Youth Mental Health Advocate

This position has ongoing enrollment. Start and end dates for the position are flexible and weekly schedules are flexible. Persons may choose from a 300-hour, 450-hour, or 900-hour internship position. This position is unpaid, but participants receive a corresponding education award of $1,565.08, $1,956.35, or $3,697.50 at the completion of their internship hours. Persons serving in a 900-hour internship position may be eligible for a modest living stipend at the discretion of the PCC AmeriCorps Program and availability of funding. 

A Youth Mental Health Advocate AmeriCorps Volunteer serving with Polk County Conservation supports youth mental health and well-being through outdoor recreation, environmental education, positive mentorship, and inclusive group programming. This role aligns with Polk County Conservation’s mission to provide quality outdoor recreation, conservation education, and long-term protection of Polk County’s natural heritage. By connecting young people with nature, Volunteers help expand access to outdoor experiences that promote social connection, confidence, resilience, and a sense of belonging.

Under the guidance of designated supervisors and program staff, Volunteers facilitate self-developed structured activities, encourage positive peer interactions, support youth engagement, and recognize when a young person may need additional assistance. Volunteers serve as positive role models and help foster safe, welcoming environments where youth can develop healthy coping skills and build supportive relationships with peers. Volunteers are responsible for maintaining appropriate professional boundaries, following youth protection and safety policies, protecting confidentiality within established reporting requirements, and promptly communicating concerns to designated staff. When a young person expresses a mental health concern or discloses a safety issue, Volunteers follow established reporting and referral procedures and involve their supervisor or other qualified personnel as appropriate.

This position is supportive and preventative in nature, not clinical. Volunteers do not provide therapy, counseling, diagnoses, or independent crisis intervention, nor are they expected to manage mental health emergencies beyond their training and comfortability. Instead, they help connect youth with appropriate staff and resources while contributing to a supportive outdoor environment. Through this service, Volunteers advance Polk County Conservation’s mission by making outdoor recreation and conservation education more accessible and meaningful for local youth, while helping foster the development of social connections and supportive experiences that contribute to the well-being of Polk County residents.

This position is unpaid, but enrolled Volunteers receive a Segal Education Award to pay for higher education or qualified federal student loans after successful completion of their service term. The dollar amount for the award is dependent upon the service term length. Additionally, Volunteers gain valuable professional trainings and certifications through the completion of Youth Mental Health Corps workforce pathways.

This posting is not a direct position of Polk County Conservation, and successful applicants will not be employees of Polk County. Successful applicants will not be subject to terms and conditions of Polk County employment and will not be eligible for any employee benefits provided by Polk County. However, this position will be serving with Polk County Conservation AmeriCorps Program, and will be subject to AmeriCorps rules, benefits, and federal requirements.

Expected Volunteer Schedule

Successful candidates should expect to serve a minimum of 15 hours per week during their term of service unless otherwise agreed upon by the Program and the enrolled Volunteer; Volunteers must not exceed 40 hours per week.

• Typical schedule range of Monday through Friday between the hours of 8am to 4pm.
• A Volunteer’s final schedule will be determined with the designated Site Supervisor before the term of service begins.
• Volunteer’s may serve outside of this range of days and hours as long as it is approved by AmeriCorps Program staff prior to the service task.
• A 30-minute lunch break is required for all Volunteers who serve 5+ hours consecutively in a given day; these 30 minutes cannot be counted towards the total number of required hours in the term.
• All Volunteers will receive two 15-minute breaks during each service day; if the temperature is over 85 degrees, Volunteers are required to take additional breaks.

* Volunteers must not serve any hours on the major federal holidays – New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. This includes checking emails, self-directed training, or teleservice. If the Host Site is open on one of these holidays and volunteers are expected to serve, the site supervisor should work with Program to gain approval for this volunteer service prior to the holiday. For any of the other federal holidays, including MLK Day, Presidents Day, Indigenous Peoples’ Day, and Veterans Day, Host Sites will communicate expectations of volunteer service in advance. If the Host Site is closed on one of more of those lesser holidays (including the day after Thanksgiving or Christmas eve) or the Host Site recognizes other workdays when major federal holidays fall on weekend days, volunteers should not check their email, complete timesheets, or do teleservice on those days either unless they follow the procedure above. Sick or personal leave, and holidays is allowed, but such time off does not count towards the required number of hours needed to successfully complete the term of service. There are additional benefits offered if the volunteer has a compelling personal circumstance.

All participants in the Polk County Conservation AmeriCorps Youth Mental Health Corps Program that serve around youth or vulnerable adults are required to complete the following trainings:

• CPR/AED and first aid certification through the American Heart Association via online modules and an in-person practical skills test
• Mental Health First Aid
• Iowa DHS Mandatory Reporter Training
• ACEs 360
• YMHC Training Pathways

Volunteers may select between two workforce pathways based on their personal career goals.

