Peer Supporter, West End Youth Group

Location:  Ottawa, Ontario

Reports to: Coordinator, Youth Engagement

Employment Status : Part time temporary (12 months)

Bargaining Unit Status : Excluded

Hourly Wage/Salary: $21.22 - $25.50

Language requirements:  English is essential, French is an asset

Bona fide occupational requirement (BFOR): Racialized/Black lived experience

Schedule: 10 hours per week. Day/Evening time, Weekday, Weekend

Competition Number: 26-071

Closing Date: July 21st, 2026

Vacancy : Yes

Posting stage:  Internal and external

YSB offers a variety of Peer Support opportunities within its Community Services Youth Engagement Program. In promoting youth engagement, Peer Support Workers help facilitate YSB’s Peer to Peer service groups as well as participate in other initiatives that focus on advocacy and program creation for youth living in Ottawa.

The Peer Support Worker will work closely with the YSB Youth Engagement staff ally to coordinate and facilitate the monthly West End Program in partnership with the Ethnocultural Youth Advisory Committee. West End programming aims to support, develop community and create learning opportunities for racialized youth between the ages of 16-24 residing in City of Ottawa family shelters in Ottawa’s West End.

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What you will do

The Peer Supporter will work closely with the YSB Youth Engagement staff ally to coordinate and facilitate the west End Youth Group.

• Facilitate the West End program once per month at City of Ottawa Family Shelter alongside a Youth Engagement staff ally and EYAC
• Work alongside racialized and Black peers and staff to implement meaningful programming that contributes to inclusion, building safe spaces and developing a peer group for Racialized and Black youth.
• Foster and promote identify-affirming in-person spaces by creating workshops and activities for participating West End youth
• This position will require data collection to confirm that the program is meeting key performance indicators
• Create visually appealing marketing materials
• Facilitate the purchase of necessary materials for the program i.e. snack, program supplies
• Participate in maintaining safety and cleanliness in the Youth Engagement Space
• Participate in the planning, co-creation, co-delivery and co-evaluation of YSB’s programs and services where appropriate
• Network and develop partnerships with other youth advisory committees and community groups where appropriate

This opportunity may be right for you if you have the following:

• An interest in contributing to important social change
• Under 25 years of age
• Experience facilitating groups
• Available one or two evenings per week plus day and occasional weekends
• Knowledge and understanding of issues relating to racialized and Black youth
• Lived experience as part of the racialized and Black community
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Team-player but also confident to work independently and able to take initiative
• Strong organizational skills
• Demonstrated confidence as an engaged youth (i.e. youth led organizing, planning and delivering peer to peer activities, leadership in community initiatives etc.)
• Demonstrated capacity to work with and engage with the 2SLGBTQIA+ youth community from a peer-to-peer perspective
• Understand and support working from a philosophy that supports intersectionality amongst key communities including but not limited to Queer and Trans communities, Black and racialized communities, and Indigenous communities
• Knowledge and understanding of contributing factors to homelessness, lived experience an asset
• Knowledge of youth engagement principles and practices
• Experience fostering relationships with community partners

Additional Qualifications

• Successful applicants will be required to provide a clear Vulnerable Sector Check or Broad Police check obtained within the past six (6) months, as a condition of employment with YSB.
• To confirm language proficiency required for this position, successful candidates may be requested to undergo an oral and written assessment conducted by a third-party provider, arranged by YSB. Candidates must meet the minimum required linguistic profile before their employment start date. Formal education may be considered as sufficient demonstration of language proficiency, but is subject to review.

Disclaimer: This job description indicates the general nature and level of work expected of the incumbent. It is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the incumbent. Incumbent may be asked to perform other duties as required.

Join us!

If you think this vacancy is a good fit, we would love to hear from you. Please visit the career section of our website to submit your resume and one-page cover letter. Don’t just tell us what we want to hear, tell us your story and why you would make a great addition to our team.

We know applying to a job takes time and thank all candidates for their interest. While we are not able to get back to every candidate, we will ensure shortlisted applicants are aware of their status and will do our best to provide feedback if that can be helpful.

At YSB, we are committed to building a workforce that reflects the diversity of our community. We encourage applications from Indigenous peoples, racialized people, people with disabilities, people from the LGBTQ community and/or people with intersectional identities. Accommodation will be made available for applicants with a disability throughout the hiring process, kindly make your needs known in advance. The selected candidate will be required to follow all mandatory Covid 19 safety protocols.

All interested candidates are encouraged to apply. In the event a qualified candidate is not found, candidates that do not meet the all qualifications indicated on the posting may be considered.