Peer Ambassador
Application Close Date: September 27, 2024
Salary: $37,000 per annum at 30 hours per week
Type of Employment: 18 month fixed-term contract
POSITION DESCRIPTION
Stella’s Place provides mental health service for young adults (16-29 years). We utilize innovative clinical practices and processes that put young adults in the ‘driver’s seat’ of their own recovery plan. In this role, you will work as a member of our multidisciplinary team to facilitate and support participants with their recovery process. You will draw from your lived experience with mental health challenges and recovery to assist participants in setting goals for their own recovery. Your collaborative work with participants will be as a coach and liaison in assisting participants to advocate for themselves.
We are specifically seeking to recruit a BIPOC peer for this role to support the co-facilitation of our BIPOC-specific programs. This is an important aspect of our commitment to diversity and ensuring that our programs are inclusive and culturally responsive.
This position requires you to use self-disclosure of lived and living mental health experiences, positively and practically to support participants’ understanding of our program and services including the My Next Chapter training program. Peer Ambassadors are expected to actively engage with participants both in-person and through our online program delivery. This role is ideal for someone comfortable with co-facilitating workshops and training, demonstrating experience in this type of work.
In this role, you will actively engage with participants during Open Cafe hours, contribute to agency-wide events like fundraisers and social media posts including videos, and play a crucial part in fostering a workplace that embraces diversity and teamwork while complying with all applicable regulatory requirements.
As a Stella’s Place Peer Ambassador, you will be involved in both low-barrier and clinical programs. You will also assist in the development and delivery of programs and participate in facilitating internal co-designs that are a core component of Stella’s Place programming. Further, Peer Ambassadors are part of committees, support agency-wide events, research activities, support the organization with speaking engagements and activities, and build our organizational culture. Comfort with public speaking is an asset.
The Peer Ambassador position is designed specifically to provide experience and exposure to an agency setting for the 18 month commitment for those new in their career. Under the Peer Ambassador programs, candidates must also be within the ages of 18-29 and proof of age is required.
KEY FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Programs and Services
● Connect with and support Stella’s Place participants who are members of the public who visit our Cafe space each week
● Foster connections with participants via lived experience and through sharing your
understanding of both Stella’s Place programs and community resources
● Hold an understanding of service information and community resources that are reflective of
the diverse needs of the participants
● Support participants in understanding and connecting with other service providers and
programming at Stella’s Place
● Support Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) participants to apply learning concepts into practice
● Co-facilitate programs in a manner that centers the participants and maximizes their
well-being
● Work collaboratively with other Peer Ambassadors, the Access Manager, and Director of Program Operations in program development, with a key focus on program delivery
● Work collaboratively with the Senior Peer, Clinicians, and Access Counsellor Navigators in
delivering both Clinical and Access programming
● Contribute to outreach, research, and data collection for Stella’s Place programs
● Actively engage and support other Peer Ambassadors during team meetings where Peer
Ambassadors can share experiences, discuss challenges, raise ideas and brainstorm solutions
Participant Supports
● Participate in regular meetings with the Senior Peer, the Access Manager and the Director of Program Operations
Documentation
● Documentation of relevant participants' interaction following Stella’s Place policies, procedures and protocol
● Timely completion of participants' electronic health record (EHR) notes and data entry
● Accurate and timely completion of all administrative documentation including timesheets and
expenses
● Timely responses to emails and meeting invites
● Up-to-date and accurate recording of your daily activities in your electronic calendar
Performance Management and Professional Development
● Participate cooperatively in Stella’s Place performance management system
process/system
● Participate in ongoing professional development and mandatory training
● Actively engage and participate in the supervisory meetings with your Manager
Other Duties as Assigned
● Attend and participate in team meetings, staff training and our All Staff meetings
● Participate in agency activities, e.g. committee work, special events, etc.
● Participate in quality improvement activities at the team/program level
● Ability to engage in programs and meetings with your camera on
● Participate in external committees as required
● Duties may change from time to time
QUALIFICATIONS
- The successful candidate will have lived and/or living experience and have received mental health support in the past
- Dialectical Behaviour Training (DBT) program completion (proof to be provided upon request)
- Computer literacy and the willingness to learn new computer programs are required including the ability to use online platforms to provide programs and services.
- Experience with documentation via online applications.
- Experience providing peer support through a volunteer or paid work experience
- An understanding of mental health approaches such as but not limited to CBT, DBT, Somatic Therapy, Mindfulness, Expressive Art, Yoga, Music Therapy are helpful as well as significant comfort with group facilitation and public speaking
- You possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills that will serve you well when working collaboratively with our diverse multidisciplinary team
- You possess effective decision-making, organizational and problem solving skills
- Ability to apply Recovery principles and empowerment-oriented philosophies and practices in work with participants
- Ability to observe boundaries, engage in appropriate emotional regulation, refrain from dual relationships with participants, maintain confidentiality and engage in own self-care strategies designed to reduce stress by balancing work/life responsibilities
- Your skills will include the ability to be flexible, self-reflective, and supportive while demonstrating excellent boundaries
- The ability to work effectively in a dynamic and a fast-paced multidisciplinary environment and the ability to support a positive and healthy work environment are essential
- Experience working with participants, staff, and organizations serving participants with a diversity of experiences, opinions and identities are required
- Ability to centre participants’ needs during your interaction or in program or planning spaces
ASSETS
- Participation in training on Peer Support/Recovery
- Knowledge of Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP)
- Bilingualism
REPORTING AND HOURS
- Report to the Peer Initiatives Manager, with training and supervision provided
- This is a full-time position prorated at 30 hours per week
- Some evenings and/or weekend hours may be required
COMPENSATION
● A generous health and vacation package; including comprehensive medical, dental and
vision health benefits, 3 weeks vacation and 15 health days annually prorated to FTE
● Vacation increases after one year of service
● $37,000 per annum at 30 hours per week
BACKGROUND
A Vulnerable Sector Screen is required to be submitted to Stella’s Place prior to start date without exception - assistance will be provided for completion
YOUR APPLICATION
To be considered for the Peer Ambassador position at Stella’s Place, you must be 18 to 29 years of age and submit your resume and a cover letter:
● outlining your professional background/experience
● sharing why you would be a good fit with Stella’s Place (e.g. confirming you have lived/living experience, details not required)
- confirming you identify as a member of the BIPOC community (Black, Indigenous, or a racialized individual, specific identification not required)
- Confirming what formal Peer Support training you have completed
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND ACCOMMODATION:
Stella’s Place is committed to having a workforce that is reflective of the diversity of the City of
Toronto in general and of our participants in particular. We strongly encourage applications from
racialized persons, indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, persons of diverse sexual
orientation, gender identity and gender expression and all those who can provide and contribute
to a diversification of perspective at Stella’s Place.
Stella’s Place is committed to hiring practices that are inclusive and barrier free. Stella’s Place
will provide reasonable and appropriate accommodation during all stages of the hiring process
in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code in order to ensure the equal and fair
assessment of all job applicants. Applicants are asked to make any accommodation request in
advance.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $36,999.00-$37,000.00 per year