The Organization

Take a Hike empowers youth who experience vulnerability to change the trajectory of their lives with a full-time mental health and emotional well-being program embedded in an alternate education classroom. Take a Hike engages youth with intentional, continuous clinical counselling, experiential land-based learning, and community. Our public school district partners provide high quality education, and together, we empower youth with the skills and resilience they need to graduate high school, build healthy relationships, and achieve success – however they define it.

For more information on the program, please visit www.takeahikefoundation.org.

The Opportunity

Take a Hike Foundation is seeking two Take a Hike alum to serve as a paid Alumni Facilitators with the Youth Advisory Circle (YAC) for the 2026–27 school year. The YAC brings together current Take a Hike youth to share their perspectives, influence organizational decisions, and help shape how Take a Hike supports the young people it serves.

In this role, you will co-facilitate three YAC sessions with CityHive staff, receive training and coaching throughout the year, and work toward leading sessions independently by year-end. You will also help create a transition plan to onboard a new alumni facilitator to mentor in Year 2, supporting a peer-led model Take a Hike can sustain and grow over time. This is a meaningful career-building opportunity for someone early in their journey.

The role is contracted for one year, with the longer-term goal of building two-year rotating Alumni Facilitator terms. In this model, one returning facilitator would stay on each year to help lead sessions and support a recent alum joining the role. Because this is the first year and a pilot cohort, the exact term and transition details will be confirmed closer to the end of the 2026–27 school year.

Responsibilities

This role is structured as a progressive learning experience across three sessions. With support from CityHive at the start, you will build toward taking full ownership of session preparation and materials by the third and final session.

- Session Facilitation
- Co-facilitate three YAC sessions with current Take a Hike youth during the 2026–27 school year
- Help create a welcoming, safe, and engaging environment where youth feel heard and valued




- Preparation and Materials
- Attend a pre-session planning meeting before each YAC session to review goals, agenda, and facilitation approach
- Learn to prepare all meeting materials—including session slides, surveys, and feedback tools—with coaching support from CityHive in early sessions
- Take increasing ownership of materials development across the three sessions, with the goal of independently preparing all session materials by Session 3
- Connect with your CityHive coach to build confidence and skills ahead of each session
- Debrief and Feedback Consolidation
- Participate in a post-session debrief after each YAC meeting to reflect on what went well and what strengthen
- Consolidate participant feedback and survey responses into a short summary following each session
- Share your perspective as a Take a Hike alum to help shape future sessions and the alumni facilitation model
- Year 2 Transition Planning
- Toward the end of the school year, contribute to a transition plan for bringing in a new alumni facilitator for Year 2, to work with one ongoing Alumni Facilitator
- Help document what you've learned, what to prepare for, and what you wish you'd known—to support the next alumni stepping into the role
- Play a part in building something that outlasts your term: a peer-led facilitation model that continues to grow with each new group of alumni

Qualifications

- You are a Take a Hike alum with lived experience in the program
- You are comfortable speaking in a group setting and have an interest in facilitation or leadership
- You are reliable, communicative, and willing to show up prepared
- You bring care and empathy for youth experiencing vulnerability
- This is a remote position; all sessions will be held online – applicants must have access to a computer, with video camera and typing/note taking capabilities and reliable internet access (not suitable for a cellular phone)




- Start date is October 2026

Terms And Compensation This is a contracted role paid at $400 per session, for a total of $1,200 across three sessions. The session rate is all-inclusive and covers preparation, facilitation, post-session debriefs, and feedback consolidation. Each session is expected to require approximately 5–7 hours, including all meetings and preparation. Payment will be issued after each completed session. GST applies if you are registered.

What You'll Gain

This role is designed to build real, transferable skills. You will develop facilitation and group leadership abilities through hands-on practice and direct coaching from CityHive professionals—including experience designing and leading structured conversations, managing group dynamics, and growing your confidence in public speaking.

Beyond facilitation, you will gain insight into youth engagement frameworks and participatory practices and contribute to a real organizational process that shapes how Take a Hike serves youth. You will leave with a professional reference, verifiable work experience for your résumé or portfolio, and connection to a network of youth engagement professionals and Take a Hike staff.

How To Apply

We'd love to hear from you. If this position is of interest to you, please submit your resume to our online portal, Collage, with a brief note about why this opportunity interests you and what you'd bring to the role. Applications will be evaluated, and interviews conducted, on a rolling basis and you are encouraged to apply early.

Take a Hike values the diversity of the people it hires and serves. Diversity at Take a Hike means fostering a workplace in which individual differences are recognized, appreciated, respected, and responded to in ways that fully develop and utilize each person’s talents and strengths. Individuals who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+, Indigenous, Black, people of color, people living with disabilities and candidates with lived experience in mental health are encouraged to consider this opportunity.

In accordance with provincial Accessibility Acts, reasonable accommodation will be provided upon request throughout the recruitment process.

Our endorsement of reconciliation can be found on our website here.

📌 Youth Advisory Circle — Alumni Facilitator (Canada)
🏢 Take a Hike Foundation
📍 Canada