Youth Mentor

**POST**: Youth Mentor

**LOCATION**: Office work will be remote. Youth engagement will be based in Northamptonshire.

**REPORTING TO**: Operations Manager

**SALARY**: £13 per hour (full time equivalent salary £25,350)

**HOURS**:12 hours per week

**CONTRACT START DATE**: March 2024 (checks and references depending)

**CONTRACT END DATE**: Jan 2025 (with the possibility for extension to the contract)

**JOB PURPOSE**

This is an exciting new role to support our charity, Active Link, in building positive paths supporting vulnerable young people of secondary school age who are disengaged in education.

Working closely with colleagues from across the organisation, the Youth Mentor will play a crucial role in engaging the young people we work with on our programmes. This could include supporting young people with a range of issues such as coping with social pressures, emotional wellbeing, physical inactivity, financial difficulties, crime, loneliness, bullying, relationship issues and family problems. We focus on three main areas that may be having a negative impact on the lives of the young people we work with causing them to be disengaged in education - school, home and community.

**ABOUT US**

Active link a charity named by young people. Our programmes are designed with young
people, for young people.

Active Link is a UK charity, based in Northamptonshire supporting vulnerable young people of secondary school age who are disengaged in education. Providing mentoring and co-created physical activity and wellbeing programmes in and out of school. Our programmes not only benefit the young people we work with but the families/carers, schools and wider community too.

Active Link exists to show young people that through self-belief, empowered by co-creation and guidance they can achieve great things in life. We want young people to be told “yes you can’’ to help set them on a path to reach their fullest potential.

Every child, regardless of their background and current situation, deserves a high-quality education that allows them to thrive and paves the way to a successful future. Evidence suggests that there are fundamental links between poverty, mental health, being in care and having low attainment in school and becoming a NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training). There are further correlations between being a NEET and displaying anti-social behaviours and/or becoming involved in crime.

Active Link recognises the need to change the approach in supporting our young people and schools to prevent failure.

We create positive paths that aim to break the cycle of unemployment, poverty, increased mental health concerns and pathways into the criminal justice system.

No matter what cards we’ve been dealt in life, everyone should have the opportunity to succeed. Using physical activity as a vehicle for change, we aim to increase confidence, provide opportunities, use positive role models and ultimately raise the life aspirations of young people we work with.

By working in partnership with community-based organisations and businesses who share our values, we help young people gain that essential initial start in life by improving their health, wellbeing and boosting their life aspirations to help them be the best they can be.

For more information about us and our projects visit Active Link

**JOB SUMMARY**

This is an exciting, fast-paced role which plays a crucial part in the development and growth of our mentoring programmes that aim to build positive paths for the young people we work with. The role will support Active Link to build on our existing youth engagement and mentoring approach.

The admin side of the role will be a remote working role. The youth engagement side of the role will be based in Northampton. There will be occasional travel for meetings held in Northamptonshire and surrounding areas.

**KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES**

**Delivery**
- Ensure that all projects and engagement are delivered in line with The National Youth Agency guidelines around youth engagement
- Liaise with parents/carers to secure consent for participation in 1:1 mentoring, home visits and participation in out of school programmes
- Liaise with schools to identify and work with pupils who would benefit from our Active Link interventions, gain an understanding of the needs of the young people by agreeing objectives and appropriate exit strategies
- To organise and deliver safe and effective co-created group sessions to vulnerable young people
- Safely conduct 1:1 mentoring with young people through various methods of communication including by phone/video call, home visits or in school/community environments
- Ensure that agreed practices, protocols and procedures are followed particularly relating to child protection and safeguarding
- Undertake risk assessments to ensure that potential problems are mitigated prior to them arising, and any issues that do arise are handled appropriately

**Monitoring and Reporting*