Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario (YWHO, www.youthhubs.ca) is an Integrated Youth Services (IYS) initiative designed to address the service gaps in the youth mental health and substance use sectors in Ontario. YWHO supports local service providers to work together in a new way, providing young people in Ontario aged 12 to 25 with access to a full range of integrated services that support their individual needs, including mental health and substance use supports, primary care, education, employment, housing and other social services in one youth-friendly space.
Outcomes are rigorously evaluated within and across hubs focusing on positive outcomes in areas of wellness important to youth and their families. This initiative engages youth, family/caregivers and other partners through a co-creation process, ensuring services are designed and delivered according to their needs. YWHO's IYS model is designed to improve experiences and outcomes for youth by:
Increasing access to rapid, low-barrier services;
Reducing transitions by providing care in one location; and,
Providing tailored, high-quality programs co-developed with youth to meet their needs.
YWHO is currently comprised of 32 local hubs (or YWHO Networks) that provide services to youth and families in over 40 communities, as well as a Provincial Office (PO) situated within the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) that provides support to all of these YWHO Networks across the following key areas: implementation, operations, data and evaluation, youth and family engagement, equity, knowledge mobilization, communications, and more.
The YWHO Provincial Office is working with YWHO Hubs across the province to co-develop, implement, and evaluate coordinated gender-based violence (GBV) supports within our YWHO Hub services. GBV is a significant public health issue and consistently associated with youth mental health, substance use, and physical health challenges. The initiative will support a new GBV role within 10 hubs; train and build capacity across sectors to recognize, prevent, and treat GBV within YWHO Hubs; establish a GBV care pathway for routine GBV screening, prevention, and early intervention; ensure youth engagement and co-design; and assess the impact of our coordinated intervention supports.
Job Summary
YWHO is currently seeking a part-time, contract (6 month) Program Engagement Co-Facilitator (Youth Engagement Specialist) to work at the YWHO Provincial Office in Toronto. Reporting to the Manager, Equity and Engagement and working closely with the Program Manager Provincial Initiatives, the successful candidates will be integrated within the Equity and Engagement team to support provincial youth engagement initiatives at YWHO, including a project that will integrate gender-based violence (GBV) programming into select YWHO hubs across the province.
The Program Engagement Co‑Facilitator will have prior experience working with youth/young adults and uses their lived or living experience with mental health, substance use, or related challenges to support system and service planning, education, and research activities. They help ensure that the perspectives of individuals with lived experience are meaningfully incorporated into programming by co‑facilitating discussions, co‑developing educational resources, and supporting engagement activities. They will have familiarity with the GBV service sector, knowledge of Ontario’s mental health and substance use system/services.
Responsibilities
Co‑facilitate group discussions, meetings, learning sessions, or peer‑support activities.
Represent lived or living experience to inform planning, education, and research activities.
Provide feedback on surveys, tools, resources, or content to ensure relevance to lived‑experience communities.
Encourage inclusive participation and support engagement processes that elevate diverse perspectives.
Co‑develop educational resources such as webinars, infographics, videos, written materials, or course content.
Contribute to knowledge‑translation efforts through presentations, newsletters, social‑media activity, and resource sharing.
Participate in program evaluation activities, including focus groups, data collection, and feedback analysis.
Support recruitment, onboarding, and coordination of participants, advisors, or contributors.
Carry out administrative tasks such as scheduling, documentation, communication, and event support.
Collaborate with staff, educators, researchers, community partners, and other stakeholders.
Promote respectful, safe, and inclusive engagement practices based on shared decision‑making.
Maintain confidentiality, professionalism, and adherence to policy, safety, and ethical standards.
Qualifications
Lived or living experience with mental health, substance use, or related challenges applied meaningfully in engagement and facilitation.
Experience in facilitation, peer support, education, or similar lived‑experience‑based roles.
Strong verbal and written communication skills.
Ability to work independently and collaboratively in diverse team environments
Strong organizational and time‑management skills.
Ability to work respectfully with individuals from diverse cultural and socio‑economic backgrounds.
Comfort participating in discussions related to mental health, substance use, and sensitive experiential topics.
Basic proficiency with digital tools such as email, office software, and online communication platforms.
Experience with co‑creation or co‑design models involving shared decision‑making is considered as asset.
Experience with participatory action research or lived‑experience advisory groups is considered as asset.
Experience supporting activities with diverse community partners, including First Nations, Inuit, or Métis communities, and/or equity deserving groups is considered as asset.
Experience developing or facilitating online learning content or using digital engagement platforms is considered as asset.
Ability to contribute to social‑media‑based communication or outreach is considered as asset.
Bilingualism (French/English) or proficiency in another language is considered as asset.
All applicants offered and accepting employment must complete either a Broad Record Check or Vulnerable Sector Police Record Check. The offer of employment will be conditional upon receipt of a satisfactory records check.
Salary Range: $25.59-$31.58/hour
CAMH is a fully affiliated teaching hospital and research institute of the University of Toronto. As a CAMH employee, you will contribute to our mission by supporting teaching, research, and clinical care across the hospital.
CAMH is dedicated to equity, diversity, and inclusion. Our commitment is to foster a workplace, teaching, and learning environment that is inclusive, respectful, and free from discrimination or harassment.
CAMH strongly encourages applications from candidates who reflect the diversity of the communities we serve, including First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Peoples; Black and other racialized communities; LGBTQ2S+ communities; women; and people with disabilities, including those with lived experience of mental health and substance use challenges.
We welcome applicants from all backgrounds. Thank you to all who apply; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. If you require accommodations during the application or recruitment process, please let us know.
Through its core values of Courage, Respect and Excellence, CAMH is implementing its Strategic Plan: Connected CAMH, to transform lives, ignite innovation and discovery, revolutionize education and drive social change. CAMH is more than a hospital, it is a cause. CAMH is on a mission to change the way society thinks about and responds to mental illness. They aim to eliminate prejudice and discrimination and shape a world where mental illness is central to our healthcare system – a world where Mental Health is Health.
To learn more about CAMH, please visit their website at: www.camh.ca.
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