Careers

As a Youth Engagement Specialist, you will...

• Play an essential role in the Youth Engagement and Empowerment Team! Their primary responsibility is to build relationships with youth, families, and staff across the entire Program Team and to create continuity and intentionality of service for youth in their care.
• Be assigned to specific youth or Professional Mentors who we call, “Friends” You will go on 3-4 outings per week with Mentors and youth to observe Mentors in their role and build relationships with youth.
• Serve as a conduit between the youth and the Youth Engagement Team whose primary function includes elevating our youth’s voices and ideas into group activities and spaces as well as their understanding of the many opportunities offered by FriendsPDX!
• Support in a 1:1 capacity the youth whose Mentors either go on vacation or leave the organization.
• Serve as a positive adult role model to develop a caring, trusting, and sustained relationship with each youth.
• Support the Youth Engagement and Empowerment Team by participating in all Team meetings, by planning and leading group activities, and supporting all group spaces or events.
• Know, understand, honor, and support the organization’s mission, vision, values, principles, and policies, and be able to clearly articulate the organization’s function.

Our Professional Mentors, who we call "Friends," work intensively to develop a loving, caring, and sustained relationships with a roster of 8-10 youth ranging in age from K-12th grade.

For every youth, a Friend will:

• Set positive expectations
• Spend time weekly: one-on-one, in the classroom, on "outings" in the community, and group activities
• Nurture and promote their strength, talents, and abilities
• Help ensure physical and emotional well-being
• Teach life and academic skills
• Provide enrichment activities
• Model responsible behavior and boundaries
• Develop positive relationships with families, teachers and others involved in each youth’s life
• Devote a cumulative amount of time - between direct and indirect service - of a minimum of 4 hours per week per youth
• Fully document all youth service efforts
• Participate in an ongoing reflection, observation, and evaluation process
• Work directly with each of their youth in both one-on-one and in group settings
• Work directly and indirectly collaborating and intentionally planning together with the other adults in the youth’s life
• Know, understand, honor, and support the organization’s mission, vision, values, and principles, and be able to clearly articulate the organization’s function.