Teen and Young Adult Advocate - Bilingual, Spanish Preferred

Organization: The Arc- Jefferson, Clear Creek & Gilpin Counties

Organization Type: 501(c) (3)

Department/Group:  Advocacy Team

Location: Based at The Arc’s office with regular off-site responsibilities. All positions at The Arc are up to 80% remote.

Position Type:  Full time, exempt position.  Some nights and weekends are required. 

Reporting:  Reports to Director of Teen and Young Adult Advocacy who serves as Leader/Manager/Coach (LMC)

Accountability:  Accountable to people served by The Arc and our entire staff team

Please Note: Teen and Young Adult Advocates work with many different adults during the advocacy process for young people. When the term “parent” is used, it should be understood to mean all adults involved to support the child’s success – family members, guardians or other natural supports.

Position Description 

The advocacy team provides empowerment through Individual Advocacy for people with IDD and their families who need individual support and information, Trainings to provide group educational opportunities, and Systemic Advocacy to help shape or change policies and procedures that affect people with IDD. The Arc-Jefferson, Clear Creek & Gilpin Counties sponsors, supports, and advises local chapters of Speaking for Ourselves and People First.

This Teen and Young Adult Advocate will focus time, attention, and skills towards ensuring that The Arc- Jefferson, Clear Creek, & Gilpin Counties delivers exceptional advocacy supports to community members with IDD, with a focus on teens and young adults. These skills will continue to be developed over time. 

Individual Advocacy (for teens, young adults and their families in need of tools and resources to overcome obstacles and move in the direction of their own choosing):

• Uphold the values of self-determination and empowerment; support people to speak for themselves.
• Connect with your LMC (Leader/Manager/Coach) to discuss cases, trends, and observations regarding the people to whom you are providing advocacy.
• Learn and grow your skills through engagement with your Advocacy Team colleagues.
• Empower, inform, guide, and educate teens and young adults with IDD to strengthen their advocacy skills. Provide family support on how to cultivate self-advocacy in their child.
• Provide advocacy at the appropriate level to teens and young adults with IDD and their family members/guardians as cases are referred to you.  
• Engage in creative supported decision-making and person-centered problem solving on issues such as education, transition programs, housing, employment, social security, relationships, and pregnancy/parenting.
• Support people in navigating benefits systems and connect them to appropriate community resources.
• Explore future planning and identify available community resources, agencies, and services appropriate for meeting the identified needs of teens and young adults with IDD.
• Provide advocacy in a legal setting without providing legal advice.  This advocacy may be for survivors, victims and/or alleged perpetrators.
• Understand assessments and reports and articulate their meaning to teens and young adults with IDD, their families, and others, explaining how they relate to specific needs.
• Keep abreast of best practices in advocacy, both in Colorado and in other states.
• Keep abreast of the latest laws and regulations, advances in technology, and best practices in supporting people with IDD.
• Maintain up-to-date information regarding advocacy interactions in The Arc’s database; use data to inform The Arc’s programs, including training and systemic advocacy. 
• Review and respond to advocacy requests in a thoughtful and timely manner.

Trainings and Advocacy Outreach:

• Communicate with the Advocacy Team about trends and opportunities for new trainings. 
• Participate in the creation and implementation of these trainings when appropriate, as a part of your professional growth and learning.
• Participate in Advocacy Outreach activities as opportunities arise.

Self-Advocacy Support:

• Uphold the values of self-determination and empowerment; support people to speak for themselves.
• Engage in advisory duties; this includes some evening and weekend responsibilities. 
• Support the coordination and planning of self-advocacy events with team support.
• Stay abreast of issues and advances in the self-advocacy movement and share this information to support The Arc’s growth in this area.

Systemic Advocacy (to help shape or change policies and procedures that affect people with IDD):

• Participate in committees of interest, or as requested when coverage is needed.

