Youth Peer Leader

Company Overview:

Improve Your Tomorrow (IYT) was founded in 2013 with the mission to increase the number of young men of color (YMOC) to attend and graduate from colleges and universities. We envision a world where men of color are overrepresented in higher education, underrepresented in the criminal justice system, and become leaders in their communities. By embodying our Core Values of Teamwork, Character, Service and Liberation we work to combat academic inequities and build a college-to-community pipeline.

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Position Overview:

The Position will serve as one of our IYT Peer Leaders for our West Sacramento Futures Grant. This West Sacramento Futures Grant is a community violence prevention initiative coordinated by PRO Youth & Families, funded through the Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program (Byrne SCIP), and administered through the City of West Sacramento.

The project brings together five community-based organizations, ten Youth Peer Leaders, PRO Youth, the West Sacramento Police Department, and local families and community members to build community-driven strategies that raise awareness of gun violence prevention resources, promote community safety, educate youth and caregivers about Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs), and strengthen community connection.

Project Goals

• Increase community awareness of gun violence prevention strategies.

• Increase awareness of Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs).

• Engage youth and young adults in leadership and community problem-solving.

• Strengthen collaboration among community-based organizations.

• Develop culturally responsive outreach and educational materials.

• Reach at least 500 youth through community outreach activities, with extended reach to caregivers and community members.

• Host a community-wide West Sacramento Futures Summit in Spring 2027.

Peer Leaders participate alongside partner organization staff in a Community of Practice (CoP) that meets approximately twice per month. The CoP is where the group learns about violence prevention and safety strategies, shares resources, develops outreach materials, plans community engagement activities, and coordinates the West Sacramento Futures Summit.

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Responsibilities include:

• Attending Community of Practice meetings, training, and project activities, and contributing youth perspective and ideas.
• Helping create youth-friendly educational materials and messaging about gun violence prevention.
• Sharing information and resources with peers, families, and community members.
• Helping plan and support the West Sacramento Futures Summit - providing input on content, helping promote the event, and supporting it on the day.
• Keeping required project records, such as activity logs, attendance records, and surveys.
• Attend Youth Peer Sessions

Activity	Date	Time
September CoP Meeting	Wednesday, September 16, 2026	6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
October CoP Meeting #1	Wednesday, October 7, 2026	6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
October CoP Meeting #2	Wednesday, October 21, 2026	6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
November CoP Meeting	Wednesday, November 18, 2026	6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
December CoP Meeting	Wednesday, December 9, 2026	6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
January CoP Meeting #1	Wednesday, January 13, 2027	6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
January CoP Meeting #2	Wednesday, January 27, 2027	6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
February CoP Meeting #1	Wednesday, February 10, 2027	6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
February CoP Meeting #2	Wednesday, February 24, 2027	6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
WS Futures Summit	Saturday, March 13, 2027	Time TBD
March CoP Meeting	Wednesday, March 24, 2027	6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
April CoP Meeting	Wednesday, April 7, 2027	6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
CoP Celebration