Youth Advocate

About Graham:

Graham provides life-changing tools and resources for children, young adults and families who face some of the most difficult obstacles caused by poverty, racial injustice, and lack of access to educational opportunities, living wage employment, quality healthcare, and affordable housing.
 

We collaborate with communities and strong partners to create and implement innovative strategies so everyone can lead healthy, joyful, and successful lives.

Program Description:

The Graham SLAM (Support, Lead, Achieve, Model) program works with youth between the 8th grade and age 26 who are in Graham’s programs including foster care, foster care prevention and community-based afterschool programs. The program aims to put youth on a livable wage path by focusing on their success in high school, college, and career development. The program ‘sticks with’ youth through age 26, or until they are on a living wage career path.

SLAM Coaches are focused on providing social and emotional support, goal setting and goal tracking. A Coach and youth work on setting key program goals in the areas of education and career, with the purpose of getting them on a livable wage pathway. Coaches will also work with their youth setting and tracking customized goals in the areas of wellness and independent living skills. Examples include learning how to budget, opening a bank account and time management. There are ongoing, individual support and planning sessions where a SLAM Coach will support the youth’s educational and career goals.  

A SLAM Coach can be based on any one of the following Graham sites:

• 195 Montague St., Brooklyn, NY, 11201
• 1946 Webster Ave., Bronx, NY 10457
• 730 Bryant Ave., Bronx, NY 10474
• 423 W 127^th St., New York, NY 10027

Principal Objective/Role Overview:

As a Graham SLAM Coach, you will be assigned to one of our office locations in Harlem, Bronx, or Brooklyn, but the role requires a significant amount of travel. You will meet with each assigned youth face-to-face at least once a month, either in the office or at various locations such as local libraries, the youth's home, school, and other community settings. Please note that your assigned youth may be scattered across different boroughs, so you must be willing and able to travel within and beyond these areas to provide the necessary support. Additionally, you will meet with school staff to collaborate on the youth's educational success. The role follows a hybrid work model, allowing flexibility in reporting to the office, while ensuring you meet the travel and contact requirements to effectively support your youth. We seek individuals who embrace this travel commitment and are passionate about making a positive impact on the lives of the youth we serve.

Job Responsibilities:

• Work one-on-one with each young person on their coach load to create individual goals. Uses Solution-Base Casework and Motivational Interviewing techniques to develop and follow action plans to reach these goals, with consistent support, communication, and follow-through.    
• Use SLAM’s goal setting tools to develop customized action plans for each youth to help them reach their goals.    
• Establish strong relationships with adolescents using effective modeling of pro-social skills.  
• Work collaboratively with other system providers in the youth’s life including to help ensure that the varied systems are driving towards similar goals in a coordinated fashion.  
• Meet regularly with parents/foster parents/adult supports to plan with them for youth success, and to support them in helping the youth in their care, reach their goals.  
• Encourage youth to attend therapeutic peer groups which focus on skills such as healthy communication, positive peer relationships, dealing with peer pressure, and service learning.    
• Works closely with the SLAM Educational Success Coordinator to help students apply for college.  Works closely with the SLAM Employment Success Coordinator to help students secure employment and thrive in the workplace.  
• Visit schools to meet with guidance counselors or other school officials. This includes gathering report cards and attending parent/teacher conferences.  
• Connect youth to resources in their community.   
• Help students select vocational programs or colleges based on academic, social, and financial needs.

A Graham SLAM Coach:  

• Makes a long-term commitment to working with youth  
• Is strengths-focused, believes that change is possible, and can inspire hope  
• Can work with diverse populations (including LGBTQ) and cultures, process information and respond empathically.  
• Expresses empathy and genuine care, while maintains healthy boundaries.  
• Is open to learning new methods of working with youth and willing to hold him/herself to high practice standards.

Position Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher required (bachelor’s degree must be completed at the time of application)
• At least two years’ experience working with adolescents and experience working with at-risk adolescents is highly desirable, preferably in the field of child welfare 
• Computer literate and conversant with social media

Salary & Compensation:

• Base Salary or Hourly Rate: $30.22/hour ($55,000.00/year)
• FLSA Status: Non-Exempt
• Benefits Eligibility: This role is eligible to participate in our Performance Based Merit Award program at the end of each fiscal year, and eligible for benefits including health insurance, retirement plans (pension and 403B thrift), career coaching via Bravely, and more!

EEO Statement

The Equal Employment Opportunity Policy of Graham is to provide a fair and equal employment opportunity for all associates and job applicants regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, or disability. Graham hires and promotes individuals solely based on their qualifications for the job to be filled.

Graham believes that associates should be provided with a working environment which enables each associate to be productive and to work to the best of his or her ability. We do not condone or tolerate an atmosphere of intimidation or harassment based on race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, or disability.

We expect and require the cooperation of all associates in maintaining a discrimination and harassment-free atmosphere.