Engagement Coordinator Indigenous Wellness Initiatives - Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario

About YWHO

Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario (YWHO, www.youthhubs.ca) is an Integrated Youth Services (IYS) initiative designed to address the service gaps in the youth mental health and substance use sectors in Ontario. YWHO supports local service providers to work together in a new way, providing young people in Ontario aged 12 to 25 with access to a full range of integrated services that support their individual needs, including mental health and substance use supports, primary care, education, employment, housing and other social services in one youth-friendly space. 

Outcomes are rigorously evaluated within and across hubs focusing on positive outcomes in areas of wellness important to youth and their families. This initiative engages youth, family/caregivers and other partners through a co-creation process, ensuring services are designed and delivered according to their needs. YWHO's IYS model is designed to improve experiences and outcomes for youth by: 

• Increasing access to rapid, low-barrier services;

• Reducing transitions by providing care in one location; and,

• Providing tailored, high-quality programs co-developed with youth to meet their needs.

YWHO is currently comprised of 32 local hubs (or YWHO Networks) that provide services to youth and families in over 40 communities, as well as a Provincial Office (PO) situated within the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) that provides support to all of these YWHO Networks across the following key areas: implementation, operations, data and evaluation, youth and family engagement, equity, knowledge mobilization, communications, and more.

Position Description

The YWHO Provincial Office at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is seeking a full-time, permanent Engagement Coordinator, Indigenous Wellness Initiatives. The Engagement Coordinator will report to the Manager, Equity and Engagement and work closely with members of that team, including the CH&E Engagement Coordinator, Program Engagement Co-Facilitators, and Implementation Specialists. The Engagement Coordinator plays a key role in supporting the Indigenous Wellness Initiatives portfolio at YWHO, which involves collaborating with youth, families, Elder and Knowledge Keepers as system partners; along with service providers to support Indigenous youth across the province of Ontario. 

Furthermore, the role will support a team of Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit and Métis) youth and family members with lived/living experience with mental health and/or substance use challenges, as well as other partners, including Elders and Knowledge Keepers to influence system transformation initiatives. The role will provide guidance and coaching to support collaborative approaches to apply an Indigenous lens to engagement, inclusion, and co-development. The Engagement Coordinator will work with a diverse team of provincial advisors to support the integration of their knowledge and content expertise into evidence-based tools and practices, alongside internal staff, external organizations, and partners. This will include overseeing the activities of the Provincial Indigenous Youth and Family Advisory Circle (PIYFAC), a group of Indigenous youth, family and Elder and Knowledge Keeper advisors who come together to share perspectives on what is needed for Indigenous youth mental health services in Ontario and how the YWHO Hubs can better support service delivery reflective of Indigenous youth and communities.