Youth Engagement Liaison

The Youth Engagement Liaison plays a key role in empowering young people to actively participate in shaping efforts to design regional youth mental health and substance use prevention efforts across Southwest Colorado. This position builds authentic relationships with youth, schools, healthcare providers, and community partners to gather youth voice, co-create strategies, and translate youth-identified priorities into coordinated, cross-sector action. The Liaison facilitates youth listening sessions and implements a regional Youth Mental Health Council to support the development and implementation of youth-led strategies to support youth mental health. Built into Team Up’s Community Collaboration Program, the Liaison will ensure the community’s and Team Up’s collective strategies are youth informed, led, and driven.

PRIMARY JOB RESPONSIBILITIES/DUTIES 

Gather youth input and perspective ● Design, plan, organize, and facilitate inclusive youth listening sessions, focus groups, and other engagement opportunities to gather youth perspectives related to mental health, substance use prevention, stigma reduction, trusted adult relationships, and access to care ● Create and maintain safe, supportive, trauma-informed, and inclusive spaces where youth feel respected, valued, and empowered to share their lived experiences Implement strategies to reduce barriers to youth participation, including stipends, food, transportation considerations, flexible scheduling, and accessibility accommodations. ● Develop and implement outreach and recruitment strategies to engage youth from diverse backgrounds, prioritizing those with lived experience and from populations historically underrepresented in decision-making ● Utilize ethical, developmentally appropriate, and equity-centered qualitative data collection methods, ensuring confidentiality and informed consent

 Initiate and manage the regional Youth Mental Health Council (YMHC) ● Lead the design, development, and facilitation of a sustainable regional YMHC, with support, technical assistance, and partnership of Children’s Hospital Colorado ● Build the foundation for the creation of the YMHC: ○ Participate in required training and technical assistance ○ Coordinate training opportunities for collaboration partners to strengthen readiness and capacity for authentic youth engagement ○ Lead the creation of youth engagement principles, governance structures, readiness assessments, and youth-adult partnership agreements ○ Recruit youth to participate in first cohort of the YMHC ● Once initiated, facilitate the YMHC on a regular basis to achieve goals. Ongoing coordination, facilitation, and coalition-building may include: ○ Council Engagement: regularly plan, coordinate, and facilitate inclusive and accessible YMHC meetings ○ Support youth in building leadership, advocacy, and project management skills ○ Offer individualized guidance and encouragement throughout the term Support an environment where young people feel valued and supported ○ Share power with youth when developing initiatives, allowing them to take up space Center youth leadership by sharing power, supporting youth decision-making, and ensuring youth voice meaningfully informs regional strategies and actions ○ Support members in identifying 1-2 areas of focus for strategy implementation ○ Identifying and implementing advocacy opportunities 

Integrate youth voice into community and collaboration strategies ● Work across Team Up’s regional and county-level Action Teams and Steering Committees to align youth-identified priorities with collaborative goals, strategies, and outcomes ● Support the development of a regional Youth Mental Health Action Team ● Support the co-creation, refinement, and adoption of a regional Youth Mental Health (YMH) strategic plan that reflects youth-identified needs and solutions ● Ensure youth receive feedback on how their input is being used and the outcomes of their engagement ● Support youth in identifying and advancing a priority focus area within the YMH strategic plan for implementation 

Partnerships and relationship building ● Build strong relationships with youth-serving organizations, youth coalitions, mental health providers, schools, and key partners in the region ● Serve as a point of contact for youth and community members seeking information and resources related to youth mental health and substance use prevention ● Analyze the existing youth engagement landscape and align Team Up’s efforts with existing initiatives to reduce duplication and strengthen collaboration. ● Coordinate with Rise Above Colorado and other partners to support the development and launch of a youth-informed substance use prevention marketing campaign ● Coordinate with Children’s Hospital Colorado to develop, launch, and sustain the YMHC

 Outreach and community presence ● Attend youth groups, school and community events, and regional meetings to build relationships, trust, and visibility across the five-county region ● Recruit youth and partners to participate in listening sessions, youth councils, campaigns, and implementation efforts 

Data collection and analyzation ● Work with regional, state, and healthcare partners to identify 1–2 shared regional YMH indicators and aligned performance measures ● Maintain accurate records of participation, themes, outputs, and outcomes related to youth engagement activities ● Analyze qualitative data from listening sessions and youth convenings to inform strategy development and evaluation ● Develop and maintain a data framework to track progress toward regional YMH goals over time. ● Support required grant evaluation and reporting, including six- and twelve-month reports, financial documentation, and milestone tracking, in compliance with grant requirements Compile reports, summaries, and presentations for partners, funders, and community stakeholders

Communications ● Support communication efforts that highlight youth voice, priorities, progress, and impact through newsletters, presentations, community meetings, and other channels. ● Facilitate communication and alignment among partners through regular meetings, updates, and documentation. ● Assist with planning, logistics, and participation in community events and convenings. 

Fund development and management ● Work with the Director of Community Collaboration to support grant-funded projects, including timeline tracking, deliverables, and reporting. ● Assist with grant writing, administration, and evaluation as needed. ● Provide oversight and coordination for AmeriCorps members or contractors supporting youth engagement and prevention efforts, as needed. 

Training and technical assistance • Participate in required training and technical assistance related to youth–adult partnership, trauma-informed care, positive youth development, and equitable data practices • Participate in relevant statewide coalitions, trainings, and learning communities related to collective impact, youth engagement, and substance use prevention • Facilitate training and technical assistance for partners to strengthen youth engagement practices and readiness 

General Team Up related duties ● Participate in regular staff meetings ● Assist with organization’s fundraising events ● Be a steward of Team Up and its programs across the 5 counties ● Other duties as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS There is flexibility in qualifications for the right candidate. We encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet every required and/or preferred qualification below. 

Required • Bachelor’s degree or Associate’s Degree combined with relevant work experience • Professional experience working with youth ages 12–24, ideally in public or behavioral health or youth development • Experience in community engagement • Ability to collaborate with youth as partners • Knowledge of trauma-informed care, positive youth development, and equity-centered engagement practices • Knowledge of youth mental health challenges and strategies for promoting well-being • Significant knowledge of southwest Colorado communities, from experience living and/or working in the area • Strong communication and coordination skills to keep everyone informed and involved • Strong organizational skills for managing administrative/logistical tasks (schedules, documents, payments) • Passion for youth voice and empowerment • Ability to work as a team member as well as independently • Ability to work effectively with diverse populations and build trust • Access to a reliable vehicle

Preferred • Experience with data collection, basic analysis, and reporting • Proven ability to coordinate and manage multiple projects across a large geographic region • Meeting facilitation—responding to ideas to assure that everyone feels heard, ability to keep the meeting on track while allowing for discussion and questions, being prepared for meetings • Experience facilitating groups and building authentic youth–adult partnerships • Ability to maintain, evaluate, analyze and report progress on a variety of programs • Proficiency in Excel, Word, Power Point, Google Docs, Zoom, e-mail communication, and social media • Knowledge and experience in budget management • Ability to track activities and payments, etc. for accurate record-keeping • Bilingual in English and Spanish