ABOUT THE ROLE
The Youth Participation Officer is a new role and will play a pivotal part in
advancing the integration of youth voice into our organisation. This is an exciting opportunity to work with a well-established grassroots charity, to capture and amplify the voice of the young people in our community and truly make a difference.
The post holder will be required to work across all OTR services, partner agencies including schools, youth providers and other professionals. The post holder will also provide wrap around support, training and education, connection, mentoring and purposeful positive activities for our youth panel. The successful applicant will have a passion for engaging and empowering young people.
JOB DESCRIPTION
Job Title: Youth Participation Officer
Location: Hybrid or office-based OTR has two offices, both based in Leigh Park. PO9 3SU and PO9 5BG.
Reports to: Family Service Manager
Contract type: Fixed Term Contract for three years with the opportunity to extend the project if funding allows.
Hours: Part-time (12 hours a week)
Salary: £14.00 per hour
JOB PURPOSE
To lead on all participation events, including implementing a youth panel and co-producing content with young people on information distribution, advertising and fundraisers.
You ll work on a wide range of projects including creating engaging content in coproduction with our young people that aligns with OTR s brand and values across our website, social media, and email campaigns. This includes developing multimedia content (including graphics, videos and blogs) to promote our work and highlight our impact in the local community.
Specific role duties
Working together with young people to hear and share their voices about service delivery.
Working with the Senior Leadership Team to develop a participation strategy, including establishing and supporting a youth panel.
Provide safe sessions, where young people can meet and participate in youth-led positive activities.
Provide informal training programs to young people to enhance their personal, social and learning development.
Working together with young people to hear and share their voices about service delivery.
Work with young people to create meaningful content / advertising and service recommendations.
Work with young people on fundraising and promotional events.
Create opportunities for participation beyond that of the youth panel
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Knowledge, training and qualifications
Essential
Understanding of charitable organisations.
Understanding of issues facing families in Havant and South East Hampshire.
A qualification in Youth Work or equivalent to NVQ Level 3.
Experience
Essential.
Experience working, coproducing, and positively engaging children and young people, particularly young people who are vulnerable.
Demonstrable experience of empowering young people to speak up and have their voices heard in a meaningful manner
Ability to coach and develop young people s interpersonal skills and confidence through training and youth support.
Ability to develop positive relationships of trust with young people.
Have good knowledge and experience within aspects of youth work or therapeutic work.
Experience of delivering one to one and group work interventions, information, advice and guidance for young people in a range of settings in response to their needs
Demonstrable strong interpersonal communication skills such as active listening, empathy, ability to constructively challenge and resolve conflict, solution focused skills, facilitation skills and clear writing skills.
Youth work skills and experience or transferable youth work skills and willingness to learn and develop youth work skills
Skills
Essential
Public speaking and presenting.
Ability to work effectively with other professionals in a respectful and collaborative manner.
Strong time and project management skills.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to build effective relationships and to be impactful with people of varying levels and experience.
A flexible, pro-active approach to work including the ability to work to deadlines, plan, prioritise and manage own workload.
Strong interpersonal skills.
Ability to work autonomously and demonstrate initiative.
A team player committed to working collaboratively to achieve results.
Ability to use Microsoft Office Packages including SharePoint, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and the internet.
Ability to learn and better utilise IT systems.
Ability to deal with sensitive information with discretion and to always maintain confidentiality.
Responsibilities
To use youth work principles and practises to empower children and young people in the design, planning, preparation, evaluation and delivery of the youth participation offer.
Ensuring appropriate systems are in place to capture and monitor quality of work undertaken in line with service targets and performance management of inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes and impact.
Using good practice initiatives ensuring that these are embedded in ways of working, building trusting relationships, advocate on behalf of children and young people and support parents/ carers.
Contributing to the development and implementation of appropriate procedures, guidelines and systems to improve the delivery of service priorities in participation and leadership programmes.
Keeping accurate and comprehensive records using appropriate management information systems and processes, maintaining and reviewing in a timely manner.
Forming and maintaining appropriate professional boundaries with children, young people and their families.
To keep abreast of the new government National Youth Strategy, ensuring OTR maximises opportunities that arise from the strategy, including partnership working and potential funding.
Monitor and evaluate session effectiveness, making relevant adjustments where required.
Act as a role model to motivate, empower, facilitate growth and confidence, raise aspirations, and assist in the realisation and achievement of young people s goals
Requirements
Experience of working effectively with other professionals in order to safeguard children, young people and their families particularly those who present with risk issues and challenging behaviour such as substance misuse, anti-social behaviour, mental health and criminality.
Knowledge of relevant legislation, national standards, policy, practice and current issues related to children, young people, youthwork, youth justice, crime and antisocial behaviour.
Experience of coproduction and working with young people and staff to develop projects.
Other requirements
A commitment to treating your colleagues fairly, consistently and with respect (Essential)
An interest in and understanding of OTR s mission and strategy (Essential)
Resilient, creative, determined and hard working (Essential)
WHAT WE OFFER YOU
We will provide a laptop, and other necessary IT equipment to facilitate hybrid and home working.
As an employee, you will receive the following benefit package:
• Generous annual leave entitlement including bank holidays
• Flexible start and finish times between core hours of 8am and 6pm
• Flexible hours to take time off for medical appointments and caring responsibilities
• Hybrid working
• 3% employer pension contribution if eligible
• Paid sick leave
To apply
Please submit a full CV (accounting for all gaps in employment - for Safer Recruitment).and a covering letter detailing all of the below:
* why you believe you are right for this role.
* why you wish to work at OTR.
* detailing your experience in all essential criteria of the person specification
Registered charity number
Limited company
Funded by the National Lottery Community Fund