Bilingual Youth Mentor/Advocate Counselor

The Advocate Counselor supports New Directions Secondary School in The Bronx; a 9^th - 12^th grade transfer school. The Advocate Counselor focuses on supporting students who are struggling academically, behaviorally, and who have a history of poor attendance. The Advocate Counselor provides supportive mentoring services, including but not limited to: attendance outreach, home visits, classroom support, crisis intervention, and individual and small group social-emotional support in partnership with the school staff to support students in reaching their academic and social emotional goals. The Advocate Counselor position is a 10-month position (September - June), 40 hours per week, and will be supervised by the Site Manager. The salary range is $38,000 - $45,000.

How You'll Be Making a Difference

• Responsible for maintaining and managing all related data.
• Expected to attend Wediko, NY at The Home and LTW Professional Development opportunities.
• Milieu supports arrivals and dismissals, transitions, and lunch time
• Responsible for a caseload of students, including maintaining attendance and educational progress, providing students and families with continuous feedback and resources to meet the needs and ensure academic success
• Provides individual and group mentoring to students on a weekly basis
• Conducts daily student attendance outreach
• Provides outreach to students and their families, including phone calls, written correspondence, and home visits (home visits always conducted in pairs)
• Facilitates communication between students, families, and school staff
• Completes required documentation, including Dr. Cloud notes, in a timely manner
• Provides crisis support, conflict mediation and social-emotional support
• Completes regular assessments and provides resource referrals in support of school-based services (with support of the site manager)
• Ensures student exposure to further education opportunities (high school and college); build college and career readiness skills
• Participates in staff meetings and staff development opportunities
• Collaborates on transdisciplinary team of Wediko and school staff to create individualized plans to support student progress
• Occasional evening and weekend hours required (for college visits, school events, etc.)

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree; social science degrees strongly preferred
• 1-3 years experience providing direct services in school-based or residential program
• Strong communication (verbal and written with proficiency in English) and interpersonal skills
• Ability to approach challenges in a supportive and creative manner
• Commitment to working from a strengths-based perspective
• Commitment to ongoing learning and development, proven use of supervision to improve practice
• Excellent organization and prioritization skills
• Flexible schedule and willingness to work school hours as well as some weekends/evenings
• Bilingual English and Spanish required

Valuing Diversity

We are committed to excellence in diversity, equity, and inclusion, while simultaneously creating a culture that supports those values. We believe the differences we bring enhance our ability to provide exceptional service and care to diverse children, families, and communities. Moreover, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging align with our values and our mission to help vulnerable children and their families build permanent, positive change.