Youth Program works towards this vision by providing educational and enrichment opportunities to help school-aged and young adult youth from refugee and immigrant backgrounds catch up on their education, accelerate English proficiency, plan and prepare for post-secondary education and career, and build positive relationships in the school and community.

The RYMP Specialist will partner with eligible newcomers between the ages of 18-24 years old, as they develop the skills, resources, and knowledge to pursue opportunities and set goals for their future. As part of the Refugee Youth Mentoring Program (RYMP), the Specialist will provide culturally and linguistically-appropriate services geared to support progress and goal-setting around education, vocation, and systems navigation. Duties include and are not limited to: supporting participants in individualized sessions, developing opportunities for participants to benefit additionally from volunteer community mentors, as well as developing resources over time to strengthen the broader secondary programs that support older youth as well.

This position is Limited term till September 30, 2024.The grant may be renewed.

Major Responsibilities:

Coaching and Support for Youth Mentorship Program

• Create safe and healing learning spaces and build supportive relationships with newcomer youth utilizing a healing-focused, trauma-informed, youth-centered and culturally-responsive approach that promotes positive cultural identity, celebration of diversity, and is continually working towards equity and anti-racism in education
• Provide coaching through the understanding and lens of the unique background and experiences newcomer youth may have as a result of arriving to the US sometime within the past five years
• Conduct creative outreach, recruitment, and intake/onboarding processes for eligible newcomer Youth
• In partnership with enrolled youth, create individualized service plans and program goals for each participant, centered on youth voice and choice, using a strengths-based approach
• Provide ongoing and regular individualized case management and coaching services to eligible participants upon enrollment in the mentorship program, with a focus on education, vocational/career readiness, and systems navigation
• Complete regular case notes, service plan updates, and documentation to support quarterly reporting requirements

Program Design

• Develop creative and intentional processes to engage volunteer community mentors, who will also support the youth participants; this includes but is not limited to recruitment, onboarding, dialogue and trainings on cultural responsiveness and trauma-informed approaches, intentional matching of participants to a mentor, as well as monitoring and support of the mentor-mentee relationship under formalized guidelines and safeguarding measures
• Plan and design feasible group opportunities for visits or exposure to vocational, technical, or educational programs, in accordance with guidance around COVID-19 (field trips, college visits, virtual or in-person college and career panel discussions). Consider broadening opportunities to IRC participants in various programs
• Collaborate and exchange ideas and resources with the RYMP Specialist for Afghan Youth
• Alongside the RYMP Specialist for Afghan Youth, create topics and content for quarterly social and civic engagement opportunities for mentees

Resource Development

• Build and maintain ongoing knowledge of college and career pathways, including alternative high school completion programs, ELL programs, technical high schools, colleges, application processes, financial aid options and requirements, and other unique college and career programs for eligible newcomer youth
• Research and build knowledge of available services and programs offered within the IRC, King and Pierce Counties, community colleges, universities, partner agencies, and social service providers, in order to make referrals and connect youth and families to additional programs and services, as needed.

General

• Participate in all program meetings, staff development activities, and fully engage as a member of the IRC team
• Comply with all policies, procedures, and protocols of the agency
• Other related duties as assigned

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: Program Coordinator for Youth Success Programs
Position directly supervises: Volunteers and Interns
Other Internal and/or external contacts:

Internal: Resettlement Department, Development Team, Youth and Education Department, New Roots Department, Health Empowerment Program, Survivor Services Program, Economic Empowerment Program, Early Employment Department, Immigration Program, and other IRC departments

External: Community-based organizations, colleges and universities, employment agencies, families

Qualifications

• Relevant professional and lived experience working alongside refugee or immigrant youth and communities
• Written and spoken Fluency in a predominant language of local client base desired (examples include but are not limited to: Dari, Pashto, Ukrainian, Arabic, Somali, Swahili, Kinyarwanda, or Spanish)
• Professional proficiency in English required
• Reliable, professional, resourceful, team-oriented and sensitive to cultural differences
• Understanding of or ability to quickly learn about the unique challenges and opportunities of Afghan and Ukrainian youth who have arrived in the U.S. in the past couple of years
• Experience working with multilingual learners with limited English proficiency
• Cross-cultural experience; connection and experience connecting with communities from refugee and/or immigrant backgrounds
• Relevant experience related to areas such as case management, social work, youth development, economic empowerment, mentoring, college/career coaching
• Knowledge and experience with college and career systems navigation and alternative high school pathways for English language learners desirable
• Commitment to anti-racism and continual learning and growth, and implementing anti-racist mentorship
• Flexible and adaptable - able to quickly problem solve and change plans and activities according to participant/ team need or unexpected circumstances
• Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills. Ability to work well with people of diverse cultural backgrounds
• Ability to work well independently and as part of a team
• Ability to maintain responsibility for multiple tasks in the context of a diverse, fast-paced work environment
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Zoom or other video conferencing platforms, or strong willingness to learn
• Willing to be First Aid/CPR certified upon hire

Working Environment:

• Anticipated hybrid work setting: three days of remote work (within the King County vicinity) and two days of in-office work at the IRC's office in SeaTac; occasional evening or weekend activities as needed
• Need access to reliable high-speed internet from remote office or IRC's office in SeaTac
• Need access to reliable transportation to travel and work off-site for participant-related activities (i.e. intakes, schools, apartment complexes, community center etc.)
• Typical schedule will be Monday-Friday, roughly 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. or 12:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.; may shift slightly based on mentees' schedules