VIVRS is looking for 1 Part-Time Peer Support Mentors to join our growing team in the Comox Valley.
This is an opportunity for someone with meaningful lived experience to use what they have learned along their own journey to encourage and support others who are working toward greater stability, wellness, and employment.
The program works with individuals who may be experiencing significant barriers to employment, including housing instability, problematic substance use, mental health challenges, and other complex circumstances.
As a Peer Support Mentor, you will work alongside participants rather than simply providing support from the sidelines. You will help people identify their strengths, build confidence, develop practical skills, connect with community resources, and take steps toward employment and greater independence.
About the Position
Peer Mentors bring their lived experience to their work in a purposeful and professional way. Your own experience can provide credibility, hope, encouragement, and practical insight to someone who may be struggling to see a path forward.
We are looking for people who have:
- Personal lived experience with homelessness, problematic substance use and/or mental health challenges
- At least two years of demonstrated housing stability
- At least two years of sustained recovery from problematic substance use, where applicable
- Established and stable mental health supports
- A personal commitment to wellness and healthy routines
- An understanding of the importance of boundaries, accountability, consistency, and self-care
The ability to model stability and healthy workplace behaviours is an important part of this position.
What You Will Do
Peer Mentors will be actively involved in both participant support and the development of the program. Responsibilities may include:
- Participating in community outreach and relationship-building
- Providing one-to-one and drop-in support to participants
- Assisting with employment activities and onsite work coaching
- Co-leading workshops, activities, and learning opportunities
- Supporting participants during group activities
- Helping participants navigate local community services and resources
- Sharing practical knowledge gained through lived experience
- Contributing ideas and feedback to improve the program
- Helping develop creative and meaningful ways to engage participants
This is a hands-on role within a small and collaborative team. Because the program is in its early stages, Mentors will have opportunities to contribute ideas and help determine how services are delivered.
What We Value
We are looking for people who:
- Genuinely want to help others move forward
- Communicate respectfully and effectively
- Work well as part of a team
- Understand professional boundaries and confidentiality
- Are comfortable working within harm-reduction and trauma-informed approaches
- Can demonstrate reliability, consistency, and personal accountability
- Are comfortable learning, adapting, and trying new approaches
Flexibility and creativity are especially important in a start-up environment.
We Want to Know What Makes You You
Your lived experience is important to us, but it isn't the only thing you bring to the table.
We are interested in the skills, interests, talents, and experiences that could help make this program stronger.
Tell us about things such as:
- Wellness practices and strategies that have worked for you
- Community involvement or leadership
- Art, music, writing, or other creative interests
- Sports, fitness, recreation, or outdoor activities
- Cultural knowledge and community connections
- Entrepreneurship or personal business experience
- Volunteer or grassroots community work
- Previous employment and workplace skills
- Other interests or abilities that could be useful in supporting participants
You may have a skill or passion that could become a workshop, group activity, employment opportunity, or connection for a participant — we want to hear about it.
We are particularly interested in candidates with experience in commercial cleaning and/or commercial food preparation.
Qualifications
- Relevant lived experience
- Minimum two years of demonstrated personal stability
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills
- Ability to work effectively as part of a team
- Familiarity with community resources and services in the Comox Valley is an asset
- Current First Aid and Naloxone training, or willingness to obtain
An Opportunity to Turn Experience Into Leadership
Peer support is about more than telling someone that things can get better.
It is about being able to say, "I've been there. I know how hard this can be. Let's figure out the next step together."
If you have reached a place of stability in your own life and are ready to use your experience, strengths, and skills to help others move forward, we would love to hear from you.
Please submit a resume and cover letter explaining why this opportunity interests you to:
[email protected]
Pay: From $29.00 per hour
Benefits:
Work Location: In person
