This position is 35 hours per week, and regular hours will be Monday – Thursday 12pm – 7pm or 1pm – 8pm, and Friday 9am – 4pm or 10am – 5pm.
Highlights of this opportunity:
UNYA has a full-time employment opportunity (8-week term position) for a Youth Leader in our Overly Creative Minds (OCM) program. This position will run from July 2nd, 2025 – August 27th, 2025. The OCM is a drop-in arts and culture program for 11–24 year-old Indigenous youth that focuses on fostering creative expression through a variety of cultural, traditional, and contemporary art forms.
The Youth Leader will assist OCM staff in developing and delivering diverse arts and cultural activities as well as provide occasional support to UNYA’s other drop-in programs, including the Aboriginal Youth First Sports & Recreation (AYF), Native Youth Learning Centre (NYLC) 2-Spirit, and Aboriginal Youth Worker (AYW) Programs. The overall goals of this position is to provide youth with dynamic opportunities and experiences, while empowering them to develop their leadership, knowledge, and skills.
The Youth Leader reports directly to the OCM Program Manager. This position is 35 hours per week, and regular hours will be Monday – Thursday 12pm – 7pm or 1pm – 8pm, and Friday 9am – 4pm or 10am – 5pm. However, these hours will be adjusted occasionally based on the needs of the program and/or programming opportunities.
Qualifications and Conditions:
- Must be between 15-30 years of age and legally entitled to work in Canada.
- Must be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or person on whom refugee protection has been conferred under
the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
- Responsible, punctual, and flexible. Ability to work independently as well as part of a team.
- Strong written and oral communication skills. Excellent leadership, supervisory skills, and ability to maintain strong
personal boundaries.
- Excel at positive youth engagement. Demonstrated knowledge and experience working with youth in small and large
groups.
- A strong working knowledge of the family and social issues that Indigenous youth face today.
- Demonstrated understanding of and/or willingness to participate and learn Indigenous cultures, protocols and
ceremonies.
- Must have a criminal record check completed by and satisfactory to UNYA.
- Proof of Covid-19 vaccination will be required.
- Given the needs of the youth accessing our programs, priority will be given to qualified Indigenous, First Nations,
Metis, Inuit candidates as per section 41 of the Human Rights code.
- First Aid and FoodSafe certificates, and a valid BC Driver’s License, are assets.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Provide ongoing leadership in the planning, coordination, and implementation of programming for UNYA’s OCM
program.
- Assist in the delivery of NYLC, 2-Spirit, AYF, and AYW drop-in programming.
- Work as part of a team to ensure that activities are positive, safe and educational.
- Provide positive role modeling – positively interact with and supervise youth during daily workshops, learning
activities, and group outings.
- Help connect youth to resources in the community, and assist with planning and coordination of special
programming.
- Recruit program participants through community outreach and networking.
- Assist in recruiting volunteers, developing and maintaining diverse partnerships with schools and other community
organizations, and maximizing programming opportunities.
- Complete daily reports, workshop evaluations, assist with other administrative tasks.
- Consult with and report to immediate supervisor on a regular basis.
- Positively contribute to team meetings for ongoing evaluation and adjustment of the program.
- Perform other duties deemed necessary by the Program Manager or Director of Youth Engagement in order to
ensure the safe, healthy, and productive operations of the program.
What we offer:
- Wage of $22.00/hour
- 35 hours a week
- Support from UNYA’s Elder in Residence for cultural and spiritual guidance or teachings
- Monthly Staff development
How to Apply:
If you would like to become a part of this tremendous team, send a cover letter and resume indicating the position you
are applying to the attention of the OCM Program Manager at [email protected].
Posting will close Thursday June 11, 2026. Only those shortlisted will be contacted.
***We are an Indigenous youth organization whose mandate is to provide meaningful opportunities for Indigenous youth. We encourage qualified Indigenous – First Nations, Metis, and Inuit, applicants to apply. If you identify as Indigenous, please let us know in your application! Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
UNYA acknowledges that we are gathered on the ancestral, traditional and unceded territories of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. We are honoured and grateful to be able to do our work on this land.
Who we are:
UNYA has been supporting the health and wellbeing of Indigenous youth in the Metro Vancouver area for over 30 years. As a respected non-profit, charitable organization, we recognize Indigenous youth as experts in their own lives and strive to provide youth with programs and opportunities that are relevant and meaningful to them.
At Urban Native Youth Association (UNYA) we have developed a Philosophy of Care foundation, drawing from best practices. These philosophies are the grounding framework that shapes all of our decisions and every interaction we have with the youth we serve. Following these philosophies empowers our staff to meet youth where they are at, by giving them the ability to balance flexibility and structure. This allows us to meet our youth’s needs, and ensure that our youth experience a consistent quality of care across all UNYA programs. Our 5 key philosophies are:
- Trauma-Informed Practice
- Two-Eyed Seeing
- Harm Reduction Practice
- Youth/Person Centered Practice
- Culture as Therapy
