Jobs

Meaning "Our Home" in Ojibwe, the Ain Dah Yung Center provides a healing place within the community for American Indian youth and families to thrive in safety and wholeness. Emergency Shelter services include emergency short-term shelter, crisis intervention, case and systems advocacy, information and referrals, access to medical/dental care, counseling, and community education.
We are seeking part-time Youth Care Worker to provide direct care to at-risk youth from 3pm to 11pm rotating every other weekend at the Ain Dah Yung Center’s Emergency Shelter where we provide culturally specific crisis refuge to American Indian youth from ages 5-17 who are homeless, runaway, in a family crisis, or involved with juvenile corrections. Applicants required to be 21 years of age or older and have a valid driver’s license. Salary for this position starts at $19.50/hr, depending on experience.

Primary responsibilities for this position include:
• Direct supervision and trauma-informed support to youth shelter residents
• Assisting with planning & supervising weekend activities for residents
• Facilitating talking circles engagement, and table time while applying harm reduction behavior management techniques
• Assist with screening referrals, conducting intakes, and discharges
• Provide transportation for youth in agency vehicle
• Medication administration when required
• Meal preparation, cleaning, and light maintenance

Qualifications:
• AA degree or equivalent experience in human services, child development, education or related field
• Experience working with youth who exhibit varying degrees of difficult behavior in a residential, therapeutic, group or classroom setting
• Experience with harm reduction and trauma-informed care youth services
• Knowledge of the Native American culture, values, and family systems preferred
• Sensitive to the psycho-social, political, and economic issues of those who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) or LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Nonbinary, Pansexual, Two Spirit)
• Ability to listen and provide non-judgmental interactions
• Ability to provide journey-oriented, holistic support a plus
• Possess strong ethics and boundaries
• Basic computer skills including Office 365

Our Youth Lodge is a transitional living program available to youth discharged from Ain Dah Yung’s emergency shelter, and to youth ages 16 – 21 who have no parental substitute, foster or institutional home to which they can safely go. Youth live at the Beverley A. Benjamin Youth Lodge in a stable, culturally supportive and safe environment in which they address critical barriers to self-sufficiency and strengthen their community and cultural connections.

The Ain Dah Yung Center is seeking part-time Youth Care Worker to provide direct care to at-risk youth and young adults from 10pm to 10am Sunday and Monday at the Youth Lodge, where we provide culturally specific crisis refuge to American Indian youth from ages 16 to 21 who have no parental substitute, foster or institutional home to which they can safely go. Applicants required to be 21 years of age or older. Salary for this position starts at $19.50/hr, depending on experience.

Primary responsibilities for this position include:

• Responsible for supervision of up to 6 youth & young adults
• Track and ensure youth safe arrival/departure from lodge in evening and morning and perform bed checks
• Responsible for enforcing a daily schedule and enforcing facility standards, program policies and procedures
• Monitor surveillance camera system and arm/disarm alarm system at required times
• Provide emotional support and cultural guidance to residents
• Communicate incidents, behaviors and general conduct of residents
• Perform cleaning duties that include kitchen clean-up, resident laundry, cleaning/organizing of the house, and bathrooms
• Request Youth Lodge expenditures including food, supplies, equipment and other program needs.
• Maintain inventory of food, supplies and equipment
• Provide information and referral to appropriate systems, agencies and service providers
• Attend periodic cultural, social, recreational activities for Youth Lodge residents
• Occasionally attend House Meetings in conjunction with the Case Manager
• Attend required program staffing, agency all-staff meetings and trainings

Qualifications:

• 2 years of college in human services, education, psychology or related field or 4 years of direct service experience may substitute for academic requirements
• 2 years of experience working with youth and families in a human service setting
• Experience in shelter, group home or another residential program preferred
• Must be knowledgeable of the American Indian culture, values, and family systems
• Must be cognizant of and sensitive to the special needs/issues of American Indians and homeless youth
• Possess practical knowledge of larger systems and service providers encountered by youth preparing for independent living preferred
• Must have excellent work record and be able to demonstrate stability, role modeling for Youth Lodge residents.
• Must possess working knowledge of basic youth health, nutrition, and development
• Be able to model healthy lifestyles and positive choices to youth
• Must maintain a chemically healthy lifestyle
• Must have basic computer skills including ability to navigate MS Office products

Meaning "Our Home" in Ojibwe, Ain Dah Yung Center provides a healing place within the community for American Indian youth and families to thrive in safety and wholeness. The Ninijanisag (Meaning "Our Children") program is a culturally responsive afterschool group for children and teens that specializes in the prevention of suicide, chemical dependency, and commercial tobacco use. This program offers mentoring to American Indian youth teaching them problem-solving, leadership, and communication skills.

