In 1986, a small group of human rights activists and mental health workers gathered in Vancouver to support the flood of refugees arriving from the armed conflicts in South and Central America. They founded the Vancouver Association for Survivors of Torture (VAST), and this dedicated group of volunteers built what would become BC’s largest center for refugee mental health. Today, VAST works with refugees from over 100 countries in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. Our programs and services are offered in over a dozen languages, including Arabic, Farsi, French, Mandarin, and Spanish. We support the mental health of refugees who arrive in British Columbia with psychological trauma as a result of torture, political violence, and other forms of persecution on the basis of race, religion, gender identity, and sexual orientation.
We facilitate the healing process for 1,000 survivors of torture each year, and their families, by providing accessible and culturally appropriate individual and group counselling and therapeutic services. We also provide psycho-legal documentation and support refugee claimants through the asylum process, and are called in to work with Temporary Foreign Workers in Canada when their particular situation requires our
support. Canada is a signatory to the UN’s Convention Against Torture (1985), and the Refugee Convention (1951), both of which oblige us to protect the rights of survivors of forced displacement, including the Right to Rehabilitation, and to provide safe haven to those who at risk of persecution. VAST is an active member of the International Rehabilitation Council for Victims of Torture (IRCT), the Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR), and the Canadian Network for Survivors of Torture and Trauma (CNSTT).
Founded on the conviction that ‘healing is an act of resistance’, for 36 years VAST has employed a province-leading model of trauma-informed mental health service provision. Our work has created and sustained a resilient, inclusive community amongst newcomers, and over More than half of our team identify as survivors themselves, and their voices are represented at all levels of our organization. We do not believe in working alone, and our mission supports a range of advocacy and capacity building activities to strengthen BC’s mental health sector for newcomers, and encourage understanding of our work amongst government institutions. In so doing, we relieve demand on the BC healthcare sector, especially in dense urban and more isolated rural areas of BC. VAST is more than a healthcare provider and is known throughout BC as a convener of voices with lived experience of torture and trauma, and an influential advisor to multiple levels of policy makers and practitioners.
Position Summary:
The Advocacy and Community Engagement Coordinator works in close liaison with the Admin team, Research team, Clinical team, Community Engagement Team (CET - formerly Intake), and others, to support the needs of the VAST client community and our partners, as related to policy, advocacy, intake, engagement, and follow-up. This position supports the CET team’s efforts to facilitate referred individuals to access the required services and resources appropriate to their situation.
This position reports to the VAST Management team. This is an FT position. This position is unionized under CUPE-1936.
This position requires knowledge, training, and passion for human rights and public policy and advocacy, as well as direct lived experience, especially in the areas of mental health and forced migration. The successful candidate demonstrates capability for responsibility, organization, collaboration, and critical thinking. The Coordinator will support and liaise with the Development and Research Manager, the Executive Director, and the Community Engagement Team Co-Leads, to coordinate team and community member advocacy efforts, and drive change to help families province-wide, as well as influence policy nationally and internationally.
Responsibilities:
CET Support
- Collaborate with the Community Engagement Team Co-Leads to:
- Identify the clients who need to have an intake session
- To exchange information about the clients and clinical assignments
- Conduct individual and small group intake sessions, that includes:
- Contacting the clients to complete their profile information
- Identify the clients’ non-clinical needs and clinical concerns
- Provide relevant information on the services available for the newcomers and refugees in BC
- Make referrals to other service providers when needed
- Make electronic notes of client information in the database
- Arrange clinical session appointments
- Follow up with clients to provide support and identify further needs
- Book, reschedule and cancel appointments
- Arrange Clients’ participation in the groups
- Train clients on communication platforms
- Assist with support groups like GTI, VAST Outdoors. This includes:
- Assisting with preparation of the room/video conference link and the required documents
- Conduct interpretation before, during and after the sessions
- Fill out the Attendance sheet and enter the information into the database
- Help to Organize the strategy for (English, Arabic, Farsi/Dari, Swahili, Ukrainian) and co-Facilitate (Spanish, maybe French) ‘Welcome to VAST’ monthly mental health orientation sessions for different cultural groups, and service providers, referral sources, prospective clients who speak that language
- Translate forms, posters, documents and VAST Social Media posts in a timely manner
- Participate in Community Engagement Team meetings with the Community Engagement Team
- Provide support for other VAST activities like Move & Relax and outdoor activities
- Provide information for health centers, law firms, settlement agencies, and other service providers on how to make referrals
- Receive referrals through email, fax and phone calls and follow up with referral sources
- Create and regularly update a comprehensive listing of resources available in the community for the Intake Support Workers’ use
- Support with Interviewing Interpreters
- Perform other duties as requested
Cultural Broker and Survivor Advocates Program Duties
- Support the relationship with United Nations, IRCT, MOSAIC and ISSofBC, and Province of BC, to develop and implement the Cultural Broker and Survivor Advocates Program
- Assist with reporting, monitoring, and evaluation
- Assist with recruitment, promotion and selection of participants
- Stay in close communication with program participants
- Assist with design of curriculum and program plan
- Assist with facilitation of sessions
- Assist with development of partnerships
- Support the coordination of the VAST Research and Knowledge Center
- Assist with monitoring relevant literature, policies, training opportunities, and date related to VAST’s work
- Perform other duties as requested
- Arrange Clients’ participation in the groups
Community Engagement
- Provide training on how to work with the database and VAST tools for new volunteers, practicum students, and staff members
- Support VAST Business Whatsapp
- Work with the Community Engagement workers and Volunteers to Schedule and supervise the Community Kitchen and other VAST activity events
- Participate in the support groups if needed
- Participate in staff meetings and workshops
- Provide support for other VAST programs like Outdoors activities, if needed
- Provides general support to the office
- Facilitate workshops on refugee mental health for legal, health, social, and settlement service providers
Advocacy
- Coordinate the annual policy goals and strategies with the Executive Director, Development and Research Coordinator, Clinical Supervisor, and Social Worker
- Support the VAST Annual Symposium on Torture
- Coordinate action to advance VAST’s policy mandate through:
- Supporting with preparing written communications including emails, briefs, letters, budget submissions, website texts, and newsletter submissions;
- Promoting VAST’s policy priorities through direct government and media relations, in coordination with the Executive Director
- Providing operational support for advocacy coalitions, campaigns, and working groups advancing social change, including MAP, Alternatives to Detention, CNSTT, IRCT, United Nations, and others
- Networking and building relationships with a wide variety of other partners
- Support Team Member Network and working group activities, including collaborating with other staff members
- Build capacity for public policy advocacy through public engagement and community education opportunities, such as facilitating workshops or meetings
- Help track and demonstrate impact of the policy and advocacy goals, and building connections and power to make change
- Support to Track and analyze policy related to torture, forced migration, and mental health (statutory, regulatory, and budgetary policy).
- Support to Prepare, edit, and disseminate digestible summaries, infographics, and other communications.
- Attend meetings and workshops, take excellent notes, form relationships with key organizations and individuals, and drive follow up on action items.
- Generate excitement and enthusiasm for advocacy among member agencies.
- Plan and coordinate advocacy days like World Refugee Day
- Coordinate content and materials for member and partner meetings
- Support to Conduct research to support advocacy and communications efforts.
- Collaborate and align activities with colleagues across departments
- Perform other duties as requested
