Prevention and Training Coordinator in Evanston, Illinois at YWCA Evanston North Shore

This position is located in Evanston, Illinois.

The Prevention and Training Coordinator is a part of the domestic violence prevention and training team at YWCA Evanston/North Shore and supports youth in developing healthy, equitable, and violence-free relationships through prevention education, leadership development, and community engagement. This position plays a key role in expanding and strengthening comprehensive sex education and healthy relationship programming in K-12 schools and community-based settings throughout the community.

The coordinator develops and maintains partnerships with schools, youth-serving organizations, and community stakeholders to increase access to prevention education and ensure programming is responsive to the needs of diverse youth populations. The position provides violence prevention and sexual health education with an emphasis on healthy relationships, consent, gender equity, communication, and bystander intervention, while also supporting broader agency prevention and training initiatives.

This role coordinates youth leadership and advocacy opportunities, develops and adapts curricula, facilitates trainings for youth and adults, and contributes to agency-wide prevention efforts. The coordinator demonstrates a commitment to high-quality, trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and best-practice services.

The position is responsible for implementing program strategies, coordinating daily activities, and contributing recommendations on agency policies, department priorities, and procedures. The coordinator is a motivated self-starter who embraces the opportunity to educate youth and adults about healthy relationships and the prevention of violence in relationships.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Training (35%)

• Implements comprehensive sex education and violence prevention programming for the school year in elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as in community-based organizations.
• Facilitates curricula focused on healthy relationships, consent, communication, boundaries, identity development, bystander intervention, digital safety, and prevention of dating and sexual violence.
• Develops and delivers prevention education workshops tailored to the needs of students, caregivers, educators, and community partners.
• Supports and participates in agency-wide prevention and training initiatives, including domestic violence trainings, community education events, and professional trainings for partner organizations.
• Participates as a trainer on youth-related topics in the YWCA domestic violence trainings, including but not limited to the state-required 40-hour domestic violence training program and other community-based trainings on various domestic violence topics.
• Serves as a back-up facilitator for the Alternatives to Violence (ATV) program, working with individuals who have caused harm in intimate partner relationships to support accountability, increase understanding of the impact of abusive behaviors, explore the effects of personal trauma histories on behavior, and build skills for healthy, nonviolent relationships.
• Maintains current knowledge of best practices and trends in comprehensive sex education, violence prevention, facilitation skills, and youth engagement strategies.
• Pursues ongoing learning opportunities through professional development, conferences, and trainings related to youth development, prevention education, and trauma-informed practice.

Program Coordination (40%)

• Develops, coordinates, and facilitates youth leadership programming focused on prevention education, peer leadership, advocacy, and social change.
• Recruits and engages youth participants through outreach to schools, community organizations, and other youth-serving institutions.
• Builds and maintains relationships with new and existing school partners to expand prevention programming and increase access to comprehensive sex education and healthy relationship education.
• Collaborates with school administrators, teachers, counselors, and community partners to assess program needs and coordinate the implementation of services.
• Plans and schedules youth leadership activities, workshops, trainings, and special events.
• Facilitates daily program activities by maintaining ongoing communication with youth participants, families, facilitators, and partners regarding attendance, participation, and emerging concerns.
• Provides mentorship and supervision to youth participants by supporting leadership development, job readiness, communication skills, and advocacy capacity.
• Supports youth in developing skills related to public speaking, facilitation, community engagement, and peer education
• Assists in coordinating and co-facilitating the Youth Advisory Board that engages youth in informing and strengthening youth-focused services and programming .
• Manages group dynamics and behaviors by implementing trauma-informed and restorative approaches to accountability and engagement.
• Develops evaluation metrics and assessment tools for youth programs, including participant feedback, pre- and post-tests, and anonymous surveys.
• Completes and submits all required documentation, reports, and program data in a timely manner to support funding and evaluation requirements .

