Summary

The Project Coordinator will lead dynamic activities aimed at supporting racialized youth, parents, and ethnocultural communities in understanding and navigating legal rights and systems. The role involves facilitating conversations about the School Resource Officer research findings, conducting literacy and legal education workshops, and providing systems leadership training to empower youth in community action planning and advocacy.

Description

Job Posting No. 2024-13
 
Position Title:     Project Coordinator
Project:                Youth Justice & Systems Transformation (Y-Justice) Initiative
Reports To:            Strategy Lead
 
About the organization, project and position:
 
ActionDignity’s mission is to collaborate with ethnocultural, racialized, and equity seeking groups to create transformational changes in communities and society.  The approach is to catalyze collective impact by building the capacities of grassroots racialized community members to strengthen their communities and bring about systems change. This is achieved through a range of programs aimed to create change at multiple levels: individuals and families, communities, and policy advocacy for systems change.  Currently, ActionDignity provides different programs relating to social inclusion, gender equity, mental health collaboration, workers’ rights advocacy and public safety, using the intersectional lens of anti-racism. 

The Youth Justice & Systems Transformation (Y-Justice) Initiative empowers racialized youth (15-26 years old) to raise awareness and exercise their rights, advocate for themselves and influence policy changes, fostering an inclusive and equitable community. The project engages youth in schools, communities, workplaces, and public spaces through initiatives such as community conversation circles, workshops, and information sessions. Utilizing Youth Justice Navigators and ethnocultural community organizations (ECCs), these efforts aim to educate and empower youth to make informed decisions and avoid legal troubles.  This three-year initiative is funded by Alberta Law Foundation. 

The Project Coordinator will lead dynamic activities aimed at supporting racialized youth, parents, and ethnocultural communities in understanding and navigating legal rights and systems. The role involves facilitating conversations about the School Resource Officer research findings, conducting literacy and legal education workshops, and providing systems leadership training to empower youth in community action planning and advocacy. Additionally, the Project Coordinator will work closely with youth, Community Connectors, and staff to develop and implement Community Action Plans (CAPs), promote systems change, and train natural supports to assist youth in their legal and community needs.  The Project Coordinator must be experienced in working with a diverse team in a collaborative model and have the passion to empower people to participate fully in civic activities, and advocate for policy change at the systems level.

This is a part-time position of 20 hours per week, with benefits and requires flexible time commitment. 

Key responsibilities: 

Strategic

  • Develop, implement and monitor annual workplan and budget.
  • Implement program evaluation activities.
  • Build relationships with various stakeholders.

Community Development & Engagement
Facilitate Conversation Sessions:

  • Lead discussions with students, parents, and community members about research findings on the role of School Resource Officers and students' rights.
  • Foster an environment of open dialogue where participants can share concerns, ask questions, and gain a deeper understanding of legal issues in the context of schooling and beyond.

Conduct Literacy and Legal Education Workshops:

  • Organize and deliver workshops for youth, parents, and community leaders, focusing on building literacy around legal rights and responsibilities.
  • Provide information on understanding and navigating the justice system, particularly for marginalized and racialized communities.

Lead Systems Leadership Training:

  • Train racialized youth in systems leadership, helping them assess the challenges they face within their communities.
  • Support youth in developing a Community Action Plan (CAP) to address common legal issues and foster positive change in their communities.

Develop and Implement CAP:

  • Collaborate with youth participants to create a CAP that reflects their needs, identifies common challenges, and outlines concrete steps to address them.
  • Provide ongoing guidance and support in the implementation and monitoring of the CAP with support from ActionDignity’s Community Connectors and staff.

Provide Natural Support Training:

  • Conduct training for youth on building natural support systems, including friends, neighbors, relatives, and community members who can provide emotional, social, and legal support.
  • Equip these natural supports with the tools they need to assist youth in navigating legal systems and accessing resources.

Systems change and policy advocacy

  • Support youth in advocating for policy and systems change that addresses the legal and social challenges they face.
  • Facilitate youth-led initiatives that promote community empowerment and influence local policy decisions related to justice and youth rights.
  • Cultivate relationships with decision-makers, non-profit organizations, service providers and other equity seeking organizations.
  • Monitor, assess, research, and respond/recommend actions to local, provincial, and federal policy developments and issues related to justice and youth rights.

Administration and Supervision

  • Compile and submit regular reports, including weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly updates, as well as event and expense reports.
  • Develop and produce program-related documents, toolkits, and promotional materials to support program growth and outreach.
  • Represent ActionDignity at meetings, forums, events, and collaborative initiatives related to program activities. 
  • Supervise Community Connector/s, ensuring effective performance and support.
  • Aactively participate in staff meetings, trainings, and professional development opportunities.
  • Perform other duties as assigned to support the organization’s objectives.

Qualifications: 

Asset

  • A minimum of 3 years of experience and expertise demonstrating a deep understanding of justice and youth rights, including relevant concepts and issues.

Essentials

  • A minimum of 5 years of work experience in project management, including development of theory of change framework
  • Bachelor’s degree in social work, education, law, community development, or related field, or equivalent work experience.
  • Experience working with racialized youth, ethnocultural communities, or marginalized groups.
  • Strong understanding of legal rights, youth advocacy, and the justice system, particularly in marginalized communities.
  • Proven experience in facilitating workshops, training, or educational sessions.
  • Excellent communication, interpersonal, and presentation skills.
  • Ability to engage and motivate youth in community-driven initiatives.
  • Knowledge of community organizing, systems leadership, and advocacy strategies is an asset.
  • Open to work during occasional evenings and weekends

Kindly submit both the cover letter and resume specifying Job Posting No. 2024-13 through any of the following channels:

Human Resources Department,
Action Dignity Society
915 33 Street NE, Calgary, AB T2A 6T2

This post will remain open until January 6, 2025, or until we find a suitable candidate.
 
We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those being considered for an interview will be contacted. Thank you.