Job Title: Youth Worker

Job Title: Youth Worker

Accountable to:  Street Arts Project Co-ordinator/ Creative Programme Manager

Location: Wester Hailes, South West Edinburgh

Hours of Work: Thursday Evenings (4.00pm-7.30pm) with additional hours for school holiday sessions, project planning and evaluation,  training, support and supervision. Other freelance support/ youth work may be available.

Rate of Pay: £15 per hour, freelance position

Background Information:

WHALE Arts

WHALE Arts is a community arts organisation based in the purpose built WHALE Arts Centre in Westburn, Wester Hailes. We provide arts activities for over 1,300 children and adults a year that inspire change for people and their community.

Street Arts

Street Arts is an innovative and ambitious outreach project that delivers high quality arts activities for young people (5-16 years) on the streets at several priority housing estates in Wester Hailes, Edinburgh.

The project works with hard to reach young people with the aim of reducing the levels of anti-social behaviour in the area by providing them with positive, diversionary arts activities which address some of the issues affecting their lives. We also want them to have fun, be inspired and enjoy a range of art forms.

Street Arts sessions run on Thursday evenings from 4.45pm-7pm each week and involve staff going out to meet and work with young people on the street. Preparation before sessions and evaluation after each session also takes place each week) Sessions last approximately 20 minutes in each location and take place come rain or shine!

The staff team for the Street Arts Project includes the Project Co-ordinator and Project Youth Worker who support a core team of professional artists to deliver activities (usually one artist per session). Past sessions have included street and pop dance, visual art, music, poetry, beat boxing and creative writing.

Artists are required to submit a session plan in advance and attend a briefing before and an evaluation after each session. All members of the Street Arts team take part in appropriate Outreach working training and Child Protection training. Street Arts uniforms are provided for sessions.

Summary of Post

The Street Arts project has a strong youth work element to it with the Youth Worker working closely with the Project Co-ordinator to help with the smooth delivery of the creative activities programme. The youth worker will also support the delivery of creative youth consultation sessions with local young people as a means of developing the project further. WHALE Arts Creative Programme Manager will support the overall running of the Street Arts Project and will work in collaboration with the Project Co-ordinator and Youth Worker to develop areas of work that have been identified through the outreach sessions.

Main Activities and Key Responsibilities

Project Planning and Session Preparation

• Work closely with the Project Co-ordinator and WHALE Arts Creative Programme Manager to help develop the Street Arts programme on an ongoing basis
• Attend the staff briefing at the beginning of each session which relates directly to the session aims and objectives
• Update Street Arts social media with Project Co-ordinator and WHALE Arts Communications team.
• Support the Project Co-ordinator to deliver the programme of creative activities and consultation sessions
• Liaise with the Project Co-ordinator before each session regarding any relevant youth provision, education or training opportunities available to local young people at WHALE, in the local area and within the city wide in order to help sign post young people onto these programmes.

During Sessions

• Support the Project Co-ordinator to deliver the weekly programme of creative activities or youth consultation sessions
• Provide local young people with information and advice about local services they can access if and when young people disclose issues of concern
• Support the timetabled artist/tutor to deliver sessions
• Take the participant register and assist with statistical analysis of participations.
• Motivate, encourage and support young people to participate fully in the Street Art sessions
• Comply with Health and Safety procedures at all times on outreach sessions to keep everyone safe including artists and participants
• Ensure you have a good understanding and fully comply with WHALE’s Child Protection Policy and safeguarding procedures regarding documenting and reporting disclosures by participants
• Ensure you comply with WHALE Arts policy and procedures on documenting and reporting any incidents that take place on outreach sessions
• Promote WHALE’s Street Arts programme to young people of all ages and to members of the community whenever possible on sessions
• Document and observe sessions, recording information gathered using agreed tools, measures and indicators of success for project monitoring and evaluation of outcomes. Help document activities with the use of photography while maintaining the participants’ anonymity.

 After Sessions

• Participate in discussions with the staff team and artist/tutor after each session as part of the debriefing process, to help identify the session outcomes, to highlight any issues that arose and any new areas of work 
• Work as part of the staff team to complete the written evaluation forms after each session

Other Duties

• Take part in relevant professional development training including WHALE’s Outreach Staff Training and Child Protection Training sessions
• Attend Support and Supervision sessions as required.

The successful candidate will be subject to a PVG.

WHALE Arts Agency operates an equal opportunities employment policy.

Job descriptions cannot be exhaustive and the post-holder may, from time-to-time, be required to undertake other duties, which are broadly in line with the above key responsibilities.

Person specification

SKILLS:

Ability to build rapport, engage and support children and young people

Ability to support young people with additional support needs

Ability communicate ideas, encourage participation and enable young people to learn new skills

Ability to work in a team

Effective time management

Ability to evaluate outcomes against expectations

Enthusiastic about arts programmes for young people

Ability to support young people with challenging behaviours

EXPERIENCE:

Experience of working with a range of children and young people, including those from disadvantaged areas, BME communities, those who have faced challenging life circumstances.

