Youth leader outdoor learning - united kingdom, ilkeston, derbyshire

job title: youth leader outdoor learning

section: youth development

responsible to: founder

responsible for: participants/young people and junior staff/volunteers

pay grading: £16,912 - £18,791 (based on 25 hrs per week)

the role

parkside high cic youth organisation offer a range of activities, support and alternative learning opportunities for children and young people aged 8-18+. our mission is to inspire, encourage and support young people to tap into their inner potential and achieve success. young people get the chance to have fun and learn new skills in a variety of ways through sport and physical activity, youth leadership, outdoor adventure and forest schools and multi-media & creative projects in art and music.

parkside high run a number of programmes across the borough of erewash and the wider area of derbyshire and nottinghamshire. the organisation is based at the pod youth and community centre in ilkeston and has a 2nd site garden61 youth allotment.

we have an exciting opportunity for a youth leader to join our growing organisation. the role will be focused on outdoor learning. you will support children and young people by providing positive opportunities to help them build healthy relationships and make informed life choices, with the aim of improving their resilience, confidence and general mental health and wellbeing through connecting with nature. you will be responsible for managing and delivering bespoke outdoor learning sessions for young people including group sessions and one to one with the responsibility for the planning and delivering of these programmes and you will have the freedom and independence to create activities to suit your participants. this is a new role and you will have the opportunity to be creative and mould the position in line with the aims of the project.

the role will be predominantly based at our community youth allotment in ilkeston, garden 61. the role will also include activities at our base the pod and offsite outdoor locations. our base is located within close proximity to shipley country park which hosts both derbyshire wildlife trust and the woodland trust sites.

the post will be for a minimum of 25 hours a week as a fixed one-year contract. these will be flexible working hours with a requirement of some evenings and weekends where activities require this. overtime opportunities may also be available.

main responsibilities

to engage children and young people through a variety of outdoor activities, arranging and facilitating subsequent sessions.
to provide one to one mentoring for identified young people where required.
to lead, plan and organise outcome focussed activities to engage young people during sessions, underpinned by methods to overcome individual social, educational and emotional barriers and to create personal development plans for the future.
to establish positive and interactive relationships with young people in group and one to one settings.
to be responsible for managing the outdoor learning space garden 61 including upkeep, growing of produce and project delivery.
to lead volunteers and junior staff allocating roles and responsibilities where required pre, during and post sessions.
manage workloads efficiently prioritising this effectively allowing changes yet ensuring all administrative duties are completed within required timelines and stored correctly.
to help each young person develop or begin to develop life skills and accomplish specific goals, helping them improve their mental health and well-being predominantly through outdoor learning activities.
to monitor each mentee and record progress reports after each session. to gather monitoring and evaluation data from each young person.
responsible for the health and safety of yourself, staff and young people within your care during activities.
to develop links and relationships with schools/colleges, community groups, other youth organisations and potential employers to assist in supporting young people’s progression.

attend partnership meetings where appropriate and feedback on the progress, successes and challenges of the mentoring scheme.
effectively safeguard young people under your supervision. following psh safeguarding policy and procedures at all times.

essential

forest school, bushcraft, iol or similar qualification
experience in the delivery of youth initiatives focusing on good relations, citizenship and personal development
experience facilitating groups for children and young adults
ability to engage with young people on a level that brings the best out of them and supports positive change
personal commitment to addressing the needs of the most vulnerable young people in the borough.
positive, resilient and fun
experience using microsoft office
good organisation skills and time management
current driving licence
ability to lead and plan sessions, take the initiative and create exciting and innovative sessions
professional, reliable and considerate
willingness to work outdoors all year round with experience in fire, bushcraft, shelter creation, knife and tool work
knowledge of native wildlife, plant and flower id.
knowledge and experience of safeguarding with additional training to be provided.
first aid qualified, ideally outdoor.

desirable

knowledge and understanding of issues and trends relating to young people
experience of using evaluation tools/outcome measures to monitor the impact of outdoor learning
skills in natural and arts and crafts, foraging and self sufficiency
experience in nature based health and well being
experience in mental health and wellness
experience of social enterprise
experience of statutory/third party partnerships
knowledge and understanding of social media marketing communications

standard clauses

health and safety

you will take reasonable care for your health and safety and have regard to other persons who may be affected by the performance of your duties in accordance with the provisions of health and safety legislation, parkside high cic’s health and safety policy, associated protocols and health and safety management systems.

you will exercise proper care in handling, operating and safeguarding any equipment, vehicle or appliance provided, used or issued by the organisation or provided or issued by a third party for individual or collective use in the performance of your duties.

equality and diversity

you will uphold parkside high cic equality and diversity policies and practices in accordance with the organisational policy and equality scheme. parkside high cic will make any adjustments considered reasonable to the above duties under the terms of the equality act 2010 to accommodate a disabled employee.

training

you will keep under review your own training and developmental needs and keep yourself informed of current issues and be alert to parkside high cic and other relevant bodies training programmes and policies. you will be required to attend, from time to time, training courses, conferences, seminars or other meetings as required by your own training needs and the needs of the service.

performance management

you will ensure compliance with the organisations employee performance standards and take the appropriate action to address issues that may arise. you will comply with the organisations kpis and targets to ensure that all information you are responsible for is accurate, complete, up to date and fit for purpose.

confidentiality

you will comply with and/or ensure compliance with the organisations data protection policies and the data protection act and other relevant legislation. you will ensure that confidentiality is respected and maintained at all times. where appropriate you will work with computers, new technology and associated systems as required and support staff in its use. you will comply with the regulations as set out in parkside high cic gdpr policy

customer care

you will promote and deliver fair and high quality customer care services that are sensitive and responsive to clients/service users and in accordance with parkside high’s aims and objectives.

environmental

parkside high cic are committed to protecting the environment and reducing its carbon emissions. it is therefore the responsibility of all employees to minimise their impact on the environment whilst working for parkside high cic.

disclosure and barring checks

in those posts where post holders have access to either children, vulnerable adults or highly confidential information a disclosure and barring check will be undertaken prior to that person’s appointment to the job.

other duties

this job description sets out the duties and responsibilities of the post at the time when it was drawn up. such duties and responsibilities may vary from time to time without changing the general character of the duties or the level of responsibility entailed. such variations are a common occurrence and cannot themselves justify a reconsideration of the grading of the post. any changes which are of a permanent nature will, following consultation with you, be included in the job description in specific terms and will be formally issued to you.

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