Youth Leader

_**ARE YOU SEEKING A NEW CHALLENGE WORKING IN A GROWING YOUTH ORGANISATION?**_

If you would like to get involved in an exciting youth project, where you have the opportunity to **support young people** with their pro-social development, key life skills, confidence, self-esteem and much more, then **we want to hear from you**

Do you have a **passion for youth development** and a desire to improve the lives of young people in a community setting, are you a team player that can **motivate young people** and colleagues, and do you have the ability to engage with young people on a level that gets the best out of them?
- Enjoy working with young people
- Work as part of a team in a busy environment
- Posses good organisational and time management skills
- Be aware of the challenges facing the youth of today

**Job Details**
- **Section**: Youth Development and Mentoring
- **Responsible to**: Youth and Communities Development Manager
- **Responsible for**: Young People
- **Pay grading**: £21,450 - £28,275 (Salary negotiable)
- **Contract**: Full Time (37.5 Hours per week)
- **Contract Duration**: Permanent

**JOB DESCRIPTION - YOUTH LEADER**

Parkside High CIC are a local grassroots Youth Organisation based in Ilkeston, Derbyshire. We offer a range of activities, support and alternative learning opportunities for Children & Young People aged 8 to 18 years. Our mission is to inspire, encourage and support young people to unlock their inner potential and achieve success.

Young people access the project to learn new skills whilst having fun and building new relationships. We deliver programmes in Sport + Physical Activity + Youth Leadership + Outdoor Adventure + Forest Schools + Multi-Media +Art & Music + Volunteering

Parkside High deliver programmes across The Borough of Erewash and the wider area of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. We are based at The POD Youth & Community Centre in Ilkeston and have a 2nd Site - Garden61 Youth & Community Allotment.

**The Role**

We have an exciting opportunity for a Youth Leader to join our growing organisation. The role will focus on the direct engagement with young people in an alternative learning environment with some wider community work involved, either based at the POD Youth and Community Centre in Ilkeston, Garden 61 allotment in Cotmanhay or at other venues in the borough.

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 well-being through building positive relationships and providing positive opportunities to develop, thrive and succeed. You will be responsible for managing and delivering bespoke activity sessions for young people including group sessions and one-to-one, with the responsibility for the planning and delivery of these programmes having the freedom and independence to create activities to suit your participants.

You will act as role model to young people, supporting them with social skills, building friendships groups and encouraging active lifestyles.

This is a new role, and you will have the opportunity to be creative and contribute to the design of a vibrant youth offer in this position, in line with the aims of the project.

The post will be 37.5 hours per week on a permanent contract, on a rolling basis. These will be flexible working hours with a requirement of some evenings and some weekends where required. Overtime opportunities may also be available.

**Main Responsibilities**
- To engage children and young people through a variety of positive 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.
- To establish positive and interactive relationships with young people in group and one to one settings.
- 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 time-lines and stored correctly.
- To help each young person develop life skills and accomplish specific goals, helping them to improve their mental health and well-being, predominantly through fun and positive 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.
- Effectively safeguard young people under your supervision. Following Parkside safeguarding policy and proced