Youth Health Justice Training Internship: Spring 2024

Opportunity: The Young Women's Project (YWP) is a dynamic, brave organization that develops leaders, takes on institutions, and builds youth power in DC. We are looking for a self starter with a flexible skill set that includes youth development, training and facilitation, and research and a demonstrated commitment to youth rights. . Ideal candidates will be at home training youth leaders or developing program plan. Demonstrated commitment to mental health and wellness and/or reproductive health is key. We are a small, ambitious organization with a big agenda and limited resources—expect to learn a lot and wear a lot of hats and to make a difference in the lives of hundreds of youth.

YWP Mission: The Young Women's Project (YWP) builds the leadership and power of young people so that they can transform DC institutions to expand rights and opportunities for DC youth. YWP programs engage youth on three levels – as organizers (educating, engaging, mobilizing their peers, working as teams to make decisions), as advocates (presenting testimony to city Council, advocating with Agency leaders, developing and passing policies) and as system rebuilders (developing programs, creating new peer-led systems, integrating youth into decision making). Our work engages under-resourced BIPOC youth ages 14-21 from all DC Wards and most public high schools. The vast majority of your youth identify as women, 20% identify as LGBTQ. Last year, we hired and trained 242 young people from 25 DC public and charter schools. All YWP youth staff work 5-6 hours a week, develop a portfolio of products, build cross-neighborhood friendships, earn $10-17/hr and receive more than 150 hours of training. Founded in 1994 as a Collective, YWP has a staff of 6 adults and 150 youth and a budget of $650,000. We are value-driven, anti-racist, feminist, grounded in youth development and partnership, and work every day to dismantle oppression and rebuild institutions.

YWP Program: YWP's work is organized into two program areas, driven by long-term-system-change-focused goals. The Youth Health Educator Program (YHEP) develops youth as sexual health advocates and educators who work to expand reproductive rights, reduce unintended pregnancy, distribute condoms, and connect youth to sexual health services. Recent projects include the 2023 Sexual Education Centers that provide sexual health information, resources, and services, conducting a Youth Sexual Health Survey taken by 650 youth across 24 DC High Schools (Results are here) and presenting 22 testimonies to DC Council. The Youth Justice campaign (YJC) develops youth as advocates and organizers to advance a bold agenda and leverage their power through collective action. In response to the youth mental health crisis and the need for school based services, YJC youth started the Mental Health Campaign, aims to strengthen school-based mental health programming, connect youth to services, reduce stigma, expand access to mental health education, and advocate for stronger school based programming and funding. Since 2019, YJC Youth Advocates conducted 3 Annual Youth Mental Health Surveys with more than 2,000 students, presented 72 Performance Oversight and Budget Testimonies on a range of health, employment and education issues to DC Council, helped create the School-Based Behavioral Health Student Peer Educator Pilot (P2P Pilot) that codifies the essential role of peer educators into law, and created the Student On-line Support (SOS) Virtual Wellness Centers in 16 schools (and in Spanish). ing, connect youth to services, reduce stigma, and expand access to mental health education.

Position Summary: The Health Justice Intern (YJC-HJI) will work as part of a 6-person Advocacy Team (including the Executive Director, YJC Program Manager, YHEP Coordinator, YJC Training Coordinator) and 100 youth educators-organizers in order to contribute to four areas of work; 1) Train and engage youth through Summer Training Institutes on mental health & wellness, sexual harassment & school safety, and sexual health; 2) Develop curricula, training materials, and planning documents; 3) Conduct research on models, policies, and best practices in school-based peer counseling programs, school based sexual harassment policies, and other related issues; and 4) Analyze policies on sexual harassment, school safety, mental health, and other issues within DCPS, make recommendations on policy revisions; and 5) Increase the visibility of youth as health experts, trainers, advocates and educators in DC through social media, video projects, photography, website

management, and other avenues. Like all YWP positions, this internship requires youth partnership and engagement. Therefore, the Health Justice Intern must be available to train or run virtual work sessions 2 nights a week from 3:30-6:45 to work with youth. YWP is currently operating on a hybrid schedule with one day of in-person office time and 4-12 hours of in-person youth training time (depending on the position). YWP’s core operating hours are 10-645 (M-TH) and 10-2 on Friday. Youth trainings are conducted in person at libraries and the YWP office located at Dupont Circle.

Priority Responsibilities (for both interns) include the following:

Youth Staff Training & Support (60%)

Main objective: Increase the capacity of our youth staff and the ability to serve as trainers, advocates, educators on a range of issues.

1. Prepare for and deliver 2-3 weekly trainings and working sessions for youth staff on health issues and related campaign work including research, organizing, social media, and advocacy
2. Develop lesson plans and other training materials that support youth work on social media message development and network building
3. Contribute to the recruitment, support, and management of youth educators on 2 campaign teams focused on reproductive health and mental health & wellness.
4. Provide support and resources to individual youth at your sites, and community based resources
5. Prepare youth to develop and present testimony at hearings, participate on coalitions, working groups, advisory board, speak at events and meetings, and other opportunities.
6. Curriculum Development: Update, expand, and create lesson plans, curricula, and training materials th
7. School-Based Program Implementation: Working with youth leaders, develop and implement school-based projects that address mental health-wellness needs at that school. Projects are likely to include peer wellness coaching groups, peer-to-peer resilience building training, virtual education and service links (see SOS VWC as an example), and other projects.

Campaign Development & Research: Main objective: Working with youth leaders, develop and implement youth-led campaigns that address specific assist in the data collection, analysis, and policy research for YJC.

1. Conduct policy research including primary data collection, collection state models, and policy analysis on a range of issues and develop materials for use in education, outreach, and advocacy including reports, briefing papers, and testimony
2. Work with youth to design and implement the campaign, to tell stories through written and visual means, develop testimony, and present testimony at meetings, hearings, and other events

Communications & Social Media Main objective: Increase the visibility of youth as health experts, trainers, advocates and educators in DC through social media, video projects, photography, website management, nd other avenues

1. Contribute to communications planning, strategy, and calendar development,
2. Train youth staff in social media; develop LPs and other training material to support this work
3. Write, proofread, format, and publish content on our website and blogs, and our mental wellness newsletter
4. Work with YJC Program Coordinator to create quarterly e-newsletters, announcements and other email messages sent to our electronic mailing lists

Qualifications

• BA level work in any related field
• Must be available at least 24 hours a week and 2 days between 315-7 (not Fridays)
• Experience working with youth, women, and with communities of color;
• Experience as a facilitator and trainer; skilled in popular education and experiential learning;
• Knowledge of and experience in youth development, community organizing, sexual health, violence, mental and physical health, and with youth-serving systems; commitment to comprehensive sexua health education
• Deep, demonstrated commitment to building youth power and working with youth as partners to improve youth serving institutions ·
• Strong problem-solving & critical thinking skills, and written and verbal communication skills;
• Highly organized with a demonstrated ability to prioritize and manage complex projects