Community Health Worker:

• Public health for community health workers training (12 hours total) - required
• Youth mental health foundations training (2 hours total) - required

School-based Mental Health Navigator:

Volunteers enrolled in this pathway must select a minimum of one of the listed programs to meet the minimum requirements.

• Direct support professional behavioral and mental health certificate through DMACC (54 hours total)
• Registered behavioral technician certificate through University of Kansas (40 hours total)
  • Requires additional registration for exam and passing of exam to receive certificate
• Paraeducator certification program (90 hours total)

Additional Optional Trainings:

• Motivational Interviewing (2 hours total)
• School Mental Health Training through University of Iowa (multiple module options to choose from)
• Iowa Area Education Agencies (catalogue of additional trainings)
• Community Health Worker Specialization Trainings – must complete initial community health worker trainings
  • Maternal Health Training (6 hours total)
  • Mental Health Training (4.5 hours)

Essential Functions

• Develop and facilitate deliverable mental health programming that centers around outdoor recreation and the outdoors – primary audience of individuals between the ages of 13-25
• Volunteers may also create handouts, infographics, social media videos, blog posts, or other forms of public resources for education and advocacy of mental health topics
  • Volunteers will receive access to Canva for the creation of deliverables as well as a Google account for the development of program offerings
  • All public deliverables must be approved by the Polk County Conservation Community Outreach staff before it can be utilized with Polk County residents
• Provide knowledgeable support to Polk County Conservation staff when navigating behavior management of program participants
  • The Volunteer will utilize the information and skills developed from the training they complete and will provide appropriate resources to program participants as needed
• Establish a resource list that can be distributed to Polk County staff, community members, and other local organizations
• Develop a mental health-focused activity for the Youth Conservation Corps to participate in during June and July crew sessions
  • Volunteers may choose to create multiple activities to take place across multiple Fridays during each session or may opt to spend one full day of each crew session providing mental health programming to program attendees
  • The activities should be catered to the age range of 14-17 and should be focused on utilizing different aspects of the outdoors/outdoor recreation as a way to improve mental health challenges faced by today’s youth demographic
• Provide information about ways to improve mental health through non-clinical means in a booth/tabling format
• Volunteers may assist with and develop program offerings for individuals outside of the 13-25 age range
• Conduct public outreach activities at local community organizations to expand the reach of mental health-focused outdoor recreation programming

Non-essential Functions

• Engage in professional development opportunities to enhance knowledge and skills related to the environment, mental health, or youth management
• Record and maintain data such as number of program participants, type of program offered, location, average age of individuals, activity completed, etc.
• Conduct public surveys to determine how to effectively support Polk County residents when it comes to navigating mental health challenges and biases

Volunteers may engage in other allowable activities that are not specifically outlined in the position description but that support the AmeriCorps Program design and that will help the Program meet its goals. Under no circumstances will Volunteers be asked to perform prohibited activities.

Desired Skills/Qualifications

• In pursuit of a Bachelor’s degree in psychology, human services, education, environmental science, outdoor recreation, or other related field AND/OR interest in providing peer-to-peer support for youth navigating mental health challenges
• Passion for utilizing outdoor recreation for the purposes of improving mental health in a non-clinical format
• Knowledge or awareness of present-day mental health challenges
• Comfortability with public speaking and presenting programming independently
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills

Eligibility Criteria

• Be between the ages of 18 to 24 during the duration of the service term; persons outside of this age range are ineligible for the position at this time
• Pass a national service criminal history check prior to first day of service
• Hold one of the following citizenship statuses: US citizen, US national, or lawful permanent resident
• Possess a valid driver’s license and previous driving experience:
  • Candidate must be comfortable with driving on all road types (gravel, grass, highways, rural, and city roads)
  • Candidate must be comfortable driving in any environmental conditions (daytime, nighttime, rain, fog, sleet, ice, and snow)
  • Candidate must be willing to drive to any location within Polk County, Iowa
  • Candidate must pass a motor vehicle record check before they can operate any county vehicle
  • Candidates with limited driving experience may be considered on a case-by-case basis

Benefits

• Education Award received upon successful completion of the term of service
• Housing opportunities provided by Polk County Conservation upon request
• Student loan forbearance and interest payments for eligible loans
• Certification in CPR/AED and first aid
• Mental Health First Aid Training
• Iowa DHS Mandatory Reporter Training
• ACEs 360 Training

Performance Evaluation & Reporting Requirements

• Volunteer Performance Evaluation requirements during the term
• Regular bi-weekly submission of Volunteer timesheets
• Regular weekly submission of project data from each task a Volunteer completes
• Daily progress reports to Polk County Conservation staff