Giving back what you have received. Former fellows of Yes We Can Clinics know better than anyone what this means and how valuable it can be. That's why Yes We Can Clinics offers former fellows the opportunity to be trained internally. In our team of youth coaches, we have a spot available for a former fellow in training to become an Experienced Youth Coach. Want to know more about the role of a Youth Coach (in training)? You can find all the details on this page.
The first six weeks, you'll join the Yes We Can Academy and get to know Yes We Can Clinics again. This time, not as a fellow but as a colleague. You'll be trained to become a Youth Coach and will also obtain the necessary training and certifications (such as handling aggression). In the remaining months, you will work within the Youth Coach team. You will work on a 4 days on, 4 days off shift. During your working days, you'll stay at our clinic in Hilvarenbeek. At the end of this seven-month programme, if both Yes We Can Clinics and you agree, we will offer you a contract as a Youth Coach.
Curious about what a week as a Youth Coach looks like? Let us take you through a (example) week:
Wicked Wednesday
Your shift starts today, but since you're taking over from your colleagues, you arrive on Tuesday evening for the handover. When you wake up on Wednesday morning, you grab a cup of tea and chat with your colleagues before heading to the fellows. In the morning, the community meeting is scheduled, where all the fellows gather. You check in with the fellows along with a Counsellor, and you play a significant role as you've read up on the fellows' treatment the previous evening. After this session, it's time to bid farewell to the fellows who have completed their 10 weeks of treatment, a special moment. They leave behind the place where they have worked hard on themselves. As a coach, you have been a big part of this period, so you celebrate this moment as a big brother or sister. You make it an unforgettable farewell, and you wish the fellows lots of happiness and love.
Target Thursday
After a free evening, where you had dinner with colleagues and/or worked out, you wake up fresh and energetic at 6:30 AM. First, you have a cup of coffee to wake up, and then you, along with your colleagues, wake up the fellows with energy. Today, your task is to organize an active morning gym session. You come up with fun moves and motivate the fellows to participate actively. If a fellow doesn't want to join, you recognize that behaviour from your own time in the clinic, so you have a motivating and activating conversation with this fellow. At 7:30 AM, you, along with 20 fellows and your colleagues, have breakfast together. Then, you come up with a sporty activity that , focuses on teamwork,. There's no fixed script, but you adapt to group dynamics and connect a relevant theme to the activity. The fellows work on a teamwork task, learn boxing techniques in the Dojo, and do some training in the Crossfit box. At the end of the day, you provide a brief report on how each fellow did and how the group dynamics were on that Thursday.
Fit Friday
In the morning, you have some free time and sleep in. It's lunchtime! As a coach, you start and finish lunch with a discussion about a personal story from your own treatment at Yes We Can. Then, you go over the afternoon schedule. During the meal, you and your colleagues maintain an overview of the group. The coaches are focused on creating a recovery-oriented atmosphere in the group. After lunch, you and your colleague coach take a few fellows to the climbing forest and guide them in climbing and overcoming their fears on the high ropes course. You assist and motivate the fellows while also teaching them how to handle their emotions in a healthy way. You know better than anyone how nerve-wracking it was to tackle the high ropes course for the first time, so you often draw on that experience in the afternoon. In the evening, as a coach, you organize a choice evening centered around the theme of 'connection.' Various activities related to this theme are organized. After such an exciting and eventful day, fellows can go to their rooms from 10:00 PM, but of course, they get an evening snack and participate in the day's closing. Every evening, you guide the fellows during the closing, where they reflect on their day, what went well, and what they will do differently tomorrow. You and your colleagues discuss the day afterward, which is always quite enjoyable.
Sweet Saturday
Because it's Saturday, the fellows and coaches can sleep in for an extra hour. After the fellows have dressed sportily, you all get on the bus to go hiking in a natural area nearby. On the weekends, the activities are even more extensive, and you can apply everything the fellows have learned during the week. After an adventurous day, you all sit down for dinner provided by our own kitchen. Your shift ends around 8:00 PM. You have a team meeting to evaluate the shift and prepare for the handover. Then, you head home to enjoy your days off.
4 days on, 4 days off shifts
We believe it's important to always be there for our fellows so that they don't see different faces every day but rather have a pleasant, stable foundation. Therefore, youth coaches work in 4-day on/off shifts. You work for 4 days, staying at the clinic, and then you have 4 days off. The start of your shift shifts one day each week. For example, in Week 1, you might work from Tuesday to Friday, the next week from Wednesday to Saturday, in Week 3 from Thursday to Sunday, and so on. We ask you to be present at the clinic the evening before your shift starts for the handover from the other team.
Free time
During your 4-day shift, you have a free moment every day (morning, afternoon, or evening). During this free time, one coach might choose to take a few hours to sleep, while another coach might opt to unwind by working out in the gym with our colleagues. Or you can gather in the coach house on the clinic's premises, where there are opportunities for activities like playing darts or table football. You also have the opportunity to go home for one evening during your shift.
Salary is a gross all-inclusive amount including allowances.
After the Academy, you will receive additional allowances on top of your salary.
A former fellow of Yes We Can Clinics who has completed the ten actions. You have been in recovery for at least two years and are 21 years or older. For those with a history of addiction, we require at least two years of abstinence and sobriety. Additionally, you are a sports enthusiast, creative, and a team player. It is preferred that you have demonstrable experience in organizing and leading sports and educational activities, and you are not afraid to speak in front of a large group.
When all else fails, Yes We Can Youth Clinics provides a solution for many teens and young adults, aged 13 to 25, struggling with mental health issues, addictions and behavioural problems. Our approach has proven to be very successful: about 70% of the fellows no longer need specialised care after having completed 10 weeks of residential treatment and a minimum of 4 weeks aftercare. Our success rate is so high because we not only work together with our fellows, but also with their parents. Successful treatment requires a serious effort from both of them. The collaborative approach at Yes We Can Youth Clinics has proven to be a turning point in the lives of thousands of teens and young adults.
Feel free to contact me
We would like to ask you to make a 3-4-minute video application telling us who you are, what you have been treated for at Yes We Can Clinics, how you are in recovery and why you would like to secure a training place at Yes We Can Clinics. Your CV and a link of your video (e.g. via YouTube), can be attached to your application.
