Community Health Trust of Pajaro Valley
allcove Youth Peer Support Specialist
Watsonville, California•Full-time
$23 - $28 hourly
$23 - $28 hourly
About the Job
Please submit job application on our website!
Job Title:
allcove™ Youth Peer Support Specialist
FLSA Classification:
- Non- Exempt.
Department:
- Programs Department.
Compensation:
- $23-28 per hour.
Reports to:
- Center Manager.
allcove™ Watsonville, opening early 2027, will be part of a statewide network of integrated, holistic mental health centers for young people ages 12-25. Based on a model developed by Stanford University’s Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing, allcove centers are built with, by, and for youth. The Community Health Trust of Pajaro Valley (CHT) is proudly serving as the lead agency in bringing this initiative to Watsonville.
Summary:
Under the supervision of the allcove™ Center Manager, the Youth Peer Support Specialist builds meaningful connections with young people, provides peer-to-peer support, and engages the community to increase awareness, access, and participation in allcove services.
Under the supervision of the allcove™ Center Manager, the Youth Peer Support Specialist builds meaningful connections with young people, provides peer-to-peer support, and engages the community to increase awareness, access, and participation in allcove services.
Empowered by their own lived mental health experiences, youth peer support specialists guide young people through the recovery and service system. They build deep trust, share relatable personal insights, and help youth make informed decisions. Working with families and care teams, they deliver vital peer mentoring and emotional support.
Your peer specialist is here to be your advocate and go-to resource. They can connect you with tools for your physical and mental health, help with school, or work, and connect you with skill-building workshops. In this role, they help amplify youth voices within the care coordination model through communication with the care team. They identify and share resources with young people that are applicable to the youth’s needs, addressing barriers to accessibility by delivering information in a youth-friendly language and format.
Position Context:
allcove creates integrated mental health centers for young people ages 12 to 25 to access support for mild to moderate needs, providing services in mental health, physical health, substance use, peer support, family support and supported education and employment.
allcove approaches youth wellness in a comprehensive and youth-friendly way, led by members of an active local Youth Advisory Group, whose contribution guides the design of the services and of the center environment. The centers are reflective of the unique youth culture of each geographic community being served and become youth’s independent space for care.
Each center is powered by a coalition of service providers and community-based agencies joining together in an integrated approach to serve young people.
Each center proactively works in the community to decrease the stigma surrounding youth mental health, encourage early help-seeking, and increase the knowledge, understanding, and importance of youth mental health and wellbeing. For more information, visit www.allcove.org.
Key Responsibilities:
Support young people ages 12–25 in accessing and engaging with allcove Center by creating a welcoming, inclusive, and youth-friendly environment; providing peer support and mentorship; connecting youth to resources; and promoting youth voice, empowerment, and community connection.
- Provide initial orientation and ongoing support to ensure youth feel welcomed, included, and comfortable access center services.
- Assist youth with forms, intake questionnaires, and initial screenings or assessments as needed.
- Serve as a consistent point of contact, providing peer support, coaching, mentorship, and encouragement.
- Build trust and rapport through shared, lived mental health experience and a strength-based approach.
- Support youth with goal setting and identifying opportunities for personal growth, confidence, and self-esteem.
- Connect and encourage youth to access appropriate support, resources, and services.
- Lead or co-facilitate workshops and youth-centered activities.
- Conduct outreach through schools, community events, presentations, tabling, center tours, and speaking engagements to promote allcove services and resources.
- Engage with the Youth Advisory Group and support the planning and implementation of meetings, events, and outreach activities.
- Represent and promote peer perspective within the center and broader community.
- Develop collaborative relationships with community agencies and organizations to support youth empowerment, wellness, outreach, and programming.
- Collaborate on communication and marketing materials for program activities.
- Complete required training related to mental health, diversity, outreach, and inclusion.
- Maintain accurate records and documentation and participate in data collection.
- Help ensure youth and center resources are accessible, organized, and available.
Job Skills, Knowledge, and Experience:
- Lived Experience: Personal experience with mental health challenges, recovery, or navigating support systems; ability to appropriately share lived experience in a professional setting.
- Youth Engagement: Effectively engage and support youth and young adults ages 12–25 across diverse backgrounds, identities, and needs.
- Peer Support & Advocacy: Ability to provide individualized peer support, connect youth to mental health and community resources, and advocate for youth voice and empowerment.
- Community Knowledge: Familiarity with the Watsonville community and the experiences, strengths, and needs of local youth and families.
- Cultural Responsiveness: Understanding of the diverse experiences and systemic barriers affecting youth in the community, including LGBTQ+, BIPOC, juvenile justice-involved, and undocumented young people.
- Communication & Outreach: Strong interpersonal, communication, outreach, and public speaking skills, with the ability to engage youth, families, peers, and community partners.
- Relationship Building: Ability to establish trust, maintain appropriate professional boundaries, and create a welcoming, safe, and nonjudgmental environment.
- Crisis & Resource Navigation: Ability to recognize when additional support is needed and appropriately connect youth to crisis services and other resources.
- Problem-Solving & Decision-Making: Demonstrated ability to assess situations, solve problems, make sound decisions, and respond flexibly.
- Self-Awareness & Wellness: Ability to recognize personal wellness needs, practice healthy coping strategies, and maintain appropriate boundaries while providing peer support.
- Teamwork & Collaboration: Ability to work effectively independently and as part of a team and maintain positive working relationships with staff, partners, contractors, and the Youth Advisory Group.
Recommended Qualifications and Requirements:
- Strong ties to the Watsonville community or demonstrated experience working with and understanding the community, including its unique needs, priorities, and perspectives.
- Must be 18 years or older.
- Lived mental health experience.
- High school diploma or equivalent; bachelor’s degree preferred.
- Bilingual preferred, English and Spanish
- Ability to work flexible hours, including evenings and weekends.
- Valid CA driver’s license and insurance.
- Ability to communicate and write clearly and professionally.
- Demonstrated organizational and time management skills, accountability, reliability, and punctuality.
- Ability to work independently and show initiative, as well as be part of an interdisciplinary team.
- Basic computer skills: experience with Microsoft Office applications.
Physical Demands and Use of Machines, Tools, and Equipment:
- Seldom (1–5%): reach above shoulders, use fax.
- Occasionally (6-33%): bend, twist, push, pull, climb, squat, crawl, kneel; use copier and filing cabinet drawers & locks.
- Frequently (34-66%): sit, reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stand and walk; grasp with hands and fingers; use telephone.
- Continuously (67-100%): use hands to finger, handle or feel objects, tools, or controls; see (including close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus), hear and speak; key (i.e., computer, calculator, telephone); and lift (up to 5 lbs.); use writing instruments, computer.
Work Environment:
- Approximately 80% of the time performing job duties is spent indoors, within a standard office or clinic environment.
- Approximately 50%-75% of the time is spent on the computer.
- Approximately 30%-60% of the time is spent interacting with colleagues and members of the community.
- Noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
- The temperature of the work environment is moderate, and ranges from 65 – 80 degrees.
Travel Requirements:
- This job requires occasional local travel (up to 30%).
Please submit job application on our website!