Peer Mentor for Diverse Teens

Appa Health - Peer Mentor for Diverse Teens (Remote, CA-based)

Remote | Hourly | Part-Time | California Applicants Only | Bilingual Spanish Strongly Preferred | Multilingual Candidates Encouraged

Harness Your Experience to Empower the Next Generation

At Appa Health, we believe that lived experience is expertise. If you’re passionate about giving back to your community and inspiring teens to grow, we invite you to join our team as a near-peer mentor. You’ll have the chance to make a lasting impact on the lives of high school students by supporting them with your unique insights and experiences.

About Us

Appa Health pairs teens with near-peer mentors who truly “get it.” We’re a collaborative team of mentors, clinicians, and technologists delivering virtual, evidence-based mentorship to teens across California. All mentoring happens online — via chat and video — making it easy to show up for teens from anywhere.

In addition to making a meaningful impact on teens who may not have another trusted adult, you’ll be supported by a world class team of mentors who learn and grow together.

We believe that this work is more important than ever!

Who We’re Looking For:

We’re hiring near-peer mentors based in California, with a strong preference for Spanish-speaking mentors and those interested in pursuing or already holding Certified Wellness Coach (CWC) credentials. We also encourage multilingual candidates to apply, as language access helps us better support teens and families from diverse communities.

We’re looking for mentors who bring empathy, curiosity, and a deep commitment to supporting teens - whether through lived experience, professional background, or both.

About the Role

As an Appa Mentor, you’ll build meaningful relationships with teens aged 12–19, helping them develop critical life skills and emotional tools. Your shared lived experience becomes a bridge to connection and growth.

Mentors may also have the opportunity to support special initiatives and research partnerships, such as Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR). These opportunities help Appa, our partners, and the broader research community better understand the impact of mentorship, strengthen our mentorship model, and expand access to evidence-informed care for more teens.

What You’ll Do:

• Build trust and offer weekly support via chat and 1:1 video sessions
• Lead conversations that promote resilience, confidence, and well-being
• Use Appa’s weekly content in ways that feel accessible and relevant to teens
• Help teens set and follow through on goals
• Respond to teens within 24 hours Monday - Friday during the work week
• Participate in weekly consultation groups with other mentors for guidance, support, and skill-building
• Collaborate with the Appa team, and research partners to strengthen our mentorship model and impact
• Participate in special projects and research collaborations, such as SBIR, by supporting teens through Appa’s mentorship model, and completing brief trainings, surveys, time logs or documentation when applicable.

What Makes This Role Meaningful

At Appa, mentorship is about connection, consistency, and care. As a mentor, you’ll use your lived experience, empathy, and communication skills to support teens while growing professionally within a mission-driven team. You’ll receive training, consultation, and ongoing support, because we believe mentors deserve to feel supported too.

This role is a strong fit for someone interested in youth mental health, coaching, social work, psychology, education, or community-based support. You’ll gain hands-on experience helping teens build confidence, resilience, and connection while learning alongside other mentors who are committed to reflection, growth, and showing up for one another.

Training & Certification

All mentors receive comprehensive training in evidence-based support techniques to help teens build confidence, resilience, and social emotional tools. Training includes approaches such as motivational interviewing, goal setting, active listening, and crisis response — among other core skills that support meaningful, strengths-based mentorship.

Our mentorship model aligns closely with California’s Certified Wellness Coach (CWC) certification, a state-recognized credential through the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI). This certification reinforces the very core of what we do: equipping teens with skills to thrive emotionally, mentally, and socially through trusted mentorship.

Ideal candidates will already be certified or eligible for certification as a CWC. If you do not yet hold this credential, Appa will support eligible candidates through the certification process. We are committed to building a team where all mentors are Certified Wellness Coaches, as this ensures we’re delivering the highest quality of support to the teens we serve — and investing in your professional development along the way.

Who You Are:

• Passionate about supporting and empowering youth
• Empathetic, open-minded, and respectful
• Skilled communicator, especially via video and messaging
• Organized, consistent, reliable
• Culturally humble and curious about others’ experiences
• Tech-savvy and familiar with online platforms used by teens
• Eager to learn and grow as part of a diverse, collaborative team
• Comfortable using structure and routines to support teens
• Able to manage boundaries while maintaining warmth and empathy

Minimum Qualifications:

• Identify as Gen Z or Millennial (our model is near-peer mentoring)
• Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Psychology, Sociology, Human Services, or related field
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills
• Reliable high-speed internet connection and access to a private space for video calls
• Ability to pass a comprehensive background check

Preferred Qualifications

• CWC Certification
• Bilingual or multilingual; Spanish strongly preferred

Preference Given to Candidates with the Following Lived Experiences

Ideal candidates may identify with one or more of the following lived experiences:

• Belonging to BIPOC communities
• Navigating mental health or major life challenges
• LGBTQIA+ identity
• Experiences in foster care, homelessness/housing insecurity, or juvenile systems
• Growing up in under-resourced or rural communities
• Experience with substance use or recovery (personal or within family systems)

Time Commitment & Schedule

Part-time: 10–15 hours per week, depending on your caseload and onboarding phase.Note: In your first few weeks, hours may be lower as you complete orientation and begin receiving your initial teen matches.

How weekly hours generally break down:

• Up to ~1 hour per teen each week, typically split between messaging and a scheduled video session (time may vary based on teen engagement)
• 1-hour weekly consultation group with your mentor cohort
• Additional time for training, communication, team meetings, and brief project-related tasks when applicable

Actual weekly time may vary based on teen engagement. If a teen misses a scheduled session, mentors are compensated for a portion of that time.

Work hours:

Most direct teen support occurs between 3:00–8:00 PM Pacific, with flexibility to schedule within that window. Some responsibilities (training, team follow-ups, etc.) may occur outside these hours.

Tools and Environment You’ll Need

Because all mentoring happens online, we ask that mentors have:

• Strong internet connection that supports video
• A laptop or desktop (non-Chromebook preferred)
• A quiet, private space for teen video calls
• Comfort navigating messaging platforms, video conferencing tools, and digital forms
• This is a fully remote role, but mentors must reside in California to apply.

Compensation

• Part-time, contract (1099) position with competitive hourly pay.
• All required training hours are paid.
• Professional development opportunities, including support to become a Certified Wellness Coach (CWC) - a state-recognized certification that can strengthen your career and personal development.
• We value lived experience and invest in your growth as a mentor and professional.

How to Apply

If you’re excited to empower teens and bring your lived experience to a supportive team, we’d love to hear from you. Apply now and help shape the future of mentorship with Appa.

Job Type: Part-time

Pay: $20.00 per hour

Benefits:

• Flexible schedule

Application Question(s):

• What state do you currently live in? (Must be California-based to apply)
• Are you fluent in Spanish? If yes, please describe your proficiency and comfort level in both speaking and writing.
• Most teen support happens between 3:00–8:00 PM Pacific. Are you able to have consistent availability within this window, with the understanding that occasional training, consultations, or meetings may occur outside of these hours?
• Do you have a 4-year degree in Psychology, Social Work, Human Services, Addiction Studies, Child Development/Early Intervention, or Sociology?
• Have you completed at least 1,350 hours of experience in Social Work, Human Services, Addiction Studies, Child Development, Early Intervention, Psychology, or Sociology within the last 6 years? Please list your job titles, approximate dates, locations, and hours completed.
• Research shows that consistency has a powerful impact on mentoring relationships. Are there any known circumstances that would prevent you from committing to mentoring for a minimum of 1 year?
• Which of the shared lived experiences listed in the job description do you identify with? What inspires you to mentor diverse teens?

Work Location: Remote