Indigenous Peer Advocate Diploma in Social Services Youth Substance Use Prevention Services

Come work as an Indigenous Peer Advocate with Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH)!

Vancouver Coastal Health is looking for an Indigenous Peer Advocateto join the Homelessness Youth Integrated Support Framework on the Youth Substance Use and Prevention Services team in Vancouver BC. Apply today to join our team!

This role is to serve marginalized youth ages 14 to 25 years old in the downtown eastside. It includes doing street outreach as part of a multidisciplinary team using a two eyed seeing approach.

About the Youth Substance Use and Prevention Services Team:

Vancouver Coastal Healths youth substance use services are designed to meet the needs of youth struggling with substance use and mental health concerns. Services include prevention counselling and treatment services. The Youth Intensive Case Management Team (ICMT) is a multidisciplimary team taht provies innovative clientcentered and culturally sensitive services to youth with complex mental health and substance use needs. The team can support with system navigation access to primary care and OAT occupational therapy treatment planning and referrals and help connecting with services including longer term community supports.

As an Indigenous Peer Advocate with VCH you will:

• Work as a member of a communitybased team to provide peerbased individual and group support and information sessions to designated clients within the Youth Mental Health & Substance Use program working from a salutogenic and twoeyed seeing approach using landbased interventions in collaboration with Indigenous Elders and the interdisciplinary team

• Provide advocacy for client friendly services free of discrimination and barriers and support clients and their support network with locating friendly health social and legal services from a cultural perspective.

• Collaborate with Indigenous Elders and/or traditional teachers develop relationships based on mutual respect provide outreach services and organize venues and materials for educational sessions.

• Assist with coordinating peer support program by applying Indigenous traditions perform word processing duties assist with research and other special projects maintain and compile statistics participates in committees task groups and/or corporate initiatives and engages in and assists the Coordinator with ongoing team planning development evaluation and quality improvement activities.

Education & Experience

• Diploma in a Community Social Services program and two 2 years recent related experience advocating and/or providing support to Indigenous youth/young adults or an equivalent combination of education training and experience.
• Personal experience accessing and/or receiving health services in the designated client population/community.
• Preference will be given to applicants who identify as First Nations Metis or Inuit.

Knowledge Skills & Abilities

• Knowledge of colonial laws policies and practices that have negatively impacted Indigenous Peoples.
• Knowledge of the transgender health system in British Columbia.
• Knowledge of twoeyed seeing and salutogenic approaches to health and wellness.
• Ability to establish and maintain rapport with a diverse range of community members volunteers and with health social and legal service providers for the designated client population/community.
• Ability to communicate effectively/tactfully both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to organize and prioritize.
• Ability to work under the pressure of interruptions and adapt to changes.
• Knowledge of Indigenous Cultural Safety.
• Knowledge of traditional healing practices
• Knowledge of the principles of harm reduction in a health care setting.
• Knowledge of traumainformed practice.
• Ability to problem solve and take initiative.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively as a member of an interdisciplinary team.
• Ability to provide work direction.
• Skilled in conflict resolution facilitation and advocacy.
• Ability to compose business correspondence.
• Ability to do basic mathematical calculations.
• Ability to operate related equipment including applicable software applications.
• Physical ability to perform the duties of the job.

The hours of work including days off and work area may be subject to change consistent with operational requirements and the provision of the Collective Agreement and applicable statutes. Successful applicants may be required to complete a Criminal Records Review Check.

As per Ministry of Health policy all health care workers working in publiclyfunded health care facilities are required to report their past receipt of certain vaccines or history of certain infections. Collecting these records will allow for offering of any missing vaccines and for appropriate actions to be taken in the event of any future exposure to a communicable disease or during outbreaks. For all new hires and appointments to Vancouver Coastal Health you will be asked to provide this information as part of the onboarding process.

WHY JOIN VANCOUVER COASTAL HEALTH

VCH is a world class innovator in medical care research and teaching delivering service to more than one million BC residents. At VCH we embrace thinking boldly taking smart risks and going first when we believe it will lead to the best possible outcomes for patients and their families. We invite you to join us in creating healthy lives in healthy communities by showcasing our passion for care connection to the communities we serve and our culture of teamwork that makes VCH a great place to work.

• Comprehensive health benefits package including MSP extended health and dental and municipal pension plan
• Grow your career with employerpaid training and leadership development opportunities
• Wellness supports including counselling critical incident and innovative wellness services are available to employees and their immediate families
• Awardwinning recognition programs to honour staff medical staff and volunteers
• Access to exclusive discount offers and deals for VCH staff

At Vancouver Coastal Health our vision of healthy lives in healthy communities inspires us and our values and pillars guide us. We support equitable practices diverse teams and inclusive environments which are vital to creating welcoming spaces where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and feel supported. We encourage applications from equitydeserving communities including Indigenous Peoples and members of racialized groups people with disabilities and people of all gender identities and expressions and sexual orientation.

Vancouver Coastal Health is proud to be recognized as one of Canadas Top 100 Employers in 2025.

Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for this posting.


***Employees of VCH must apply online via the Internal Career Portal on CareerHub you are currently viewing the External Career Portal. Refer to the site for instructions on how to view internal job postings and how to apply as an employee. Current VCH employees who apply to this posting using this external site will be considered as an external candidate. Seniority will not apply.***

Thank you for your interest in Vancouver Coastal Health.