Youth Engagement Facilitator

Adventure4Change (A4C) is seeking a relational, culturally responsive, and community-minded Youth Engagement Facilitator to join our team, with particular responsibility for engaging and supporting girls and young women.

About Adventure4Change

Adventure4Change is a community-based charitable organization committed to supporting children, youth, and families to thrive. We work alongside communities to create spaces of belonging, opportunity, connection, and growth, recognizing the strengths, knowledge, cultures, identities, and experiences that young people and families bring.

About the Role The Youth Engagement Facilitator works collaboratively with the Youth Manager and the broader Adventure4Change team to create safe, culturally responsive, and relationship-centred opportunities for young people, with particular responsibility for programming and engagement with girls and young women. This is more than a program facilitation role.

We are looking for someone who can build trusted relationships with youth, listen to what matters to them, help young people recognize their strengths and possibilities, and connect them with opportunities that support their educational, social, emotional, recreational, leadership, and employment development.

Many of the young people who participate in A4C programs come from newcomer, racialized, immigrant, refugee, and other historically underserved communities. The Facilitator therefore approaches youth engagement with cultural humility, curiosity, respect, and an appreciation for the identities, lived experiences, strengths, knowledge, and aspirations young people bring.

What You Will Do

Build Relationships and Belonging

- Build consistent, trusting, and supportive relationships with youth, with particular attention to girls and young women participating in A4C programs.
- Create welcoming and culturally responsive spaces where youth experience belonging, dignity, safety, and opportunities to be themselves.
- Listen actively to young people and ensure their voices, ideas, experiences, and aspirations inform programs and activities.
- Serve as a trusted connection between youth, families, the Youth Manager, and the broader A4C team.
- Identify barriers that may prevent young people from participating and work collaboratively with the A4C team to connect them with appropriate resources and supports.

Facilitate Programs and Youth Development

- Plan, facilitate, and support youth programs, workshops, recreational activities, leadership initiatives, community events, and special projects.
- Provide particular leadership and support for programming designed for girls and young women, including opportunities related to identity, leadership, wellbeing, education, recreation, life skills, and personal development.
- Create opportunities for young people to develop confidence, leadership capacity, relationships, social capital, and meaningful community connections.
- Connect youth with new experiences and opportunities related to education, employment, health and wellbeing, sports and recreation, volunteering, mentorship, and community leadership.




- Support youth-led initiatives and help young people move from being participants to contributors, volunteers, mentors, and emerging leaders within A4C and the broader community.

Amplify Youth Voice and Opportunity

- Identify emerging strengths, interests, needs, and concerns among youth and communicate these to the Youth Manager and appropriate A4C team members.
- Advocate for youth perspectives and needs within A4C and, where appropriate, with community partners and systems serving young people.
- Help young people understand and navigate community programs, services, resources, and opportunities.
- Build connections across diverse communities and help youth access opportunities that are responsive to their cultures, identities, circumstances, and aspirations.
- Contribute to A4C's ongoing efforts to strengthen equitable and culturally responsive approaches to youth engagement.

Build Partnerships and Mentorship Connections

- Support the Youth Manager in building and maintaining relationships with schools, community organizations, service providers, coaches, mentors, trainers, and other partners.
- Assist with the outreach, recruitment, screening, orientation, and ongoing engagement of mentors, coaches, trainers, volunteers, and others supporting youth programs.
- Help volunteers and partners understand A4C's relationship-centred, culturally responsive, and equitable approach to working with young people.
- Support effective communication among youth, volunteers, partners, families, and A4C staff.

Contribute to Program Learning and Accountability

- Maintain accurate program records, including attendance, participation information, consent documentation, activity records, and other required information.
- Gather formal and informal feedback from youth and use this learning to strengthen programming.
- Contribute youth stories, program highlights, emerging needs, feedback, and outcomes to support internal communication, evaluation, funder reporting, and organizational learning while maintaining appropriate confidentiality.
- Participate in team meetings, program planning, training, reflection, and continuous improvement.
- Support youth events, camps, retreats, community activities, and other A4C initiatives as required.
- Follow A4C policies and procedures related to safeguarding, confidentiality, professional boundaries, equity, health and safety, and appropriate conduct when working with children and youth.

What You Bring We are looking for someone who brings a combination of education, experience, cultural responsiveness, relational ability, and a genuine commitment to young people.

Ideally, you will have:

- Post-secondary education in youth work, social services, community development, education, recreation, social work, child and youth care, or a related field,



or a comparable combination of relevant education, community knowledge, and experience.
- Experience working with youth in community, educational, recreational, settlement, social service, or related settings.
- Demonstrated ability to build trusting and appropriate relationships with young people.
- Experience or a strong interest in supporting girls and young women.
- An understanding of, or willingness to learn, culturally responsive and relationship-centred approaches to youth engagement.
- An ability to recognize young people's strengths and potential while understanding the systemic and structural barriers they may encounter.
- Strong communication, facilitation, organizational, and interpersonal skills.
- The ability to work collaboratively while also taking initiative.
- The ability to engage young people who may not readily participate in traditional programs or services.
- A commitment to youth voice, leadership, dignity, belonging, and agency.
- An understanding of appropriate professional boundaries, confidentiality, and youth safeguarding.
- CPR-C and Standard First Aid certification, or willingness to complete required training.
- Valid G-class driver’s license is an asset.

Who Will Thrive in This Role? You may thrive in this role if you are someone young people naturally feel comfortable talking to, while also understanding that trust must be earned and maintained.

You are curious about young people's worlds rather than assuming you already understand them. You can encourage without taking over, listen without immediately trying to fix, and recognize strengths and possibilities that a young person may not yet see in themselves.

You understand that successful youth engagement is not measured only by how many young people attend a program. It is also reflected in whether young people experience greater belonging, confidence, connection, voice, opportunity, and capacity to contribute.

Position Details

Position: Youth Engagement Facilitator

Employment Type: Full time

Location: Waterloo, Ontario. This is a fully in-person position.

Reports to: Youth Manager

Work Hours: 37.5 hours/week. You will be required to work evening and some weekend hours.

Salary Range: $52,860–$55,500 annually

Start Date: As soon as possible

Application Deadline: September 10, 2026

How to Apply

Please submit your resume and a brief cover letter to [email protected] describing your interest in the position and the experiences, strengths, perspectives, and community knowledge you would bring to working with young people at Adventure4Change.

Adventure4Change is committed to creating an inclusive workplace that reflects the communities we serve. We welcome applications from candidates with diverse identities, experiences, backgrounds, and ways of knowing.

Accommodation is available throughout the recruitment and selection process. Applicants requiring accommodation are encouraged to let us know so that appropriate arrangements can be made.

We thank all applicants for their interest. Only candidates selected to move forward in the recruitment process will be contacted.

📌 Youth Engagement Facilitator (Waterloo)
🏢 Adventure4Change Waterloo
📍 Waterloo