Job Announcement
AmeriCorps Community Engagement Programs Specialist
El Futuro is North Carolina’s leading provider of bilingual and culturally-responsive mental health services for the Latino community. Our mission is to nurture stronger familias to live out their dreams. We are based in Durham NC, a vibrant, diverse city and part of NC’s Research Triangle region.
The Latino Community Engagement Programs Specialist VISTA Volunteer Member will build the capacity of El Futuro’s Community Engagement Programs by promoting community partnerships, education, and awareness around Mental Health for immigrant Latino individuals and families in Durham, NC. As a result of the VISTA Member’s service, the number of individuals with increased health knowledge will grow and El Futuro’s Community Engagement Programs will increase their effectiveness, reducing stigma, increasing access to mental health care, and supporting overall community wellness.
Activities include but are not limited to:
Build community mental health awareness and engagement.
– Facilitate community listening sessions:
Conduct and document informal conversations
Prepare and facilitate surveys
Conduct focus groups
Participate in community outreach events
– Document community needs and share with the community
Keep track of data collected in community listening sessions
Create a form to receive suggestions for improvements in community engagement
Review suggestions periodically and share with Manager of Client Care and Engagement
– Participate in Mental Health trainings (offerred by El Futuro and self directed) as needed
– Develop presentations, flyers, and other outreach materials to strengthen community outreach and awareness of Mental Health among the Latino population based on community needs/wants
Evaluate relevance of content and materials created
Adapt content of presentations and/or create different ones according to feedback from community members
– Conduct community outreach and education to lessen the stigma around mental health and promote wellbeing.
Provide support in coordination of community Mental Health trainings
– Coordinate meetings with Community Engagement team at El Futuro and work with Manager of Client Care and Engagement to plan agendas, take minutes/notes, and follow up.
Strengthen and expand community partnerships.
Develop Partnerships
Plan, coordinate and document meetings
Seek engagement with partner agencies and stakeholders, including follow-up communication to build relationships
Seek feedback on community Mental Health needs and best ways to engage them.
Identify potential collaborators
Plan informational meetings that support community engagement partnerships around youth collaboratives, school initiatives, and community mental health worker/educator efforts.
Develop presentations, flyers, and other outreach materials to strengthen community outreach and awareness of Mental Health among the Latinx population based on community needs/wants.
Develop community outreach opportunities and programming to meet program goals.
Plan, coordinate and attend community engagement events such as health fairs, schools, church, and other events as needed to provide information about El Futuro.
Evaluate and document impact of community engagement events on mental health/wellness of participants.
Collaborate to improve outreach materials to ensure they are culturally relevant, engaging and informative.
Review content of community engagement events with key community members to ensure relevance of content.
Participate in program evaluation by sharing data collected and lessons learned around best ways to engage the community.
Promote El Futuro’s events and programs with clients and community members.
Qualifications:
Demonstrated experience working with the Latino community
Required bilingual in English and Spanish language proficiency
Demonstrated enthusiasm and ability to build effective relationships with internal and external staff at all levels
Excellent communication skills
Strong organizational and time-management skills, including the ability to self-monitor
Flexibility, creativity and a spirit of collaboration to address developing programmatic needs
Required computer skills with ability to use Google suite products, cloud-based file management software
Desired online data collection (e.g. Monday) and web conferencing skills (e.g. Zoom), Digital design (e.g. Canva)
Experience with community/non-profit mental health/health organizations and demonstrated experience working with or awareness of the context of traditionally under-resourced communities, preferably the Latino community
Required: Must be able to document professional reports, program outcomes in English.
Strongly preferred: Spanish language proficiency
Demonstrated enthusiasm and ability to build effective relationships with internal and external staff at all levels
Excellent communication skills
Strong organizational and time-management skills, including the ability to self-monitor
Flexibility, creativity and a spirit of collaboration to address developing programmatic needs
Computer skills with ability to use Google suite products, cloud-based file management software (e.g., Box.com), online data collection (e.g. Monday) and web conferencing skills (e.g. Zoom)
This position is a full-time, year-long volunteer service opportunity with AmeriCorps VISTA.
The AmeriCorps VISTA program offers the following benefits:
• Living allowance (currently $22,882 per year)
• Choice of education award (currently $6,895) or end-of-service stipend (currently $1,800) upon successful completion of service
• Childcare assistance if eligible
• Health coverage
• Relocation allowance
• Training
Alvely Alcántara, LCSW
Rossy C. Garcia, MEd 
Katy Sims, MD 
Everardo Aviles, LCSW, LCAS (Eve)
As a medical anthropologist and social work researcher, Dr. Gulbas’ research embodies interdisciplinarity through the integration of applied theories of health and human development with qualitative and ethnographic methodologies. Her work seeks to understand how people—children, families, and providers—navigate complex sociocultural landscapes in the pursuit of mental health. Most of her work, to date, focuses attention on developing more robust interpretations of suicide risk. With funding from the National Institutes of Mental Health, this body of research has contributed to advancements in theoretical and empirical knowledge of the broader contexts within which youth suicide risk is situated. 
R. Gabriela Barajas-Gonzalez is a developmental psychologist and an assistant professor of Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Dr. Barajas-Gonzalez is the principal investigator of a study that examines the impact of immigration-related threat and stress on school communities. She earned a PhD in developmental psychology from Columbia University and hold a BA in human biology from Stanford University. Dr. Barajas-Gonzalez is the daughter of Mexican immigrants and a first gen college student.
Dr. Parra-Cardona is an Associate Professor in the Steve Hicks School of Social Work (SHSSW) at the University of Texas at Austin. At the SHSSW, he serves as Coordinator for Mexico and Latin American initiatives. He also serves as Area Director for Research at the UT Austin Latino Research Institute. Dr. Parra-Cardona’s program of research is focused on the cultural adaptation of evidence-based parenting interventions for low-income Latinx populations in the US and Latin America.
Bianka Reese, PhD, MSPH is a research scientist and program evaluator specializing in adolescent and young adult sexual and reproductive health. Her previous research in the experiences of Latinx LGBTQ+ youth stems from her work as the Research and Evaluation Manager at SHIFT NC (Sexual Initiatives For Teens), where she led largescale evaluations of multilevel, community-based sexual health promotion initiatives and research projects aimed at elevating the voices of diverse youth in North Carolina. Dr. Reese is currently the Senior Research Strategist at Creative Research Solutions, LLC, an award-winning national evaluation, research, and assessment firm.
Tania Connaughton-Espino, MPH is an independent researcher focused on adolescent and young adult sexual and reproductive health. Her interest in the experiences of Latinx LGBTQ+ youth stems from her previous work with SHIFT NC (Sexual Initiatives For Teens), where she led the training and evaluation department, conducted capacity-building workshops for youth serving professionals including on the topic of how to be more affirming of LGBTQ youth, and from her extensive experience working with the Latinx population in NC.
Maru Gonzalez, EdD is an Assistant Professor and Youth Development Specialist in the Department of Agricultural and Human Sciences at North Carolina State University. Her areas of inquiry include youth development with a focus on activism, social justice, and the experiences of LGBTQ+ young people across familial, school, and community contexts. 
Nayeli Y. Chavez-Dueñas, PhD
Hector Y. Adames, PsyD