Peer Mentor : MA-Lowell

You’re With Us! is a registered 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization and Department of Developmental Services (DDS) service provider which seeks to create better communities by harnessing the benefits of inclusion for individuals with disabilities. We believe that not only do people with disabilities need inclusion opportunities in order to thrive, but also that these opportunities allow them to contribute to their community in ways that have gone unrecognized in the past.

Social connections are a basic human need. You’re With Us! helps with this by identifying, training and supporting college students, clubs, groups, and teams to be welcoming and supportive peers.

YWU is designed to provide a meaningful learning experience and opportunity for personal and professional growth to those persons who have chosen to include individuals with disabilities on their campus. This mission is achieved when individuals support the thought that social connections are a basic human need.

The peer mentor will report to the DEN or Regional Coordinator connected to their mentees.

Successful candidates will be responsible for:

• Providing individual engagement opportunities and activities in the community
• Logging activities and interactions with You’re With Us! mentees in the YWU Web App
• Problem solving around barriers that arise within execution of the goals and objectives set in the Positive Experience Design and the ISP
• Assessing how support services can assist the mentee in achieving their goals
• Collaborate with other YWU team members to create fulfilling programming and curriculum for mentees
• Other tasks assigned by senior YWU Staff

• High School Diploma or GED
• 1-2 years experience in Human Services or Direct Service with individuals with Disabilities
• Ability to pass a CORI and background check
• Must have a valid driver's license and a clean driving record

Compensation: $18.00 - $20.00 per hour

You’re With Us! creates inclusion opportunities for young adults with disabilities. The program identifies and trains college clubs, groups, and teams to be welcoming and supportive peers to the differently abled. The college group then creates a Positive Experience Design (PED) customized for the young adult to help one’s transition from school to adult life in the community. You’re With Us!

believes that a meaningful life includes a home, a job, family, friends, and social opportunities with their peers - able and otherwise.

Our program is customized on an Individual-by-individual basis. Once we meet the individual and their family and learn more about their goals for their adult life and what they're hoping their life will look like, we will determine the support and skill development needed to reach those goals. All individuals who are receiving CBDS support from YWU are also connected to peer mentors through YWU to help facilitate opportunities for skill development and social inclusion in a college community.

We match and support peer connections based on the individual’s interests and hobbies.

We locate possible opportunities through our college mentors to join college groups, teams, and clubs. YWU coordinates recruitment into the group; acts as the liaison between the family, school, and college/university; trains mentors of the college groups to welcome participants into their groups as they are, facilitates communication between all parties; facilitates group education and development of Positive Experience Design; gather data on impact and quality of life;

create and coordinate social connections across campus for participants and families; facilitate possible job/career opportunities through college career resources; offer support services as needed through our licensed clinicians, and generally problem-solve to make these opportunities sustainable for the rest of our peer’s lives.