Term Position: As soon as possible – March 31, 2020 (with possibility of renewal)
35 hrs/week @ $18.50/hr
Since 2010 The WRENCH has utilized volunteer labour and bike parts reclaimed from the waste stream to create a wide variety of community bike projects aimed at educating youth, empowering volunteers and providing people with affordable, sustainable active transportation. We envision a world where everyone is empowered to experience their community by bicycle.
The WRENCH is a registered charity that creates stronger, healthier communities by removing barriers to building, repairing and maintaining bicycles - with a focus on educating youth. We make bikes accessible by:
- Providing programming, education and resources for community members and organizations
- Supporting school and community bike shops
- Promoting bicycle use
The WRENCH is seeking a Newcomer Mentor for our Wheels of Courage (WoC) project. Working under the direction of the WoC Lead Mentor, the Newcomer Mentor will be part of a team dedicated to helping youth focus their passion for bicycles into meaningful, hands-on service opportunities. Mentors will assist youth in identifying issues of concern in their communities and then taking action through co-created volunteer projects.
Job Description
- Conducting ongoing youth outreach to promote civic engagement and recruit Wheels of Courage (WoC) volunteers – with a focus on newcomer youth
- Creating customized mentorship plans for individual WoC volunteers– with a focus on newcomer youth
- Providing holistic support for WoC volunteers (as needed, e.g. helping them to access other youth services, providing assistance navigating “systems” such as the justice system, Child and Family Services, schools, etc.)
- Identifying best practices to support a diversity of youth volunteers
- Directing and coordinating youth volunteer activities
- Training youth volunteers in bicycle mechanics
- Creating and moderating WoC social media groups
- Facilitating WoC volunteers in the process of identifying and prioritizing needs in the community
- Connecting youth with professional skills development opportunities
- Facilitating WoC volunteers in the co-creation of new service opportunities
- Liaising with schools and service organizations to identify and create meaningful volunteer opportunities for youth
- Hosting Wheels of Courage Work Parties
- Facilitating communications between WoC volunteers, the WRENCH and partnering organizations
- Monitoring progress of WoC volunteers and activities, gathering metrics and feedback
Qualifications
The ideal candidate will have:
- Familiarity with the community bike shop model.
- Two years of related experience working with newcomer youth.
- Experience delivering strength based trauma informed service delivery for youth.
- Ability to adapt to a changing environment and handle multiple priorities.
- Awareness and sensitivity to issues of marginalization (sexism, racism, classism) and cultural diversity.
- Knowledge of community based youth serving organizations for newcomers.
Skills
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a team environment.
- A strong interest in other people and diverse perspectives. Experience working with a variety of organizations and groups.
- Strong interpersonal skills. Ability to quickly establish rapport with individuals from a broad range of disciplines and backgrounds.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English. Additional language skills considered an,asset.
- Ability to self-direct, prioritize and meet deadlines while concurrently managing multiple projects.
- Ability to exercise sound judgement, anticipate/assess situations, and take proactive steps to create positive outcomes.
- Ability to ride a bicycle as traffic on major roadways.
- Intermediate bicycle mechanical skills or willingness to learn.
Application deadline: 12 pm, Wednesday April 10th, 2019
Please submit resume and cover letter by email to:
ATTN: WRENCH Personnel Committee
programs at thewrench.ca
Website: https://thewrench.ca/