Experience of working with children and young people with disabilities and additional support needs.

Experience of supporting young people to engage in planning, developing and evaluating projects.

Experience of outreach/street work or a variety of community based projects.

KNOWLEDGE:

Trained in youth work/community education

Knowledge of issues that affect young people living in areas of deprivation.

An awareness of youth services available to young people (locally/citywide)

An awareness of health & safety issues and risk assessments

An understanding of Equal Opportunities

An understanding of Child Protection issues and training in Child Protection.

An Enhanced Disclosure Scotland check or PVG check (a new check will be arranged for the successful applicant)

Please submit a covering letter and CV to kate@whalearts.co.uk outlining how your experience and skills would make you suitable for the role.

CLOSING DATE Monday 24^th February, interviews afternoon of Thursday March 5th

THE OPPORTUNITY

This part-time role will be responsible for raising both core and restricted income from charitable trusts, grants and statutory funders. Part of a small team, this varied role includes research, proposal writing, cultivation and stewardship and reporting. Comfortable writing for diverse audiences from small family trusts to lottery funders and government departments, the post-holder will be an experienced, results-driven fundraiser seeking an interesting and fulfilling role in a successful community arts charity and social enterprise.

Job Title: Fundraising Lead (Trusts and Grants)

Accountable To: Chief Executive

Personnel Responsible For: none

Location: WHALE Arts Centre

Hours of Work: 1 day per week (with scope to possibly increase this later in 2020)

Contract Length: 2 years. The funding for this post runs until end of March 2022 however it is our intention that this post will be extended beyond March 2022 depending on availability of resources.

Salary: £26,000 – £28,000 per annum pro rata for 35 hours per week dependant on experience (1 day per week = £5200 – £5600 per annum)

This exciting new post funded by Scottish Government aligns with WHALE Arts 5-year Strategic Plan.

BACKGROUND

Vision: Wester Hailes is a creative, thriving, resilient, fair community.

Mission: We create the conditions for our communities to work alongside artists and cultural practitioners to become creative agents for change who will proactively co-design, participate in, support or lead quality creative activity at all stages of their lives.

WHALE Arts is:

• Community-led – we are embedded in our community, consult with local people, we are a membership organisation, we have local board members.

• A Cultural Anchor Organisation – we are the conduit between local people, artists and cultural opportunities and organisations.

• Place-based – we develop creative programmes and services that have a simultaneous focus on people living in Wester Hailes and the social, geographical, infrastructural, and economic factors of the area and the synergies between the two: people and place.

• Building-based – we have responsibility for a building from which we run a range of programmes, activities and services which are largely free or subsidised and are tailored towards people from Wester Hailes and the surround-ing area. We also use the building as an asset from which we can generate income which contributes to our running costs and our unrestricted reserves.

• Strengths-based / Asset-based – we make the most of, and building on, the skills and experiences of local people and assets within the community.

WHALE (Wester Hailes Arts for Leisure and Education) launched in 1992 and was originally based in the Blue Hut on the Murrayburn Greenway. WHALE was launched officially on August 7th, 1992, and saw a balloon launch, a hot air balloon trip as well as live music and street performers.

Over the past 27 years WHALE Arts has grown and continued to adapt and innovate through challenging times, moving to a purpose-built home in November 2000, the same building the organisation works from today. 2017 saw celebrations for the 25th anniversary of WHALE Arts and 2022 will be our 30th year.

WHALE Arts launched a new strategic plan in 2019 which will take the organisation forward into 2024. This new strategy has a focus on Arts, Health & Wellbeing; Creative Placemaking; Enterprise, Learning and Skills as well as Development and Improvement of our key asset (our building). WHALE Arts Strategic Plan 2019 – 2024 https://issuu.com/whalearts/docs/strategic_plan_whale_2019_-_2024__web_version_

This post focuses on the following aim within the Strategic Plan:

•  Economy, Enterprise, Learning, Skills: To improve the economic sustainability of our organisation

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

•  Develop and submit persuasive funding applications to charitable trusts and foundations to secure both core and project income.

• Build on existing relationships with key funders to maximise income and meet ambitious targets.

•  Cultivate relationships with new charitable trusts in both Scotland and England and ensure funding approaches match their interests and priorities.

• Research new funding opportunities and maintain schedule of approaches and asks.

•  Explore grant, statutory and lottery funding opportunities.

•  Write reports and updates to keep funders informed of the positive impact of their support.

•  Work with the Chief Executive and project leads to assist with other aspects of fundraising (e.g. legacies, corporates, community fundraising) as required.

Scottish Government Targets

• Increase annual unrestricted income from trusts and foundations to a minimum of £20,000 by March 202.

