Program Engagement Co-Facilitator - Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario

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 

YWHO is currently seeking one (1) part-time, contract (12 months) Program Engagement Co-Facilitator (Youth Engagement Specialist) to work at the YWHO Provincial Office in Toronto. The successful candidate will report to the Manager of Equity and Engagement at the YWHO Provincial Office and will work closely with the Community, Health and Education (CH&E) Coordinator, Engagement and as part of the YWHO Equity and Engagement team.  

The candidate will draw from their own lived/living experience with mental health and/or substance use challenges, prior or current experiences accessing supportive social services, as well as a broader system level perspective in service planning, education and research activities at YWHO and in the broader community. 

The Program Engagement Co-Facilitator will work alongside service providers, implementation, equity, engagement, evaluation, research, and various other staff to ensure that YWHO projects, provincial-level engagement processes, staffing, activities and outcomes are more relevant and better reflect the needs of young people with lived/living experience of mental health and substance use challenges.