Credible Messenger or Volunteer

Birmingham, AL

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲

Our Birmingham, office is seeking  passionate, resilient, and social justice-minded people to assist our program participants in navigating barriers around benefits access, mental health, education, housing, and legal issues. The Credible Messenger/Volunteer  will work closely with the program participants to provide connections to direct services, accessing public benefits, education about the health and social service system, advocacy and care coordination.  You may be the ideal candidate if you have lived experience of incarceration or involvement in the justice system and are deeply committed to connecting individuals with the support and resources needed to become self-sufficient and successful.

𝐎𝐀𝐀'𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐟𝐟 𝐕𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲

OAA has implemented an org-wide vaccination recommendation that requires all new staff to be fully vaccinated or to have received one dose of the Pfizier or Moderna shot before their first day of work. We have made this decision for the safety of our participants and employees and to enhance our ability to continue to provide the vital services we offer to our participants. As part of the onboarding process, new hires will be asked to submit proof of vaccination status prior to their first day of employment.

𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐖𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐞

The Offenders Alumni Association was founded by Drayton Nabers, Jr. and Deborah Daniels co-founded the Offender Alumni Association (OAA) in 2014 with their first support group in Birmingham, AL. This group included 5 former offenders.

After two years, OAA became an official 501(c)3 non-profit, and launched support forums in two major Alabama prisons, in addition to implementing its community revitalization initiative.

By 2017, over 500 former offenders and family members had attended the outside support forum and nearly 2000 had come to an in-prison support group.

OAA then added a family support group and hosted a Youth Career Readiness Initiative with 14 at risk youth in the summer.

In 2018, OAA launched two additional outside support forums (one in Birmingham West End and one in Atlanta Metro area), and started an inside forum for women at the Birmingham Community Base Facility.

OAA is looking forward to hosting its additional support groups in Birmingham-Eastlake, Huntsville, with additional locations in Metro Atlanta and Murfreesboro Tennessee scheduled by the close of 2018.


𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐀𝐫𝐞

You identify as someone who has “lived experience” within the criminal legal system
Committed to and passionate about working with justice-involved individuals and have experience identifying and assessing client needs, determining potential resources or supports, and connecting clients to these
Know the ins-and-outs of different programs, government agencies, and organizations that can help ease a person’s transition back from incarceration
Eager to experiment with new approaches or ideas, you are a curious and creative person who is open to trying new things (and bouncing back if they don’t go as planned!)
See the importance of building supportive peer relationships among justice-involved people; experience facilitating groups and other programming to help build and support those relationships and networks
You have experience in OR are open to learning to navigate multiple different online platforms to access services, enter data, or deliver programming
Are a people-person and love to motivate and inspire others to achieve their goals, helping individuals identify, capitalize upon, and apply their strengths
Pride yourself in your ability to communicate effectively and develop trusting relationships with individuals of varying backgrounds and experiences
Passionate about working in a national organization, collaborating across city and state lines, and open to working with individuals outside of your “home base” city
 

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐥𝐥 𝐁𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐫

Key responsibilities of the Credible Messenger and Volunteer  include but are not limited to:

Work with local program teams to support individuals in need of additional services and supports
Provide supportive services for participants who are dealing with a variety of barriers such as food insecurity, mental well-being, transportation, healthcare, financial, and legal issues
Meet with participants regularly to support their progress; meetings may take place in the office or in the community at their places of employment, homes, or elsewhere
Accompany program participants to necessary appointments with service providers
Connect program participants to health and social service providers in your community
Communicate consistently and professionally with referral partners to track progress, overcome obstacles, and ensure participant satisfaction with the services they receive
Facilitate group sessions on a variety of topics and recruit individuals to attend those groups (both in person and virtually over Zoom or other web-based platforms)
Attend local events and meetings in the reentry community within the area, building relationships with organizations offering participant supports
Build relationships with one or more program teams outside of your city to deliver remote supportive services when available
Serve on a nationally dispersed team of supportive service specialists; share what you know and learn in your community with others nationwide to deepen CEO’s impact and remain open to learning from other cities as well
Track participant progress in multiple database systems
Perform other administrative duties as assigned

𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐔𝐬

The Offenders Alumni Association believes that everyone deserves the chance to shape a stronger future for themselves, their families, and their communities. Our commitment to being an anti-racism organization that is inclusive across all identities and experiences drives us forward every day. We exist to create greater opportunities for people who face multiple barriers to personal and professional success, and we’re passionate about being agents of change who promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and access to opportunities for all.

People who are justice involved, people of color, people who identify as LGBTQ+ , and people with disabilities are highly encouraged to apply for vacant positions at all levels.  We are an equal employment opportunity for all regardless of race, color, citizenship, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, veteran or reservist status, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law.