Curriculum Development 15%)

• Collaboratively reviews and updates existing curricula to ensure content reflects current best practices in comprehensive sex education, violence prevention, youth engagement, and healthy relationship education.
• Researches and adapts curricula on topics including healthy identity formation, consent, digital safety, youth advocacy, leadership development, and other violence prevention topics.
• Assists in developing new prevention education curricula and training materials responsive to emerging community and school needs.
• Develops training assessment tools and evaluation strategies in conjunction with curriculum updates and new program initiatives.

Outreach & Education (10%)

• Proactively establishes and maintains positive, professional relationships with schools, community organizations, and youth-serving agencies.
• Conducts outreach to develop new school and community partnerships that expand access to prevention education and youth leadership programming.
• Represents and speaks about the organization's services to schools, community organizations, coalitions, and professional networks.
• Participates in coalitions, committees, and collaborative initiatives that promote violence prevention, youth empowerment, education, and community awareness.
• Assists in developing outreach plans and crating outreach, education, and awareness materials.
• Supports agency-wide prevention campaigns, awareness events, and community engagement initiatives as needed.

ADDITIONAL DUTIES

• Attends staff trainings and participates in agency committees.
• Pursues professional development.
• Understands and adheres to all YWCA Evanston/North Shore procedures and policies as well as YWCA Employee Handbook.
• Performs other duties as assigned by management.

An individual in this position must be able to successfully perform the essential duties and responsibilities listed above. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

The above list reflects the general details necessary to describe the principle and essential functions of the position and shall not be construed as the only duties that may be assigned for the position.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, Social Work, Public Health, or other similar field

Experience and/or Training:

• At least 2 years of experience providing educational workshops to youth about youth development, youth leadership, youth advocacy, or health topics.
• Experience with professional writing and curriculum development
• Experience coordinating program logistics including scheduling and recruitment.

Licenses/Certificates:

• Illinois 40-Hour Domestic Violence Training completed within three months of hire.
• Illinois 40-Hour Sexual Assault Training completed within three months of hire.
• Illinois 20-Hour Partner Abuse Intervention Program Training completed within six months of hire
• Valid Driver’s License and Proof of Valid Insurance.

Technology/Equipment:

• Intermediate proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, particularly PowerPoint
• Reliable access to personal vehicle to conduct agency business.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Experience and/or Training:

• At least 4 years of experience providing educational workshops to youth about youth development, youth leadership, youth advocacy, health, or justice topics.
• Experience with sex education and violence prevention with youth.
• At least 2 years of experience coordinating youth programming, including supporting program design and development and coordinating service delivery, including scheduling, recruitment, and organizing all necessary program supplies and equipment.
• Minimum of 3 years' experience in curriculum development.
• Experience organizing, training, and supporting a youth leadership team that meaningfully contributes to program decision-making.
• Experience engaging with community partners to deliver program content.

Licenses/Certificates:

• Illinois 40-Hour Domestic Violence Training certification.
• Illinois 40-Hour Sexual Assault Training certification.
• Illinois 20-Hour Partner Abuse Intervention Program Training certification.

PHYSICAL AND MENTAL DEMANDS

• Occasional evenings and/or weekends required for events or meetings.
• Frequent local and intermittent statewide travel required.
• Tolerance for prolonged, continuous periods of sitting at a desk/computer.
• Occasionally required to stand, walk, climb stairs, reach with hands and arms, and reach above shoulders.
• Occasionally required to push, pull, lift and/or move up to 10 pounds.
• Must be able to move about the facility.
• Must be able to operate controls for computers and other equipment.

The mental and physical requirements described here are those that an individual must meet to successfully perform the essential functions of this position.

WORKING ENVIRONMENT

[This section should identify any environment features related to the position, for example: extreme hot or cold, loud machinery, work at heights, etc.]

• Employee may be required to share office space
• Employee may be required to work from home
• Employee will frequently have meetings or work in other buildings

The work environment characteristics described here represent those an individual encounters while performing the essential functions of this position.

*Salary: $22.97 - $25.52 / Hourly. A starting hourly rate above $22.97 is based on experience and education that significantly exceed the minimum requirements and is commensurate with the compensation scale.