Outreach Specialist

Alexandria Campaign on Adolescent Pregnancy Youth Engagement Specialist

The City of Alexandria is located in northern Virginia and is bordered by the District of Columbia (Potomac River), Arlington and Fairfax counties. With a population of approximately 150,000 and a land area of 15.75 square miles, Alexandria is the seventh largest city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Alexandria has a charming waterfront and is a unique and historic place to live and work. About one-quarter square miles in the city have been designated as a national or local historic district. We proudly embrace our rich history and seize the endless opportunities that lie ahead. If you are interested in working for the vibrant City of Alexandria, we invite qualified candidates to apply for our Outreach Specialist position.

An Overview

As part of the Alexandria Campaign on Adolescent Pregnancy (ACAP) and the Youth Development team, the Keep It 360 Youth Engagement Specialist will help create a continuum of support and programming for youth involved in ACAP programs and within the greater City of Alexandria community. The Keep It 360 Youth Engagement Specialist will supervise the Keep It 360 Peer Advocates and guide their work in teaching other Alexandria youth on topics related to sexual and reproductive health, sexual assault prevention, healthy relationships, mental health, and substance use prevention. The Youth Engagement Specialist will be responsible for overseeing planning and recruitment for workshops, presentations, activities, and events for Keep It 360 Peer Advocate program, PREP, and other youth programs. Other responsibilities include overseeing and creating social media content for Alexandria Teen Life and ensuring Keep It 360 Peer Advocate participation at community meetings including Children and Youth Master Plan, Resilience Alexandria (R.A.I.S.E), and ACAP or Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition of Alexandria (SAPCA) board. This position will work with and alongside Sexual Assault Center and SAPCA in these efforts.

What You Should Bring

The ideal candidate should have good knowledge of adolescent sexual and reproductive health and/or youth risk behaviors; Good knowledge of training methods and procedures; Good knowledge of principals of communications, public relations, and public information, and social media; Good knowledge of principals of youth development; Good knowledge of best practices in community education/outreach; Skill in providing services and programs to youth and families; Skill in team building; Ability to make presentations before groups; Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing; Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with wide range of community partners.

The Opportunity

• Supervise and evaluate eight youth Peer Advocates;
  
• Ensure Peer Advocates are prepared to facilitate workshops on range of topics related to sexual health, sexual assault prevention, healthy relationships, mental health, and substance use prevention and the following adulthood preparation subjects:
  
  • Adolescent development
    
  • Healthy life skills
    
  • Healthy relationships
    
• Oversee Peer Advocate workshops by coordinating with on-site staff, driving youth to and from location, and preparing materials;
  
• Plan and facilitate trainings and meetings for Keep It 360 Peer Advocates;
  
• Plan and promote activities and workshops for Keep It 360 Peer Advocate program;
  
• Plan and implement outreach events or initiatives (e.g. on campus office hours, speaker events, workshops, tabling events, creative projects);
  
• Assist in the planning and hosting of annual Youth Leadership Conference;
  
• Develop promotional videos and marketing materials to recruit PREP participants to Keep it 360 events and promote events/activities utilizing video production, graphic design and multimedia marketing;
  
• Help develop content for ACAP and SAPCA websites, newsletters, social media, and printed materials;
  
• Follows DCHS policies and procedures;
  
• Perform other duties as assigned
  

About the Department

The Center for Children and Families (CCF) provides programs and services for Behavioral Health, Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault, Child Welfare & Child Protective Services, Early Childhood and Youth Development. CCF provides compassionate, collaborative and effective person and family-centered services based on best practices. Our teams support self-determination, safety, recovery and resiliency for Alexandria children and all residents affected by abuse, neglect, mental illness, intellectual disabilities and substance abuse disorders.

Minimum & Additional Requirements

Two Year College Degree; At least two years of progressively responsible experience in a position involving community education, communications, public speaking, marketing, public affairs, program administration, program development, project management with some experience providing education programs and services to children, parents, aging adults, civic associations and community groups, businesses staff and a combination of experience and training which provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities; some knowledge of the basic principles of fire prevention; must possess a valid driver's license issued by the State of their residence.

Preferred Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree or higher and completion of coursework in social work, public health, education, communications, public relations, public administration, or a related field; At least one year of experience working in community programs; At least two years of experience working with middle and/or high school students; At least one year of experience providing community health education; At least one year of experience facilitating training sessions and/or meetings; at least one year of experience utilizing social media to engage youth; At least one year of experience preparing a variety of reports and documents using Microsoft Office Professional products and desktop publishing software; Fluent and Bilingual in both English and Spanish.

Notes

***This is a two-year grant-funded position***

This position requires the successful completion of pre-employment background checks including but not limited to: FBI/Federal Records Check; VA State Child Abuse/Neglect Registry; Medicare/Medicaid Fraud Database; education/certifications; and driver’s license.

Schedule: Monday through Friday, 9:30AM - 6:00PM. Must have the ability to work in-person, from 3:30PM - 6:30PM, at least two days a week.