Job: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10

Date Posted: October 28, 2002

\Substance Abuse Prevention Coordinator

Salary: $28K - $31K based upon qualifications, years of experience, and past achievements; plus benefits.

Essential Responsibilities:
Build a coalition of community-based organizations and faith-based organizations to develop a comperehensive strategy on substance abuse and HIV prevention in Northern Virginia. Requirements: Bachelor's degree in Public Health, Social Work or Youth Counseling, or equivalent experience. Must have strong communication skills and ability to handle multitasks and work under deadlines. Fluency in English and Vietnamese is required. Sometimes, work in the evening and on weekends.

Location: Falls Church, Virginia. Substance Abuse Prevention Coordinator Boat People S.O.S., Inc. (BPSOS) is a national Vietnamese-American community-based organization with 22 years of service and 14 branch offices across the U.S. Partnership to Ameliorate the Life of Minority Adolescents (PALMA) is a new program on substance abuse and HIV prevention for at-risk Vietnamese youths, funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Salary range: $28K - $31K depending on qualifications, years of experience, and past achievements; plus benefits.
Essential Responsibilities: The Coordinator's primary responsibilities include:
1) Measure prevalence of substance abuse and HIV among Vietnamese youth;
2) Build a coalition of community-based organizations (CBOs) and faith-based organizations (FBOs);
3) Work with the coalition to develop a comprehensive prevention strategy;
4) Provide technical assistance to these organizations in building capacity towards implementing the prevention strategy;
5) Conduct community outreach and education on related issues and prevention strategy;
6) Conduct a literature search of science-based prevention models and survey substance abuse/HIV services available in the local community;
7) Create a bibliography and a depository of relevant documents, publications and statistics;
8) Train coalition members and community advocates on prevention strategy;
9) Supervise two AmeriCorps*VISTA members;
10) Seek additional funding to sustain, expand and replicate program;
11) Prepare monthly activities and outcomes reports.

Goals:
1) All activities will be implemented on time and on budget.
2) All outcomes will be met or exceeded.
3) PALMA will become an established program and the prime model that sets the standards for replication elsewhere.
4) PALMA will mobilize the broad participation of community-based and faith-based organizations, parents, community members, and community advocates.
5) All participating CBOs and FBOs will achieve self-sustainability in three years.

Requirements:
Bachelor's degree in Public Health, Social Work or Youth Counseling or equivalent experience. Must have strong communication skills and ability to handle multitasks and work under deadlines. Fluency in English and Vietnamese is required. Must be able to commit some Friday evenings, Saturdays, and Sundays to conduct workshops, meet with coalition members, and present information on radio and television programs.

Location: Falls Church, VA.