Community Engagement Coordinator

THE POSITION: Citizens for Juvenile Justice (CfJJ) is seeking a dynamic community engagement coordinator to join our team. Community engagement outreach is at the foundation of our advocacy efforts, as we proudly center and elevate the voices of young people, parents and those living communities impacted by the legal system in policy conversations on the municipal and state level. We approach community engagement with a spirit of partnership, utilizing our expertise at research, training, and advocacy to serve as equal partners with those seeking to create change. We provide information sessions and trainings on state/federal laws, legal rights, pending legislation, and the policies of state child serving agencies to inform and empower communities and build their capacity to engage and advocate on key youth justice issues.

The Community Engagement Coordinator will execute our culturally humble approach to engaging impacted communities across the Commonwealth, building trust and long-term, sustainable partnerships. The Coordinator will identify and engage with local action movements working to advocate and improve policies that impact youth and function as a lead recruiter for the Massachusetts Coalition for Juvenile Justice Reform and other CfJJ-led coalition efforts, ensuring that our organization has adequate engagement with diverse voices impacted by youth serving systems from across the Commonwealth to inform and drive our advocacy efforts.

The community engagement coordinator should have a background working and/or organizing in diverse communities impacted by the criminal/juvenile justice system, child welfare system and education system. They should have a strong interest in state and local policy advocacy related to youth in the juvenile justice system or other child serving systems (i.e., education and child welfare) that at times serve as pipelines that push young people into carceral systems. The community engagement coordinator will help facilitate trainings and information sessions that educate youth, parents and youth serving practitioners on key issues and should be comfortable with public speaking and be capable of developing into a content expert on policy issues that impact young people. In addition to community outreach and engagement, the candidate will also be asked at times to conduct research, analyze data and utilize information gained in the field to assist in writing policy briefs, advocating with local and state elected officials and state agency personnel and informing providers and the public.

Responsibilities

• Develop relationships with key community-based organizations, youth organizers and parent advocacy organizations across the Commonwealth and pursue opportunities for engagement and collaboration.
• Act as a key lead on CfJJ’s coalition building efforts by engaging and mobilizing community-based organizations and other key stakeholders to engage in our legislative and policy campaigns and become members of the Massachusetts Coalition for Juvenile Justice Reform and other coalitions.
• Maintain CfJJ’s library of “Know your Rights” training materials and market these trainings to impacted communities
• Work in conjunction with the Executive Director and CfJJ staff to provide trainings and information sessions in Massachusetts communities impacted by the juvenile and criminal justice system, child welfare system and school-to-prison pipeline.
• Organize and conduct outreach to youth and parent organizers to inform CfJJ research and reports
• Represent CfJJ at community-based events by tabling and distributing information on the organization, our publications and our policy campaigns.
• Support senior staff with legislative campaigns, including preparation for task force meetings, meetings with legislators, personnel from state agencies or potential testifiers.
• Work in collaboration with the Deputy Director to engage coalition partners to build support for legislative and policy campaigns
• Stay abreast of relevant literature, national policy and state activity relevant to the juvenile justice, child welfare and education advocacy work of CfJJ.
• Present to youth serving providers, nonprofit organizations and other relevant entities on the ethical use of youth stories to ensure that young people are respected and protected when sharing their lived experiences.

Qualifications and Experience:

Strong candidates will have a bachelor’s degree and a demonstrated interest in racial and social justice, juvenile justice, child welfare, educational equity and public policy work. The ideal candidate will have many or all of the following attributes:

• Commitment to youth justice, racial equity, LGBTQ and disability rights in line with CfJJ’s work and mission
• A bachelor’s degree in public policy, public health, education, pre-law, social work or an area related to the needs of youth. 1-2 years of related work experience in policy, electoral or issue-based campaigns, community organizing, and advocacy will be considered in lieu of a bachelor’s degree.
• Strong communication and public speaking skills.
• General level of knowledge of the of the juvenile justice, child welfare and school discipline systems is preferred.
• Experience and comfort working in local communities with youth, parents and community-based providers is strongly preferred.
• Proven ability to function effectively in a dynamic work environment, managing multiple projects and demands to achieve quality results in a timely manner.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively.
• Experience working with legislators or local elected officials is preferred.

ABOUT CFJJ: Founded in 1994, CfJJ is the leading voice in Massachusetts for systemic reform of youth justice systems. We are an independent research and policy reform organization that endeavors to change the way the entire system operates – juvenile justice and the other child serving systems like schools and the child welfare system that often drive vulnerable and struggling youth in need of services and support into punitive and carceral systems. Our mission is advocating statewide systemic reform that achieves equitable youth justice and our core value is that young people and overall public safety are best served by fair and effective systems that recognize the ways children and young people are different from adults and that focus primarily on their healthy development and rehabilitation. Our work involves advocacy at the state and municipal level that is driven by community engagement and coalition building, informed by our research and data analysis and enhanced by our public education efforts on key juvenile justice and criminal justice, child welfare and education issues.

CfJJ’s tight knit, energetic and collaborative staff consists of its Executive Director (ED), Deputy Director, Development Director and five program staff. Our office is in downtown Boston and readily accessible to public transportation.

CfJJ’s office is in downtown Boston, but given that we are a statewide organization, applicants throughout the Commonwealth are encouraged to apply.

Health, dental and short-term disability insurance, retirement and paid vacation and sick leave benefits are available.