YouthCO is looking for an assistant in the Yúusnewas Program
Yúusnewas
Yúusnewas is an Indigenous peer-led education program at YouthCO that provides workshops on HIV and sexual health in urban and rural communities across British Columbia. We approach the topic of sexual health by centering Indigenous perspectives and incorporating traditional teachings. First Directions is an annual workshop/retreat by-and-for Indigenous youth to come together in response to the HIV epidemic. During this five-day program, Indigenous youth are provided peer education, peer support, the chance to discuss and unpack sexual health and colonization, and are able to work with Reel Youth to develop and produce short films they choose!
Position Description
The First Directions Project Assistant will work alongside the Yúusnewas team, reporting to the Yúusnewas Program Manager, to provide planning, logistics, and facilitation support necessary to ensure First Directions is a success!! The successful applicant will work primarily out of the YouthCO office during office hours (10am-5pm, Monday – Friday) to liaise with the Yúusnewas team. During the First Directions retreat, the successful applicant will be staying on-site for the duration to provide facilitation and logistics support as needed.
We believe that Indigenous youth are best positioned to connect with our peers on topics related to sex and drug use, and we are committed to hiring an Indigenous youth to work with us in this position! As an organization that strives for anti-oppression and to hire youth who are most impacted by HIV, Hep C, and colonization, we strongly encourage Indigenous youth who are under the age of 25, living with HIV or Hep C, Two-Spirt, gay, bisexual, or queer, transgender, and/or living with disabilities to apply.
Duties and Responsibilities
The First Directions Project Assistant will:
• Communicate with Indigenous communities and organizations to promote First Directions
• Book and support roundtrip travel for youth participants, including transportation to/from the retreat site in Langley, BC; may involve driving participants and/or meeting participants at airport, bus terminal, etc.
• Communicate travel plans with families and youth as appropriate to ensure travel arrangements are smooth
• Coordinate the assembly, purchase, and transportation of First Directions supplies as necessary
• Collate participant information, including emergency contacts and dietary needs, to have available on site
• Administer payments to youth and facilitators, e.g. per diems, child care support, honouraria, mileage
reimbursement, etc.
• Liaise with outside guest facilitators regarding timing of facilitation, compensation, and needed materials, etc.
• Ensure proper set up of programming space during the First Directions retreat
• Support First Directions programming during the retreat, e.g. participating in youth supervision, supervising field trip, engaging with youth during meals, etc.
• Provide post-project support, including packing up the retreat site, returning supplies to YouthCO,
communicating with participants on return home, and supporting post-project evaluation
Applications, consisting of a letter and resume, will be accepted until the position is filled. Applications
will be reviewed by the Yúusnewas Program Manager starting on January 29.
Want to know more? Visit YouthCO’s Job Opportunities page to see the complete job posting.