Black Student Alliance (BSA) Student Advocate

Job Classification: Part-time (10-20 hrs/week)
Reports To: Co-Executive Directors
Department/Location: Hybrid (Remote / SB Office / Community Sites)
Date: July 2025

Job Summary:
The Black Student Alliance (BSA) Student Advocate provides direct support to Black youth participants, helping them navigate academic, social, and personal opportunities and challenges. Through individual check-ins, peer-led workshops, and harm-reduction education, the Advocate fosters a safe, supportive environment that advances self-esteem and civic engagement for Black students throughout Santa Barbara County.

Duties and Responsibilities:

One-on-One Support

  • Conduct regular check-ins with assigned students to assess needs and set goals.

  • Provide referrals to community resources (mental-health services, tutoring, etc.).

Group Workshops & Assemblies

  • Co-facilitate panels on substance-use prevention, harm reduction, and civic engagement.

  • Support Quarterly campus assemblies and annual leadership retreats/outings.

  • Support and coordinate student participation in school board and city council meetings, including scheduling, logistics, and preparation of talking points.

  • Coach students in advocacy skills such as public speaking, issue research, and stakeholder engagement to empower students to lead discussions on school-site and community issues.

Outreach & Recruitment

  • Engage with junior-high feeder schools to recruit new participants.

  • Represent BSA at school board meetings and community gatherings.

Data & Feedback

  • Track student progress against individual development plans.

  • Compile qualitative feedback for quarterly reporting.

Qualifications:

  • Minimum of 2 years’ experience in youth advocacy, counseling, or mentoring programs.

  • Strong active-listening skills and cultural competency.

  • Ability to build rapport and trust with adolescents.

  • Familiarity with harm-reduction and restorative-justice practices.

Other Requirements:

  • Flexible schedule for after-school events and occasional travel.

  • Reliable transportation for community site visits.

  • Must pass a background check.

KPIs & Performance Metrics:

Success in this role is grounded in clear, measurable outcomes that not only drive overall program effectiveness but also support your professional growth. You will work with your manager to define key performance indicators such as engagement levels, relationship-building touchpoints, and feedback implementation that reflect both student and family satisfaction and the operational health of HJSB’s BSA program. Regular performance reviews will leverage these metrics to celebrate successes, identify areas for development, and inform ongoing coaching and support.

Compensation:
 $ 22/hr.

Our Mission

Healing Justice Santa Barbara aspires to uplift all Black/African-Americans to affirm that they are deserving of safety, love, equity, respect, and joy.

We are a Black led and Black centered 501c3 nonprofit organization based in Santa Barbara County. Formed in response to the de-stabilizing impacts of racism and anti-blackness, we aspire to build resilient communities for the African diaspora and other marginalized people along the Central Coast. We understand that our collective healing and liberation is essential to creating a more equitable Santa Barbara, therefore we center, uplift, and meaningfully create space that empowers ALL Black people including; Black LGBTQIA+people, Black people with disabilities, undocumented Black people, underserved Black people and Black people that speak in African American Vernacular English. In keeping with the principles of a healing justice framework, we demand that self-care be reimagined as collective investment in community care. We do this with the goals of providing a Black/African-American Cultural Resource Center, celebrating and funding the Arts, Public Safety, Support for Our Youth in Education, Environmental Justice and Sustainability, Outreach, and Meaningful Collaborations.