Black Mental Health Village Youth Healing & Advocacy Manager Nashville, TN · Contractor Company website

Apply for Youth Healing & Advocacy Manager

BMH Village is a bold, local nonprofit organization harnessing community, data, and novel technology to facilitate innovative whole-person healing and mental health education. Through community-led healing initiatives, we aim to address mental health disparities and the well-being of Black and minoritized communities impacted by trauma, poverty, or lack of mental health care access.

Job summary

The Youth Healing & Advocacy Manager will coordinate BMH Village’s youth ecosystem across multiple grants and funding streams, including the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency (MDHA) Domestic Violence Awareness, Education, and Support grant, the Metro Public Health Department Healing-Centered Youth Program, and other unrestricted and grant-funded youth initiatives. This contract / part-time role serves youth in general while intentionally centering Black and other minoritized youth who are most impacted by trauma, poverty, community violence, and barriers to mental health care.​

The Youth Healing & Advocacy Manager will weave together healing-centered programming, youth-led advocacy, and cross-partner coordination so youth can build power, heal in community, and shape the conditions that keep them safe and well.​

Key responsibilities

Program coordination and delivery

• Create and disseminate mass communications about youth programming to BMH Village’s network and broader community, ensuring clear, timely information about opportunities for youth participation and leadership.
• Coordinate and implement youth programming funded by the MDHA Domestic Violence Awareness, Education, and Support grant, including workshops, support spaces, creative events, and community education focused on safety and healing.​
• Oversee youth activities funded by the Metro Public Health Community Safety / Healing-Centered Youth Program, including groups, town halls, healing circles, and seasonal or summer initiatives.​
• Develop and maintain a unified youth program calendar that clearly labels which activities are supported by MDHA, MPHD, CBHE, and unrestricted funds.​
• Ensure all youth spaces are healing-centered, trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and non-carceral, in partnership with clinical staff, community healers, and other team members.​
• Participate in scheduled planning and coordination meetings with Black Mental Health Village core teams to support youth programming and events, as part of contract responsibilities.

Youth leadership, organizing, and advocacy

• Create and coordinate a McGruder Youth Committee that is open to all youth in the community, with a deliberate focus on elevating the voices and leadership of Black and minoritized youth.​
• Support youth in designing and leading advocacy efforts related to domestic violence prevention, substance use harm reduction, youth safety, mental health, school discipline, housing, and environmental conditions affecting their lives.​
• Prepare youth to participate in existing coalitions and tables (for example All Children Excel Nashville and other local networks), helping them share stories, recommendations, and solutions with decision-makers.​

Partner and community collaboration

• Serve as a primary point of contact for BMH Village’s youth work at McGruder and other key sites, coordinating with colocated partners and neighborhood organizations to align events and opportunities.​
• Help design and host quarterly youth-focused ecosystem gatherings or trainings (e.g., trauma and resilience, protective/community factors, harm reduction, youth organizing basics) in collaboration with partners.​
• Represent BMH Village in community meetings, coalitions, and funder conversations, clearly communicating the needs and priorities of youth and the organization’s healing justice approach.​
• Coordinate and share mass communications about youth programming with partners and community networks to boost awareness, alignment, and participation across the youth ecosystem.

Data, reporting, and grant alignment

• Track attendance, participatvideo/voice noteion, and key outcomes across all youth programs in simple, consistent ways that support MDHA, MPHD, CBHE, and other grant reporting requirements.​
• Maintain organized records of events, youth leadership roles, and advocacy actions to demonstrate impact and alignment with each grant’s objectives and BMH Village’s mission.​
• Provide concise monthly summaries that connect events to specific grants, deliverables, and youth outcomes so leadership can make informed decisions about funding and strategy.​

First 30–60 day priorities

• Build a unified youth calendar that maps out all current and near-term activities and their funding sources.​
• Propose a concrete plan for the McGruder Youth Committee youth outreach and programming and support the scheduling of collaborative and consistent youth programming and engagement with committee members and partners while documenting the committee growth and activities (membership profile, recruitment, meeting rhythm, initial priorities).
• Identify at least one near-term opportunity for visible youth leadership (co-facilitating an event, speaking, organizing a campaign or project) and support youth to step into those roles.​

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Public Health, Education, Youth Development, or a related field; or equivalent combination of professional and lived experience in community-based youth work.​
• At least 2–3 years of experience coordinating youth programs, youth organizing, advocacy, or grant-funded initiatives, preferably in community-based or grassroots settings.​
• Demonstrated understanding of trauma-informed, healing-centered, culturally responsive, and non-carceral approaches to youth safety and mental health.​
• Strong organizational skills and comfort juggling multiple programs, partners, and timelines while staying attentive to details and deliverables.​
• Experience collaborating with community partners and coalitions and sharing power with youth as decision-makers and co-creators.​
• Deep commitment to equity, healing justice, housing justice, and health justice, with clarity that the role serves all youth while centering the needs and leadership of Black and other minoritized young people.​

Contract details

• Status: Contract / Part-Time (approx. 15-20 hours per week, with flexibility based on funding and program needs).​
• Schedule: Primarily afternoons, evenings, and occasional weekends to align with youth availability and community events; some virtual work is possible.​
• Compensation: Hourly or flat-fee contract rate commensurate with experience and available MDHA, MPHD, CBHE, and unrestricted funds; details will be discussed during the interview process.​

How to apply

To apply, please submit the following on Gusto: 

• A resume (or a short summary of relevant experience and lived experience).
• A brief statement (a paragraph or a short video/voice note) sharing:
• Why youth healing and advocacy matter to you.
• How you have previously supported youth or community-led work.

For video or voice note submissions, please email [email protected] and mention this in the section provided for your written answers.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the contract is filled.​

Black Mental Health Village welcomes applicants of all races, ethnicities, genders, sexualities, abilities, and backgrounds, and strongly encourages individuals with lived experience of the issues facing our communities to apply.