PorchLight, a Family Justice Center:

• Participate in The Arc’s onsite rotation, responding to the advocacy needs of victims and survivors with IDD who are served at PorchLight.
• Build community partnerships in an effort to connect victims and survivors with IDD to necessary resources and supports. 

Wheat Ridge Regional Center (WRRC)

• Participate in both proactive and responsive advocacy, to meet the needs of those people who reside at WRRC.

Guardianship and Medical Proxy:

• Understand The Arc’s current role in both Guardianship and Medical Proxy.
• Responsible for sharing and attending to 24/7 on call rotation needs; this role is equally shared by all members of the Advocacy Team. 

Other:

• Embrace and model The Arc’s Core Values and Guiding Principles.
• Embrace and model the principles in The Human Element embraced by our chapter and on which all staff are trained.
• Support and foster a cohesive Advocacy Team that serves people with IDD and their family’s birth through end of life.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications, Knowledge & Skills 

Qualifications

• Bilingual, Spanish preferred
• A combined minimum of three years’ experience and/or education in the field of IDD, specifically with teens and young adults. Internal applicants may qualify with two years’ experience and/or education with at least one year at our chapter.
• Knowledge and experience supporting teens and young adults with IDD. 
• Ability to work a flexible schedule including some evenings and weekends.
• Reliable and flexible transportation required.
• Commitment to supporting a culture of openness, respect and continuous improvement as defined by our chapter.
• Commitment to the mission, vision, values, and work of The Arc

Knowledge

• Basic knowledge of how to collaboratively support teens and young adults with IDD; ability to foster collaboration between professionals/team members.
• Willingness to engage in trauma informed training; basic ability to support and engage with people with IDD who are survivors of abuse and trauma.
• Basic understanding of mental health first aid and willingness to engage in additional training.
• Exercise best practices in person-centered disability etiquette in alignment with The Arc’s values.

Skills

• Basic experience interacting, speaking with, and demonstrating a respectful and accessible approach to communication during interactions with teens and young adults with IDD; ability to take direction from teens and young adults with IDD.
• Basic knowledge of how to gather and synthesize information and resources and adjust the presentation of this information based on a person’s comprehension and preferences. 
• Basic ability to present information clearly in writing, orally, visually, etc.
• Knowledge of, or ability to effectively learn the interconnectedness of federal, state, and local programs/systems; basic knowledge of programs, services, and benefits in Colorado including HCBS Medicaid Waivers and Social Security benefits.
• Ability to listen with empathy and compassion.
• High level of organizational and prioritization skills; ability to hear, understand, and prioritize people’s advocacy needs.
• Thorough research and resourcing skills; creative problem solving.
• Ability to hear and digest constructive feedback; advocacy is a continuous learning experience.
• Multi-tasking is critical; must be able to tend to multiple tasks and stay organized.
• Must have a high degree of self-awareness and a willingness to continually improve performance and communication. 
• Ability and willingness to foster professional, authentic relationships with self-advocates.
• High level of ability to set personal and professional boundaries. 
• High degree of flexibility and ability to collaborate with team members to ensure on call needs are always met.
• Spanish language skills and cultural competency preferred.

Background

Founded in 1961, The Arc- Jefferson, Clear Creek & Gilpin Counties is one of more than 650 chapters of The Arc across the United States. We are a part of the largest national organization of and for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and their families, promoting and protecting their human rights and actively supporting their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes. We foster respect and access, giving people with I/DD the power to achieve their dreams. 

For more information about The Arc- Jefferson, Clear Creek & Gilpin Counties, please visit www.arcjc.org

The Arc is an equal opportunity employer that values workplace diversity. The Arc strives to create an inclusive work place that embraces diverse backgrounds, life experiences and perspectives. The Arc prohibits discrimination of employees or applicants on the basis of race, creed, color, age, sex, national origin, disability, marital status, gender identity, sexual orientation, religious or political affiliation, or any other classification considered discriminatory under applicable law.