COMMUNITY OUTREACH & ENGAGEMENT ADVOCATE

Headquartered in Fulton Market in Chicago, EMMAUS is a Christian 501c3 nonprofit organization that fights exploitation worldwide and supports male survivors’ journey out of the sex trade into freedom and fullness of life. Additional information is available at www.streets.org.

REPORTS TO: Managing Director of Programs

POSITION SUMMARY/RATIONAL:

The Community Outreach & Engagement Advocate is responsible for supporting EMMAUS’s outreach programs to find and connect with sex trafficking victims nationwide who identify as male, then connecting them with EMMAUS’s trauma-informed programs to help survivors exit exploitation and find healing. The Community Outreach and Engagement Coordinator is responsible for developing, implementing, and managing outreach programs and engagement strategies to connect the organization with its target community. This role aims to foster positive relationships, enhance community involvement, and promote EMMAUS’ mission and services. This role focuses on building and maintaining relationships with the community, promoting the organization's initiatives, and ensuring effective communication between the organization and its stakeholders.

WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR

This role might be for you if you love seeing the unseen, serving the exploited, seamlessly and patiently integrating your faith into whole-person trauma-informed care, and enjoy solving problems. You have an appetite for learning, enjoy being on the front lines, and share our values: every individual is valued and deserving of respect and acceptance, empowering survivors is essential for their healing process, collaboration and inclusivity can lead to significant accomplishments, actively listening and learning from diverse perspectives is crucial, honesty, authenticity, and dependability are upheld, overcoming obstacles and finding innovative solutions is prioritized, a hopeful, patient, and a persistent approach is maintained for enduring challenges.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor's degree in a related field (e.g., community development, sociology, communications).
• Previous experience in community outreach, engagement, or a related role.
• Strong communication, networking, and interpersonal skills.
• Proficiency in using outreach and engagement tools, including social media.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Knowledge of the local community and its needs (if applicable).
• Well-versed in trauma-informed care and integrating it into all service aspects.
• Have clinical knowledge and experience working with addictions and mental illness.
• Well-networked in Chicago, and you’ve mobilized people at a grassroots level.
• Track record of being winsome and influential, particularly with clients

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Outreach. The person hired into this role will oversee outreach and be responsible for finding survivors online and through referrals, then connecting them with services. Responsible for the use of outreach software/system, reporting campaigns, survivor/victim engagement and other data.
• Referral-Building. Develop/nurture strategic partnerships with victim-proximate agencies and provide training to bolster their referral and victim-serving capacity.
• Volunteer Engagement. Recruit and engage a pipeline of volunteers for outreach programs.
• Community Engagement. Identify key community stakeholders and build relationships with them. Organize and facilitate meetings, workshops, and events to engage community members. Gather feedback and input from the community to inform organizational decisions.
• Program Development. Create and implement outreach programs and initiatives to address community needs. Collaborate with internal teams to develop programs that align with the organization's mission and goals.
• Communication and Marketing. Develop and execute communication and marketing strategies to promote the organization's activities. To disseminate information, utilize various channels, including social media, newsletters, and community forums.
• Volunteer Management. Recruit, train, and manage volunteers to assist with outreach efforts. Coordinate volunteer activities and ensure their alignment with organizational objectives.
• Partnership Building. Identify potential community partners and collaborate with them on joint initiatives. Cultivate and maintain relationships with local businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies.
• Data Collection and Analysis. Collect and analyze data related to community engagement efforts. Use data to evaluate the effectiveness of outreach programs and make improvements.
• Drop-In Center Support: Support Drop-In Center efforts when needed. Collaborate with Case Managers to advocate for client's needs.

Details of responsibilities:

The Community Outreach and Engagement Advocate operates within the STOP-IT Prevention and Education Program framework. Their primary mission is to raise awareness about human trafficking and the available resources for victims and survivors. Programming will target male, female, and non-binary youth and young adults aged 15 through 25. This is accomplished through community educational initiatives and training staff and volunteers who frequently interact with individuals at a high risk of trafficking involvement. The program is designed to host a series of events strategically located throughout Chicago, focusing on specific targeted areas. These events will occur at Salvation Army facilities frequently used for youth clubs, meetings, and community gatherings. Each of these 10+ sites will host a minimum of two educational events or training sessions provided by the Community Outreach and Engagement Advocate.

Furthermore, the program has identified additional locations in specific neighborhoods across the city where partner organizations offer suitable spaces for conducting educational events and training sessions. Here, too, the Community Outreach and Engagement Advocate will complete a minimum of two events at each location. The responsibilities of the Community Outreach and Engagement Advocate encompass several vital tasks. They are responsible for developing tailored curricula based on existing materials for these presentations. They also handle the scheduling of these events and will travel to the designated sites to deliver the content. During these presentations, the Community Outreach and Engagement Advocate will adapt the content to suit the specific circumstances and gather feedback from the audience regarding their perception of the material's value and level of understanding. Additionally, audience members will receive information in physical form or via web links for further reference and future use. The worker will also be prepared to provide referrals for identified needs within the community.

QUALIFICATION:

• Previous experience in community outreach, engagement, or a related role: It's important that candidates have a background in working directly with communities or engaging with people in some capacity. This could include experience in organizing events, collaborating with community members, or working on projects that involve engaging with the public.
• Strong communication, networking, and interpersonal skills: Being able to effectively communicate and connect with others is crucial for this role. The ideal candidate should have excellent verbal and written communication skills, be able to build and maintain professional relationships, and have a knack for networking with various stakeholders.
• Proficiency in using outreach and engagement tools, including social media: In today's digital world, being familiar with outreach and engagement tools is essential. Candidates should have experience using social media platforms, as well as other tools and technologies that facilitate community involvement and engagement.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team: This job requires both independent work and collaboration with others. The ideal candidate should be self-motivated, capable of taking initiative, and be able to work well independently. Additionally, they should possess strong teamwork skills and be comfortable collaborating with colleagues to achieve shared goals.
• Knowledge of the local community and its needs (if applicable): Depending on the specific position, having knowledge of the local community and its unique needs may be beneficial. This includes an understanding of the community's challenges, demographics, cultural considerations, and any specific issues that may require targeted outreach strategies.
• Flexibility and adaptability: The ability to adapt to changing situations, work collaboratively with a diverse team, and handle multiple responsibilities while maintaining a positive attitude is important for an Outreach Advocate.
• Project management abilities: An Outreach Advocate should have strong organizational and multitasking skills to coordinate and execute outreach activities effectively. The ability to prioritize tasks, meet deadlines, and manage resources efficiently is important.

WORK REQUIREMENTS

• Must live in or around Chicago with means of transportation enabling local outreach

• Mixture of reasonable remote and in-office work, daytime and reasonable nighttime hours (as needed) to conduct outreach teams and volunteers

• Able to navigate exposure to elicit online content, with the support of protective processes and technology, to find and connect with victims.

Job Type

Full-time

Salary

$45,000/yr

Benefits

• Medical Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Paid Time Off
• Holidays

Schedule

• 8-hour shift per day.
• Day shift, with flexible hours in the evening
• Weekend availability/Flex time.

License/Certification

• BCBA (Preferred)
• Driver License/Car

Work Location

• Drop-In Center
• Other community locations, such as The Salvation Army, operate from facilities in neighborhoods across Chicago, including many in the focus areas. These locations include but are not limited to Garfield Ridge, Chicago Lawn, East and West Garfield Park, Englewood, West Englewood, and Greater Grand Crossing.