Casual Youth Worker

Airplay is the RAF Benevolent Fund's (RAFBF) flagship youth support programme, designed to make a positive impact on the lives of children and young people from RAF families. Delivered by YMCA at 23 RAF Stations across the UK, Airplay provides engaging activities, safe spaces, and opportunities for young people aged 5–18 to learn, grow, and thrive.

We are looking for enthusiastic and dedicated Casual Youth Worker to join our friendly Airplay team. This is a fantastic opportunity to work in a supportive environment where your ideas and energy will help shape the experiences of children and young people in RAF communities.

Key Responsibilities

• Deliver fun, engaging, and inclusive sessions for children and young people aged 5–18.
• Support the planning and facilitation of a variety of activities, including arts, sports, games, and social sessions.
• Build positive relationships with children, young people, and their families.
• Work collaboratively with other Airplay team members and RAF Community Support staff.
• Ensure the safety and well-being of all participants in line with YMCA and RAFBF safeguarding policies.
• Contribute to the development of holiday programmes tailored to community needs.

We're looking for someone with a positive, energetic, and enthusiastic approach to working with children and young people. You'll be able to inspire, motivate, and engage young people of all ages and backgrounds, while demonstrating strong interpersonal and communication skills. Flexibility is important, as you'll be required to work evenings and occasionally extra hours during holiday periods. A collaborative, respectful team player is essential. Experience in youth work, education, or community settings is desirable, as well as relevant qualifications in youth work, childcare, or a willingness to work towards these.

If this sounds like you, we would warmly welcome your application.

As some of our roles involve working with vulnerable members of society, this position may require a Basic or Enhanced Criminal Disclosure, which will be conducted once a conditional offer is made

Previous Applications: We welcome applications from all qualified candidates. However, if you have applied for a similar role within the last 6 months and were not successful, please consider whether your experience has developed further before reapplying

Accessibility & Adjustments: We are committed to making reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process and will strive to be as accommodating as possible. Please inform us in advance of any arrangements you may need to fully participate in the process.

At One YMCA we are an inclusive organisation and actively promote equality of opportunity for all with the right mix of talent, skills, and potential. We do not discriminate on the basis of Age, Disability, Gender Reassignment, Marriage/Civil Partnership, Pregnancy/Maternity, Race, Religion/Belief, Sex and/or Sexual Orientation. We encourage applications from all backgrounds, communities, and industries, and are committed to having a team that is made up of diverse skills, experiences, and abilities.

This is a Casual role.

Hours per week: 0

Working Pattern: 0

One YMCA and its subsidiaries, the Early Childhood Partnership (ECP) and Signpost are on an exciting journey to double our impact by 2025. We are over half way through an exciting new strategy launched in the first hour of the new decade, via email where all staff and volunteers were invited to put themselves forward to apply and attend an intensive, three-day Kickstarter Event.

By the end of these three days, there was a brilliantly multi-faceted set of themes and ideas, which formed the starting point for the rest of the Mission 25 process to build on. The aim of Mission 25 is to give every staff member and volunteer the opportunity to play their part in shaping the strategy to do "more and better, together" so that we double our impact by 2025. We deliver a vast array of services across Herts, Beds and Bucks that reach over 135,000 individuals annually.

These include:

• Provision of over 700 units of accommodation for homeless people
• Move on accommodation for individuals moving onto independent living
• Housing and practical/emotional support for young asylum seekers
• Community HUBs hosting a range of activities and meeting space hire
• Childcare provision in Hertfordshire
• Family support through a network of children's and family centres covering Hertfordshire and Bedford
• Therapeutic and non-therapeutic support for male and female victims of domestic abuse and their children
• Independent sexual violence services across Bedfordshire, Luton and Hertfordshire
• Domestic abuse perpetrator reform programmes across Bedfordshire
• Youth services offering emotional wellbeing support and youth club opportunities for 11-19 year olds alongside our National Airplay programme funded by the RAF Benevolent Fund
• A community gym where everyone can enjoy the benefits of physical exercise Our values remain at the forefront of how we operate as a charity, and it is important to us that all staff and volunteers can fully buy in to our ethos.