Family Advocate

Family Enrichment Center: About the Family Enrichment Center

The Family Enrichment Center (FEC) is a warm and welcoming community-gathering place in the Hunts Point neighborhood of the Bronx. It is a space where any member of the community can come for support, information, and services. The FEC is a home-like setting, which reflects the community, and offers direct services, activities, and resources that promote family well-being and empowerment. In partnership with FEC staff, families will drive the planning, development, and sustainable co-ownership of the centers. Families who participate in the FEC programming will be encouraged to share their expertise by volunteering at the center and given meaningful opportunities to engage with neighbors and peers. The goal of the FEC is to strengthen families’ protective factors and build community connections, capacity and resilience.

Position Summary:
The focus of this job is building connections with FEC Staff, community partners, and stakeholders. An engaging-empathetic communication style based on natural warmth and enthusiasm is the key to achieving the goals of this job. The FEC Family Advocate is responsible for contributing to the day-to-day operation of the FEC including, co-designing and delivering programming, providing concrete advocacy for members, making referrals, and creating a warm and welcoming gathering place. The Family Advocate will welcome newcomers, take active steps to recruit volunteers, and ensure that they are valued members of the team.

A key part of the Family Advocate’s job is to convene, support, and collaborate with a team of local parents to deliver monthly events (training will be provided).

You Are:
A natural collaborator.
Able to focus on the big picture as well as the details.
Warm, outgoing, enthusiastic, and can enliven, engage, and positively impact individuals and groups from a diverse community.
Able to co-create with the Family Enrichment Center community.
A sincere appreciation for people and how they are each uniquely motivated to design and implement interactive communication and offerings.
Skilled at working in a fast-paced environment on multiple projects occurring simultaneously.
Able to promote cooperation and possess a strong commitment to results.
Solution-focused and skilled at proactively establishing relationships and new groups.
Able to involve others in decision-making processes, promote cooperation, and possess a strong commitment to results.
Community Engagement through Appreciative Inquiry: always attends to community engagement; face-to-face individual coaching and coordinates with other organizations including negotiating with community partners on behalf of the community to ensure community needs are met on an ongoing basis.
Meets FEC requirements in the timeliness and frequency of member contacts.
Presenting and participating in community events and meetings.
Ensures that it is sufficient follow-up for both individuals and community partners, which includes relationship building with community partners who participated in various offerings at FEC including Community Cafes among other co-created offerings.
O.U.R. Place Offerings: ensure that families are positively progressing with their families by engaging in family offerings like the Parent Café. The offerings insure that there are individual and family outcomes that focus on the seven protective factors. The offering framework modifies plans to affirm, lift community voice and celebrate family’s success on an ongoing basis.
Documentation: understands the importance of timely documentation as a reflection of FEC planning with families and the community. a) Submits all required documentation including petty cash reimbursements, purchase orders and check requests for Vendors to ensure that all the necessary supplies are available for successful FEC offerings. b) Completes and submits critical incident reports within the 24-hour timeframe.
Practice: a) immediately reaches out to engage with caregivers and individuals and consistently insures that engagement takes place promptly. Weekly Check-ins with the community via text messages and phone calls. b) Follow-up with community/ caregivers after an offering via phone call or text message. c) Use text messaging to share opportunities for support and resources distributed from other community partners. Meaningfully follows up with providers to insure that families are receiving appropriate services that address their needs. d) Co-Created pre/post surveys to engage the community’s interest in offerings and to use surveys to co-design future offerings with the community. Surveys will be used to ensure that communities’ needs are being met as well as their voices are being heard.
Community Partner Collaboration: a) Engage community partners to develop a connection to the community through their participation and engagement of O.U.R. Place offerings. This level of partnership supports the community in building stronger relationships with community partners while also building a “warm handoff” connection between the community partners and O.U.R. Place.

You Have:
Bachelor's Degree in social work, public policy, education, public administration, or related field; and/or equivalent experience.
Bilingual (Spanish/English).
Lived and/or worked in the South Bronx.
Strong interpersonal skills, being able to connect with and engage children, youth and families.
Experience imputing data, running data-driven reports, and using the information to make programmatic decisions.
Experience developing and running street outreach events, developing community partnerships, and developing community resources.

It Is A Plus If You:
Have experience in any of the following areas: political campaigns, street outreach, h and/or developing community programs and services.
Have experience organizing.

Position Type: Full Time.
Salary: $50,000+ Merit Pay + Benefits.

Graham Windham offers eligible employees a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision coverage, paid time off, holiday pay, a retirement savings plan, and much more.