Peer Specialist

HOURS: Full-Time (40 hours/week)

REPORTS TO: Director of Mental Health and Wellbeing

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES: No

LOCATION: Citywide

ORGANIZATION DESCRIPTION

Youth Justice Network (formerly known as Friends of Island Academy) was founded in 1990 on the school floors of Rikers Island to anchor, support and develop capacity among young people newly released from jail in New York City. Our mission is to break cycles of incarceration and build an equitable justice system by providing young people with individualized advocacy, mentorship, and opportunities to grow, thrive, and lead. Youth Justice Network builds on connections developed with young people whose lives have intersected with the justice system, and leverages those relationships to provide post-release, neighborhood-based supportive services. Young people become members of Youth Justice Network for the long-term and develop personal milestones and goals in health and well-being, education, employment, youth leadership and community participation.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

We are seeking a dedicated and compassionate Peer Support Specialist to join our Wellness Trust. In this role, you will draw upon your lived experience with justice involvement and recovery to mentor and support young adults ages 16-24. The Peer Support Specialist will help participants navigate the mental and emotional challenges associated with justice involvement and recovery. Serving as a trusted role model, advocate, and wellness navigator, you will create supportive spaces where participants can strengthen their emotional well-being, develop healthy coping strategies, and build stable, fulfilling lives. You will also facilitate wellness programming at Youth Justice Network hubs.

RESPONSILBITIES

Peer Mentorship and Engagement

Build trusting, supportive relationships with participants through regular one-on-one check-ins.

Use relevant lived experience to offer encouragement, practical guidance, and hope.

Model healthy decision-making, personal accountability, resilience, and sustained recovery.

Maintain professional boundaries while providing compassionate, nonjudgmental support.

Help participants identify personal wellness goals and recognize their strengths.

Mental Health and Emotional Wellness Support

Provide peer-based support to participants experiencing mental health and emotional challenges.

Help participants identify triggers, stressors, coping strategies, and sources of support.

Encourage healthy routines and practices that promote emotional regulation, resilience, and overall well -

being.

Connect participants with appropriate mental health, behavioral health, and wellness services when additional support is needed.

Support participants in communicating their needs and making informed decisions about their care.

Wellness Programming and Peer Groups

Facilitate wellness programming at Youth Justice Network hubs.

Lead weekly recovery circles, peer-support groups, life-skills workshops, and wellness activities.

Create inclusive and emotionally safe spaces where participants can share their experiences and learn from one another.

Lead discussions related to emotional wellness, stress management, conflict resolution, healthy relationships, recovery, self -advocacy, and personal growth.

Coordinate program schedules, wellness activities, guest facilitators, and participant engagement at hub locations.

Encourage meaningful participation while respecting each individual's comfort level and stage of recovery.

Gather participant feedback and use it to help strengthen future wellness programming.

Community Partnerships and Holistic Wellness

Build and maintain relationships with community organizations, wellness practitioners, mental health providers, and other supportive partners.

Coordinate opportunities for community partners to provide wellness and holistic-healing activities at Youth Justice Network hubs.

Support programming that may include meditation, sound baths, nutrition education, spiritual wellness,

mindfulness, movement, and other restorative practices.

Help ensure wellness activities are accessible, culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and aligned with participants' needs and preferences.

Introduce participants to a range of healthy coping strategies and encourage them to develop individualized

wellness practices.

Collaborate with Youth Justice Network hub staff and community partners to create consistent, engaging, and responsive wellness programming.

Advocacy and Accompaniment

Advocate for participants as they navigate mental health, behavioral health, justice, healthcare, and social-service systems.

Accompany participants to probation meetings, court appearances, mental health appointments, healthcare visits, and other supportive services when appropriate.

Help participants understand their rights, communicate their needs, and actively participate in decisions affecting their wellness.

Promote participant choice, dignity, self -determination, and personal empowerment.

Crisis Support and Safety

Recognize emotional triggers, warning signs, and escalating situations.

Use appropriate de-escalation, active-listening, and conflict-resolution techniques.

Assist participants with safety and wellness planning in coordination with supervisors and qualified professionals.

Follow organizational procedures for crisis response, mandatory reporting, and emergency referrals.

Remain calm, supportive, and nonjudgmental when participants are experiencing distress.

Documentation and Confidentiality

Maintain timely, accurate, and confidential digital records of participant interactions, wellness goals, referrals, program participation, and progress.

Document wellness programming, attendance, participant feedback, and relevant follow-up needs.

Help participants identify triggers, stressors, coping strategies, and sources of support.

Protect participant privacy and follow all organizational confidentiality requirements.

Communicate relevant updates to appropriate team members while respecting professional and ethical boundaries.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is dependable, empathetic, resourceful, and deeply committed to the mental health and emotional well-being of justice-involved young adults. They understand the power of peer support and can create engaging wellness experiences within Youth Justice Network hubs. They believe in combining lived experience, advocacy, emotional wellness, and holistic-healing practices to help participants create meaningful and sustainable change.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Personal lived experience with justice involvement, including prior incarceration, and demonstrated sustained stability in recovery.
• High school diploma, GED, or equivalent.
• Ability to use lived experience thoughtfully and appropriately to support young adults.
• Understanding of trauma-informed, person-centered, recovery-oriented, and nonjudgmental peer-support practices.
• Strong communication, relationship-building, advocacy, active-listening, group-facilitation, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Ability to work effectively with young adults from diverse cultural, social, and economic backgrounds.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality, professional boundaries, and accurate documentation.
• Willingness and ability to travel among Youth Justice Network hubs and other community locations.

Youth Justice Network is privileged to have a profoundly committed and caring staff – one which believes unconditionally in our members’ ability to do right and do well. We take our work very seriously, but we strive to make time for self-care and joy. We look for staff from all walks of life who have integrity, humor, a strong work ethic, are passionate about our mission and work, and who are committed to address the harms caused by mass incarceration.