Youth Worker/Lived Experience Worker

• Have you got lived experience of screen addiction, gaming or gambling? 

• Are you passionate about helping young people to reduce gambling, gaming or screen-use harms and making a lasting change for whānau and communities? 

• Do you want to work at the forefront of a new service, providing lived experience advice on gambling, gaming, or screen-use harm and offering solutions? 

• Are you keen to be a member of a team that makes a real difference, striving for social justice and reducing harm inequities? 

About Touchgrass and PGF Services 

PGF Services is a not-for-profit organisation who has been delivering gambling harm prevention services across New Zealand for more than three decades. We are expanding our service to provide direct support to rangatahi impacted by gambling, gaming and screen-use harms.  

Touchgrass is a new youth service that provides a range of interventions, including peer support, one-to-one counselling (in person and online), group therapy, and family therapy. The key goal of Touchgrass is to empower rangatahi to thrive through connection, timely support, and opportunities to build resilience and healthy meaningful lives. Check out our socials @touchgrassnz

About the role 

Our Youth Worker is a vital part of our Touchgrass service, providing direct support to rangatahi and whānau offering goal-based problem solving that assists them to develop their own natural supports and supporting them to learn self-advocacy, to build their own recovery from gambling, gaming or screen-use harms. The role also includes raising awareness through education and community engagement in the region, including events like ‘O’week, speaking at schools, and presenting to youth networks. 

We are seeking an individual who has lived experience of gambling, gaming, or screen use harms, who has the resilience to support others, is confident to direct change and bring cultural knowledge that connects with youth communities. The work will be completed in person, remotely, individually and in groups. 

As a member of a multidisciplinary team (MDT) Youth Worker’s possess unique knowledge, abilities, and attributes. They draw on their own life-changing experience, and youth work skills to inspire rangatahi and their whānau. Our youth worker will help to strengthen connection, resiliency, choice, and hope, improving the lives of rangatahi. 

What you will bring 

The successful candidate will: 

• Lived experience of screen addiction, gaming or gambling 

• Have, or are working towards, or willing to achieve a Level 4 or above, Youth Worker or Mental Health/Addiction/Peer Support qualification 

• Be confident to deliver education and training to a broad audience 

• Have the ability to work cross-culturally and engage with diverse communities 

• Be able to articulate their obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its application to practice 

• Have good standards of record keeping 

• Have a full and clean driver’s license 

• Being competent in data entry and experience with Microsoft 365 programmes is desirable 

What we offer 

• A work from home day 

• Five weeks of annual leave 

• Medical insurance 

• KiwiSaver 

• Competitive salary based on skills and experience 

• Smartphone and laptop 

• Career development and training opportunities 

PGF Services mission: Kia pakari ai te mana o tēnā, o tēnā kia tāharahara te ngau o te wara petipeti. We enhance the mana of all people by preventing and minimising gambling-related harm.  

Kia Mana Te Kupu, Kia Mana Te Tāngata, Kia Mana Te Mokopuna  

We stand true to our word, we stand true to our people, we stand true to our legacy. 

We are committed to delivering a mana enhancing service and the health, safety and wellbeing of all staff is important to us. We value the connections you have with your community and encourage people with diverse backgrounds to apply.

For a full job description, please visit our website: https://www.pgf.nz/careers 

Applications close at 5.00pm on the 27th of November 2026 unless filled prior. 

Please note: To apply for this role, you must be eligible to work in Aotearoa.