The Youth Justice Coalition (YJC) is working to build a youth, family, and formerly and currently incarcerated people’s movement to challenge America’s addiction to incarceration and race, gender and class discrimination in Los Angeles County’s, California’s and the nation’s juvenile and criminal injustice systems. The YJC’s goal is to dismantle policies and institutions that have ensured the massive lock-up and deportation of people of color, increasing law enforcement violence and militarization, violation of youth and communities’ Constitutional and human rights, the construction of a vicious school-to-jail track, and the build-up of the world’s largest network of jails and prisons. We use transformative justice and community intervention/peacebuilding, FREE LA High School, know your rights, participatory defense, and police and court monitoring to “starve the beast” – promoting safety in our schools, homes and neighborhoods without relying on punishment and suppression, preventing system contact, and pulling people out of the system. We use direct action organizing, advocacy, political education, and activist arts to agitate, expose, and pressure the people in charge in order to upset power and bring about change. For more information, visit: www.youth4justice.org
JOB POSITION SUMMARY:
The Coordinator for the Street C.R.E.D. program will be responsible for the success of Street C.R.E.D. to grow the capacity to educate on substance use, prevention of substance use disorders and grow the intervention around substance use disorders – both within FREE LA, Chuco’s Justice Center and the communities of South Central, Watts and Compton.
The Coordinator will be responsible to build up FREE LA students’ knowledge, skill and leadership in substance use education and disorder prevention and expand that into the community closest to YJC’s youth leaders. FREE LA has identified substance use disorders as a major factor for students and their loved ones over the last 15 years. The coordinator will be responsible for coordinating the training of 20 FREE LA students in the full Street CRED curriculum, develop them into health promoters/promotores and all outreach efforts to take the information to the streets to inform and empower the community. Build with community and school partners to distribute a grass-roots, street and social media based education campaign to educate the community on the impact and signs of opioid addiction and overdose, crisis response, and resources for prevention and treatment; and Demonstrate to LA County Department of Youth Development how to create drug treatment, health and mental health interventions and reimagining 911 that prioritizes a medical, mental health and transformative justice intervention in collaboration with organizing efforts around Youth Justice Reimagined (the transformation of the juvenile justice system in LA County).
Responsibilities will include:
- Work with the Street C.R.E.D. team to learn the information, study the grant, build out the work plan, execute the grant, and ensure compliance;
- Coordinate the implementation team, facilitate weekly planning sessions and other planning meetings as needed;
- Review/learn/revise the 60 hours of ready Street C.R.E.D. curriculum that is culturally effective with our membership to train FREE LA students;
- Build up youth leaders’ knowledge, skill and leadership in substance use education and disorder prevention and expand that into the community;
- Train in the full curriculum, develop them into health promoters /promotores;
- Prepare all outreach workers to communicate in both English and Spanish;
- Coordinate outreach team to take it to the streets to inform and empower the community;
- Leverage YJC’s community space – Chuco’s Justice Center and partners that work inside – as a South LA city and county hub for community support, legal support, diversion from drug-related arrests, Probation violations, detention and incarceration;
- Expand our partnership with Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science to train and stipend people who are currently or formerly involved in the underground drug economy (as users, sellers, and/or survival sex workers) to serve as health promoters (promotoras, curanderas) in order to reduce opioid and other drug use, overdose, and STI infection;
- Build with community and school partners to distribute a grass-roots, street and social media based education campaign to educate the community on the impact and signs of opioid addiction and overdose, crisis response, and resources for prevention and treatment; and
- Demonstrate to the LA County Department of Youth Development how to create drug treatment, health and mental health interventions and reimagining 911 that prioritizes a medical, mental health or transformative justice intervention.
ABOUT THE PERSON
The position requires a person who has strong administrative and organizational skills and a commitment to the work of the Youth Justice Coalition. They must have excellent interpersonal skills, strong verbal and excellent written communication skills. Person must have a commitment to building relationships with youth and community members most impacted by suppression, incarceration and deportation. Social justice experience and relationships with funders is a plus.
SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
- Experienced in substance use education, prevention and intervention
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Works well under pressure
- Strong team skills and collaborative leadership
- Honest, open and articulate public speaker
- Experience with community work and social justice issues
- Experience working in diverse environments
- Community minded
- Strong listening skills and ability to connect with and support others
- Diplomatic and excellent conflict resolution skills
- Able to prioritize and delegate
- Multitasking, organizational and time management skills
- Ability to handle confidential matters with utmost integrity
- Working knowledge of computers
Person in substance recovery for more than 5+ years, formerly incarcerated, system impacted, BIPoC, LGBTQ+, and people with disabilities and people with community, union and/or youth organizing experience are encouraged to apply. Bi-lingual in English and Spanish a plus.
COMPENSATION
$50-60,000 / annual (based on experience) with benefits. Reporting to the FREE LA Education Director & Development Team for updates and areas of support needed.
TIMELINE AND PROCESS
Applications will be reviewed upon receipt, until the position is filled. Position will begin immediately.Please send a cover letter, resume, and three references to: jobs@youth4justice.org. Please Include ” (Your Name) Street CRED Coordinator” in the subject line and include your name in any attachments “ (Your Name) Resume 2024”.