CH&E Coordinator (Engagement Coordinator) - 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.

Reporting to the Manager, Equity & Engagement, the CH&E Coordinator will work within YWHO PO on the Equity & Engagement team to advance youth and family engagement across YWHO by strengthening engagement practices, building capacity across IYS Networks, supporting youth and family leadership and influence, and ensuring that youth, family, and lived/living experience perspectives shape the ongoing improvement of the YWHO model and broader systems of care.

The incumbent will be required to bring specific capacities and expertise in the areas of youth and family engagement, service provider engagement, co-development, knowledge exchange and system change. This position is responsible for coordinating the engagement of youth and families in YWHO initiatives through establishing and coordinating advisory structures, including establishing advisory structures, facilitating and coordinating meetings, and ensuring advisory members are supported in their participation. Overall, responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Coordination, facilitation and co-design work with YWHO Provincial Office partners including the YWHO Provincial Youth Advisory Committee, the YWHO Provincial Family Advisory Committee, and the Provincial Indigenous Youth and Family Advisory Circle.
• Providing mentorship, direction, and support to youth engagement staff to support a network of youth and youth advisors at the YWHO PO to provide input, ongoing feedback, guidance, and/or to co-design project initiatives to ensure youth's needs and preferences are met.
• Co-designing and delivering key supports for YWHO Provincial advisors: advisor orientation and training, YWHO advisor retreats, and regular communications with YWHO provincial advisors - including the development and administration of digital collaboration tools.
• Supporting the coordination and administration of engagement initiatives at the YWHO PO office, in close collaboration with Youth Engagement Specialists. This may include supporting outreach, recruitment, and the onboarding of youth advisors, as well as promoting and tracking youth and family involvement in YWHO initiatives and opportunities.
• Strategizing with various teams to select appropriate tactics for facilitating meaningful engagement of people with lived experience in each new initiative.
• Supporting integration of lived and living experience into decision-making across the YWHO initiative, including the PO, provincial-wide advocacy, and locally with hub networks
• Providing support as needed with the coordination of other advisories, such as the YWHO Provincial Indigenous Youth and Family Advisory Circle, as well as other youth and family working Groups.
• Supporting the active involvement of youth, family members, service providers, system leaders and other stakeholders in YWHO initiatives and project teams. This includes prioritizing meaningful involvement of diverse communities, including but not limited to rural communities, Indigenous communities, Black communities, other racialized communities, LGBTQ2S communities, people with neurodevelopmental differences, and people living with disabilities in all stages of implementation, providing tailored and contextualized support at a provincial level.
• Working collaboratively with YWHO Engagement Team, including the Integration and Implementation Lead and Manager, Equity and Engagement, to support the co-development of YWHO engagement processes, practices, and approaches for the YWHO Provincial Office;
• Providing support and coaching to YWHO sites on youth and family engagement as needed
• Working collaboratively with YWHO Engagement Team, including the Manager, Equity and Engagement, to co-design capacity-building and training initiatives in meaningful engagement with youth and families for YWHO PO staff and the wider YWHO Network of Hub Engagement Leads
• Developing and maintain key internal and external partnerships related youth and family engagement.
• Working collaboratively with the research team, advisors, and community partners and will be able to lead the development of engagement projects
• Supporting meaningful engagement of youth and families by coordinating and facilitating advisory group meetings, focus groups, and consultations with broader groups of people with lived/living expertise; as well as supporting larger provincial/national consultations, in-person summits, and others.
• Collaborating with advisors and staff across YWHO on the co-development of abstracts for conference submission and the co-presenting of findings/learnings from relevant engagement practices. This may involve supporting people with lived experience in contributing to research proposals, manuscripts, and publications.
• Other duties as required

• The successful candidate will possess a Master’s degree in Psychology, Health, Education or Social Services combined with three (3) years’ experience in the field of mental health and addiction or health services, preferably in the youth mental health, addictions, and/or social services sector.
• Thorough understanding of principles and practices of community engagement is required in addition to experience with youth and family engagement, including advisory and committee work.
• Excellent organizational, planning and time management skills, with the ability to multi-task, produce and coordinate projects to meet tight deadlines.
• A demonstrated ability to provide guidance and leadership to collaborative partnerships. Must have ability to collaborate and work as part of a team, as well as function independently with minimal supervision. Demonstrated strong interpersonal, communication (oral/written) and creative problem-solving abilities are required.
• Adept at working within teams that involve engaging and activating people with lived experience along with people with other types of expertise including healthcare professionals to researchers, evaluators, digital developers, editors, graphic designers, and other professional expertise.
• Familiarity with implementation of science frameworks or other evidence informed implementation or quality improvement framework is an asset.
• Demonstrated commitment to principles of equity, inclusivity, respect and social justice is required in addition to strong knowledge of Ontario’s mental health and substance use system/services
• Experience in assisting teams with system change initiatives through facilitation, problem solving, collaboration and co-design and conflict resolution is required in addition to ability to translate various kinds of data, research and grey literature to non-academic target audiences.
• Demonstrated skills and commitment to data driven/evidence-informed decision making is required in addition to experience in program development including assessing needs, gathering information and developing solutions/recommendations for change.
• A high degree of familiarity with Microsoft Office (e.g., Outlook for email and calendar management), virtual meeting platforms (e.g., Webex, Zoom), other platforms for collaboration, and social media fluency as well as an ability to learn new programs quickly is required.
• Bilingualism (French/English) and/or the ability to speak an Indigenous language is also considered an asset.
• This role will support a healthy workplace that embraces diversity, encourages teamwork, and complies with all applicable and regulatory requirements. This role is located at the CAMH Queen Street Site, with travel to communities across Ontario required time-to-time for program assignments. This role will often require some evening hours to perform duties.

All applicants offered and accepting employment must complete either a Broad Record Check or Vulnerable Sector Police Record Check. The offer of employment will be conditional upon receipt of a satisfactory records check.

Salary Range: $37.51-$50.60/hour

CAMH is a fully affiliated teaching hospital and research institute of the University of Toronto. As a CAMH employee, you will contribute to our mission by supporting teaching, research, and clinical care across the hospital.

CAMH is dedicated to equity, diversity, and inclusion. Our commitment is to foster a workplace, teaching, and learning environment that is inclusive, respectful, and free from discrimination or harassment.

CAMH strongly encourages applications from candidates who reflect the diversity of the communities we serve, including First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Peoples; Black and other racialized communities; LGBTQ2S+ communities; women; and people with disabilities, including those with lived experience of mental health and substance use challenges.

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds. Thank you to all who apply; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. If you require accommodations during the application or recruitment process, please let us know.