Kaiārahi - Youth Development Worker wanted

Kathy Hunter
Published by
April 10, 2025

Are you passionate about empowering rangatahi / young adults to overcome challenges and thrive? 

FASD-CAN is looking for a Kaiārahi / Youth Development Worker to tautoko/support and navigate our Individuals Development Program for rangatahi and young adults with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.

FASD-CAN reaffirms and embraces its role, responsibilities, obligations, and opportunities to contribute to Māori equity through honouring and enacting Te Tiriti o Waitangi within and across the breadth and depth of our mahi and our relationships. 

About the role

This is a fixed-term contract: 1 – 2 days a week until December 2025.

We are looking for someone to join our team who is skilled in building relationships with rangatahi and young adults with FASD (ages 17–32 years old). This is a meaningful position that seeks to make a positive difference promoting the hauora of individuals impacted by FASD. You will work in collaboration with our Project Lead, CEO and other potential partners in promoting self-development, leadership and peer support skills in our core group of young leaders, whilst also supporting a larger group of youth that attend our regular camps and events.

The Kaiārahi / Youth Development Worker position is a relationship-based role, and strong trusting relationships are at the core of delivering effective support. FASD-CAN aims to uphold the social model of disability across all our mahi. To have a clear understanding of the place and value of whakawhanaungatanga is imperative. It is also expected that the Kaiārahi / Youth Development Worker/ would maintain collaborative relationships with the young adults’ caregivers, whānau and potentially a range of community and government support agencies that are relevant to the development of the leadership of young adults with FASD.

Have a look at these videos to meet some of the fantastic rangatahi you’ll be working with. 

Rangatahi in Aotearoa - 'ONE THING' videos - FASD-CAN

Basic role requirements

We are looking for a Kaiārahi / Youth Development Worker who:

  • has a minimum of two years of experience working with rangatahi and young adults
  • can work bi-culturally
  • has experience in programme planning
  • has an understanding of disability and trauma and has experience in mana-enhancement, growing leadership and peer support potential.
  • has at least a Level 4 relevant qualification.
  • has a full New Zealand driver’s licence.
  • Cultural competency:while fluency in te reo Māori is not mandatory, a strong understanding and respect for te aō Māori and its principles is essential.

As a dedicated, professional Kaiārahi / Youth Development Worker it would also be advantageous to have:

  • Skills to further develop a tailored leadership skills programme, empowering potential leaders and mentors within our FASD young adults’ community across Aotearoa.
  • Knowledge of peer mentoring/peer support skills.
  • Understanding of youth development, Mana Taiohi and strengths-based practice.
  • The flexibility to use Māori models of practice.
  • Empathy and understanding of all the factors that challenge young adults, i.e. poverty, substance use, mental health, homelessness and isolation etc.
  • An understanding of neurodisability and neurodiversity and the key issues this can create in education, health, welfare and justice systems.
  • The ability to foster a safe, nurturing environment for growth, and development while demonstrating empathy and resilience.
  • Willing to collaborate with families, caregivers, and professionals to deliver the best outcomes for our developing leadership team.
  • Cultural sensitivity and client-centred care in all interactions.
  • An awareness of gender identification and diversity.
  • Experience working with youth who have experience of disability, mental health, justice and/or trauma-related challenges.
  • A willingness to complete additional free training to grow your knowledge and understanding of FASD.
  • Good administrative skills.
  • Good working knowledge of de-escalation skills.
  • Flexibility and be happy to attend camps and programmes away from home.
  • The ability to work with young adults from a wide range of backgrounds.
  • Ability to manage own time and workload, be self-directed and meet deadlines.
  • Ability to support individual cases as well as contribute towards creating and facilitating groups and/or activities.
  • The ability to organise and plan ahead.
  • A sense of humour and wanting to be part of a team making a positive difference every day.
  • Competency in connecting and communicating virtually as our emerging leaders live in different areas around Aotearoa.
  • The ability to be a self-starter and work without close supervision.
  • A commitment to support FASD-CAN’s policy on Te Tiriti o Waitangi and express that commitment via your youth work practice.
  • A working knowledge of strengths-based principles and creative ways to engage young people.
  • Maturity to be able to work collaboratively as part of the FASD-CAN whānau.
  • A willingness to learn and develop new skills.

Closing Date: Thursday 24th April 2025 at 5pm. Please note, this job may close sooner if a suitable candidate is found.

Please send your questions and CV to [email protected] with 'Youth Development Worker' in the subject line.