Community Engagement Specialist - Safe Voices Peel

Building Multicultural Communities (BMC)

Is a charity established in 1987 that provides settlement and social services to newcomers, immigrants and the larger community in the Peel Region. Our mandate and core business is to enable less advantaged individuals, families and groups in the community to reach their full potential, enhance their life skills, and create a better future. BMC has a variety of specialized programs that cater to specific demographics and focus on providing different services such as (Settlement, Mental Health, Youth Development, Employment, and Seniors Support) making BMC a one-stop-shop for needed services. The Community Engagement Specialist will support the delivery of Safe Voices Peel, an intergenerational community safety initiative focused on preventing Islamophobia and hate-motivated crime through youth leadership, community education, lived-experience engagement and collaboration with community partners. This role will recruit, mentor and prepare Youth Community Ambassadors, coordinate and support community dialogue and education activities, conduct community outreach, maintain partnerships, and support project evaluation and reporting.

Responsibilities

• Recruit, engage, and mentor youth ages 16–29 participating as Youth Community Ambassadors.
• Maintain and support a core cohort of approximately 10 Youth Community Ambassadors throughout the project.
• Develop positive relationships with youth and provide ongoing coaching, mentorship, and leadership development.
• Plan and deliver approximately 12 Youth Ambassador Mentorship and preparation sessions annually.
• Coordinate training on Islamophobia, hate-motivated crime prevention, bystander intervention, community safety, hate crime reporting, and trauma-informed facilitation.
• Prepare and support Youth Ambassadors to lead or co-facilitate workshops, presentations, outreach, and community engagement activities.
• Collaborate with community organizations and public-safety partners to coordinate training, education, outreach, prevention, and community engagement activities.
• Conduct outreach and build relationships with Muslim communities, youth organizations, faith-based organizations, and other community stakeholders.
• Coordinate and support intergenerational community dialogues that bring together youth, families, community members, individuals with lived experience, community organizations, and public-safety partners to strengthen awareness, trust, prevention, and community safety.
• Support the development and distribution of workshop materials, resource guides, reporting information, and other project resources.
• Identify participant needs and connect youth, families, and community members to appropriate BMC programs, community organizations, and other community supports.
• Maintain accurate participant, outreach, attendance, and program records and ensure timely data entry.
• Administer surveys, assessments, and feedback tools; monitor participant and Youth Ambassador development; and track project outcomes related to awareness, confidence, connection, community safety, and engagement.
• Prepare program statistics and contribute to monthly, quarterly, annual, and funder reports.
• Promote Safe Voices Peel activities through community outreach, networking, and appropriate communication channels.
• Represent BMC and Safe Voices Peel at community, networking, partnership, and outreach meetings and events.
• Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends as required for program delivery.
• Attend staff meetings and training sessions as required
• Any other related duties complementary to the job
• Reports to CEO or designate

Qualifications/Skills 

• Post-secondary degree or diploma in Social Services, Community Development, Youth Work, Social Work, Equity Studies, Community Engagement, or a related field.
• Minimum two (2) years of relevant experience in youth programming, community engagement, outreach, facilitation, or a related social service setting.
• Demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships with youth, diverse communities, and Muslim communities in Peel Region.
• Strong understanding of Islamophobia, racism, discrimination, hate-motivated behaviour, community safety, and hate crime prevention.
• Experience facilitating workshops, community discussions, youth programs, mentoring, or leadership development.
• Demonstrated ability to facilitate sensitive and potentially difficult conversations using culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and anti-racist approaches.
• Knowledge of community and social service organizations and resources throughout Peel Region.
• Strong communication, interpersonal, facilitation, outreach, networking, and organizational skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively with community partners, police services, government representatives, and other stakeholders.
• Strong computer skills, including Microsoft Office and web-based databases; social media and digital communication skills are an asset.
• Fluency in English is required; additional languages commonly spoken within Peel’s Muslim communities are an asset
• Police Record Check is required as a condition of employment.
• Must have reliable access to transportation and be able to travel throughout Peel Region as required. Where a personal vehicle is used for work-related travel, a valid driver's licence and appropriate automobile insurance are required.