**[POSITION SUMMARY [The mission of Youth Advocates of Sitka is to support the mental health of Alaskas youth and their families. [Youth Advocates of Sitkas vision is to empower youth to grow into healthy, happy, and productive members of our community. [The AmeriCorps member will engage in creation and delivery of enrichment activities and develop relationships. [Sitka AmeriCorps members serve the community of Sitka using a healing centered engagment and culturally responsive program model. The goal is to form developmental relationships through academic support, mentoring, providing mental health and life skills, and enrichment activities. These relationships build youth resiliency which results in better long-term outcomes. The AmeriCorps members are embedded within the schools in a way that is unique and provides a nurturing role model for at risk youth that affects their lives in a meaningful way. [The key to being a successful AmeriCorps member is communicating with staff to best assist them and ensure that you are supported as an individual. Flexibility and communication as well as good rain gear are all you really need to be happy and helpful.

**[DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES [-Provide support in modeling emotional, behavioral, and life skills to youth clients residing in the community and residential program [- Meet the defined needs of YAS youth clients. AmeriCorps members serve with youth residing at the residential facility, the community teen drop-in center, and various locations in Sitka. [-Exercise sound judgment and demonstrate effective communication skills. [-Provide behavioral interventions to facilitate and model problem solving. [-Act as a Skills Mentor. Skills Mentoring means actively teaching youth to exhibit appropriate social and emotional behavior, develop healthy peer and family relationships, provide self-care, and engage in conflict resolution. Skills mentoring includes skill instruction, skill practice, redirection, feedback, positive praise, role modeling, promoting healthy behaviors and activities, encouraging residents, and academic coaching. [-Connect with community partners to plan, schedule, and implement activities for youth. Activities may take place within the residential setting, out in the community, or at the drop-in teen center. [-Attend and facilitate group activities for residential youth, community youth, or a combination of each. Attendance may vary between residential youth only, YAS clients only including residential and outpatient, or may be open to clients and community youth combined. [-Assist Cultural Specialist in culturally relevant and appropriate activities, including attending community events, working with local or visiting cultural bearers, help with subsistence foods education [-Conduct their professional life as a socially appropriate model for YAS clients. [-Handle and give medications to clients [-Drive clients to appointments, school, and other engagements [-Write documentation notes on clients on AKAIMS [-Cook meals for clients [-Be sensitive to and appreciative of cross-cultural issues in the treatment process, and understand the importance of maintaining a clean, healthy living environment. [-Demonstrate appropriate sensitivity to client needs and be self-aware of their own strengths and limitations when actively using YAS policies and procedures for AmeriCorps volunteer members.

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