My desire to work as a youth counselor comes from 15 years of personal and professional experience living and working in San Francisco. With my combined experience of being a part of the “Street Life”, Truancy counselor, and Residential Counselor I offer a unique insight into what youth service providers deal with on a daily basis. I began my career working with at-risk youth as an After-school Assistant - Program Instructor in San Francisco’s Mission District. There I developed skills in working with young children and curriculum development. This experience also taught me how important it is for children to see themselves reflected in the positive role-models with whom they work and live with. During my time as a Residential Counselor at Larkin Street I gained critical experience working with Homeless, Run-Away, Foster Youth and young adolescents with different situations ages 12-24. I held group discussions, perform life-skills assessments and counsel multi-cultural youth from all walks of life. Larkin Street also gave me the opportunity to have helped develop and implement vital youth programs, for example, Life Skills, and Gang Free Workshops. I’ve also attended to trainings such as De-escalation trainings, Motivational Interviewing, Time Management, and Anger Management to name a few.I am very organized; pay keen attention to detail and am aware of different youth cultures and their issues. The leadership abilities and intrapersonal skills I have developed through this and other jobs as well as my strong desire to work with at-risk youth would make me a strong asset to your team. It is my impression that the ideal candidate for any position is a team player, who has strong communication skills and creates opportunities for “at-risk” youth to succeed. I am that candidate! Cordially, Caleb Maldonado