THE OPPORTUNITY
According to Statistics Canada, almost 50% of persons with disabilities of working age are either unemployed or underemployed. In a three-year disability and employment research initiative by ConnecTra Society, over 60% of participants had some form of post-secondary education, yet only 3% found work on their own.
The Youth Leadership Initiative project aims to provide meaningful and paid internships to bring together post-secondary students with disabilities to explore barriers to, and inform solutions for, transitioning from their education into the workplace. In addition to engaging post-secondary students and institutions across Canada, the Youth Leadership Initiative will form a national student advisory board, to raise awareness and promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Included in the internship are facilitated learning workshops and peer mentorship to cultivate leadership competencies.
The initiative is a three-year project that commences August 2020. To bring the Youth Leadership Initiative project to fruition, the first year of the project will be focused on designing a project framework, implementing an initial data gathering initiative, and generating a stakeholder database.
Employer: Disability Foundation
Start and End Dates: 1 year internship, commencing in September 2021
Job Type: Part-time
Hours of Work: 18.75 hours/week
Wage: $16/hour
Funding for the Youth Leadership Initiative Coordinator is intended to provide opportunities for youth with disabilities to gain skills and leadership development through a paid internship.
The successful candidate will be working with a project team consisting of the Executive Director, researcher, as well as, Communications and Development team members. As part of the internship, Royal Roads University will provide workshops to support development of values-based leadership competencies and facilitate a Community of Practice with peer mentors.
Duties:
Stakeholder Engagement
- Internet research and outreach to identify and gather contact information for key stakeholders, including post-secondary institutions (i.e. career services, accessibility offices, student groups), disability organizations, youth employment stakeholders, etc.
- Create a database (using Salesforce) to support efficient communications and contact tracking with stakeholders
- Participate in the development of a communications plan for proactive outreach to key stakeholders
- Implement the communications plan
Marketing and Communications
- Generate content to promote the Youth Leadership Initiative – including writing and graphic design
- Help to prepare promotional materials and visual, user-friendly data findings reports
- Attend relevant events (virtual)
- Help to generate media interest in the initiative
Project Management
- Participate in the creation of a project implementation and tracking framework that includes timelines and measurements
- Create and maintain a system of project documentation and tools
- Provide progress reporting including both internal and external presentations and preparing documentation for funders
- Participate and support data collection and analysis
Skills And Qualifications:
- Internet research and data entry
- Strong written and interpersonal communications skills
- Exceptionally organized (i.e. time management, document and record-keeping, managing information flow)
- Report writing and presentation experience
- A can-do, problem-solving and solutions-driven attitude
- Able to work well on a team as well as independently to achieve shared goals
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite of products (Outlook, Excel, Word)
To See Full Job Ad: Click Here
How to Apply:
Apply by sending a resume with either cover letter or writing samples to David Fong, Interim Executive Director at admin@disabilityfoundation.org no later than September 15, 2021.