The overall goal of the Commercial Tobacco Prevention Advocate within the Ninijanisag program is to decrease the risk factors of commercial tobacco use among participants by engaging them in American Indian cultural education activities centered in the traditional use of tobacco. This position will be responsible for engaging community youth and facilitating groups focused on the prevention of commercial tobacco use through policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) change initiatives with youth ranging in ages of 12 -17 years old. In addition, this position will be responsible for outreach to schools, other agencies, and the larger Native community. The salary for this full-time position starts at $40,000 annually depending on experience.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the following satisfactorily; other duties may be assigned. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Collaboratively develop curriculum and facilitate youth groups on topics surrounding commercial tobacco use prevention including American Indian/Tribal cultural traditions and teachings of traditional use of tobacco, public policy, systems and environmental (PSE) change intervention, and healthy living.
• Responsible for decreasing the risk factors of commercial tobacco use among participant youth by involving them in the planning and implementation of tobacco messaging and outdoor/indoor cultural community events.
• Assist youth with the organization and hosting of a Prevention Through Culture activities that focuses on youths’ role in PSE change as they pertain to American Indian organizations, tribes and community members and the adverse health effects of commercial tobacco use.
• Case management - Intake new youth into the program utilizing proper paperwork and administration assessments. Maintain complete and accurate files on youth participation.
• Responsible to maintain a calendar of events for programming monthly.
• Conduct home visits and include families in programming.
• Outreach to the Native community, community agencies and schools.
• Teach advocacy skills to youth and advocate on their behalf within systems they are involved with – schools, city programs, agencies, etc.
• Responsible for understanding program budgets and ability to plan activities/groups accordingly.
• Cooperatively organize community events and youth projects as well as participate in various other community collaborative initiatives.
• Act as a support system to the youth and family and provide culturally appropriate supportive resources including crisis intervention if needed.
• Identify, develop, and maintain referral partnerships with local social service agencies that effectively assist clients to achieve their basic needs and goals.
• Foster a positive, engaged community and actively seek ways to help people and communities.
• Collects and records all required statistical information; accurately reports data in a timely manner.
• Participates in agency efforts to promote a mutually respecting, multicultural environment; participates in training opportunities related to economic, racial and cultural diversity as requested.
• Attend all agency and Ninijanisag meetings and agency trainings including the completion of CPR/First Aid, HIPAA, and Mandated reporter training.

Qualifications: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Associate degree or equivalent combination of education and/or experience.
• Minimum two years of effectively engaging with at-risk youth & young adults of diverse racial and socioeconomic backgrounds in a group, educational or human service setting.
• Must have working knowledge of traditional American Indian culture and family systems including spiritual ceremonies that reflect our local Native community.
• Must have experience working in the American Indian community and be familiar with available resources to youth & family members.
• Must have a clear understanding of risk factors facing American Indian/Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) youth including structural racism and historical trauma and its impact
• Knowledge of SNAP-Ed and/or PSE preferred.
• Knowledge of evidence-based practices preferred, specifically harm reduction, motivational interviewing, trauma informed care (TIC) and person-centered approaches.
• Ability to maintain professional boundaries and act as a role model to clients.
• Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• Knowledge of relevant safety measures to promote effective operations for the protection of people, data, and property.
• Ability to work constructively with youth who exhibit a wide array of challenging behaviors.
• Knowledge of identifying signs of chemical dependency & commercial tobacco use
• Analyze outcomes and adapt various approaches for facilitating culturally grounded youth groups
• Experience working with grants at a nonprofit preferred.
• Requires creativity, flexibility, and inclusivity in the approach to group planning and in supporting youth and their families.
• Ability to engage members of collaborative partnerships in healthy discussions, cooperation, and working relationships.
• Ability to work a schedule that varies from week to week that may include some evenings and weekends.

Problem Solving - Develops alternative solutions. Gathers and analyzes information skillfully. Identifies problems in a timely manner. Resolves problems in early stages. Works well in group problem solving situations.

Language Ability:
Read and comprehend simple instructions, short correspondence and memos. Write simple correspondence. Effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to customers, clients and other employees.

Mathematical Ability:
Add and subtract two digit numbers and multiply/divide with 10's and 100's. Perform these operations using units of American money and weight measurement, volume and distance.

Reasoning Ability:
Solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.

Computer Skills:
Proficient in Microsoft Office 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, etc.)

Certificates and Licenses:
Valid Minnesota Driver’s License with a satisfactory driving record as outlined in the employee handbook.

Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Frequent talking and listening. Standing, walking, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, and bending. Lifting up to 40 lbs. Frequent use of hands and fingers to operate computer, phones, and writing utensils. Vision requirements as required by having possession of valid Minnesota Driver’s License.