• Increase annual unrestricted income from trusts and foundations to a minimum of £40,000 by March 2022.

Job descriptions cannot be exhaustive and the post-holder may, from time-to-time, be required to undertake other duties, which are broadly in line with the above key responsibilities. 

PERSON SPECIFICATION

• A proven track record of successful fundraising from charitable trusts.

• Experience of grant applications e.g. lottery, landfill tax, statutory funders.

•  Desire to meet targets and ability to work flexibly towards those targets.

• Understanding and experience of the community arts, culture, health and wellbeing, education or youth sectors.

• Ability to use own initiative, plan and manage own workload and support others.

• A confident communicator, able to clearly convey complex information to a variety of audiences.

• Commitment to, understanding and sensitive communication of our work and values.

• Enthusiastic and positive attitude; high degree of accuracy and attention to detail.

• Excellent IT skills – experience of using fundraising databases would be an advantage (we do not currently use one but it is something we are planning).

• Awareness of GDPR and data protection issues.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Apply by email attaching:

• An up to date CV detailing relevant education and employment experience.

• A covering letter demonstrating how your skills meet the person specification – no more than 2 pages.

• Details of two referees, including at least one previous employer.

Applications open on Friday 17 January 2020. Applications close on Friday 14 February 2020 – applications should be submitted no later than 1pm. Late applications will not be considered. Please send these to recruitment@whalearts.co.uk using Fundraising Lead Application in the subject line.

Please don’t send questions about the role to this email address as it will not be monitored on a daily basis, questions should be sent to Leah Black (details below).

Interviews will be held Friday 28 February at WHALE Arts, Wester Hailes, Edinburgh.

Equal Opportunities Monitoring:

WHALE Arts Agency is committed to recruiting high quality candidates whose skills and experience are most suited to the job regardless of sex, race, colour, ethnic or national origin, religion (or beliefs), marital status, sexual orientation (or perceived sexual orientation), disability, age or political affiliation. Please complete the Equal Opportunities form enclosed with the application pack. This information is for monitoring purposes only, will be treated as confidential and will not be used in the selection process.

We are happy to answer any questions about this role, please contact:

Leah Black, Chief Executive, WHALE Arts, 0131 458 3267, leah@whalearts.co.uk

THE OPPORTUNITY

This exciting new post funded by Scottish Government aligns with WHALE Arts 5-year Strategic Plan.

The post-holder will have two connected key responsibilities: Enterprise & Facilities.

Job Title: Enterprise & Facilities Manager

Accountable To: Chief Executive

Personnel Responsible For: Facilities and front of house staff x 3 (and new funding-dependant posts related to enterprise) 

Location: WHALE Arts Centre, Wester Hailes, Edinburgh

Hours of Work: 28 hours per week / 4 days per week (0.8 of full-time of 35 hours per week). Generally hours will be worked Mon – Fri between 9am – 5pm while the building is open however some evening and weekend working will be required as enterprise activities expand.

Contract Length: 2 years. The funding for this post runs until end of March 2022 however it is our intention that this post will be extended beyond March 2022 depending on availability of resources.

Salary: £30,000 per annum pro rata (£24,000 per annum for 0.8 post)

At WHALE Arts we strive to create the conditions for our communities to work alongside artists and cultural practitioners to become creative agents for change who will proactively co-design, participate in, support or lead quality creative activity at all stages of their lives.

The WHALE Arts Centre is essential for supporting our broad and diverse activities and that of our tenants and the team pride themselves on creating an inclusive welcome community building and to create the conditions for ambitious and community embedded projects. You will bring a sensitive, flexible approach to work with visitors, volunteers and staff alike.

There is no typical day at WHALE Arts: you could be taking part in a team meeting, attending breakfast with our members, inputting into a funding application, covering a reception break and on to check the quality of a maintenance job. All while chatting with the diverse range of people who are part of the WHALE Arts community.

Facilities – Overseeing the day-to-day management, maintenance and improvement of the building as WHALE Arts key asset to ensure it continues to serve local residents, participants, tenants, staff, and room rental customers to the highest possible standards.

Enterprise – Developing and managing WHALE Arts as an economically sustainable community-led social enterprise maximising the income generation potential of the organisation through events, long-term and ad-hoc rentals. And to take the lead on exciting new social enterprise activity working alongside our members and local residents. There is vast unexplored potential and a wealth of local ambition for new community-led enterprise activity in Wester Hailes – the key focus for 2020 – 2022 will be establishing and testing a community cafe, a community making workshop, a crèche, a digital studio, and the development of community markets, creating new paid and voluntary work opportunities for local residents. The post-holder will also work closely with the Chief Executive and the Trustees on the process of purchasing the land of the land on which the WHALE Arts building sits (asset-transfer).

BACKGROUND

Vision: Wester Hailes is a creative, thriving, resilient, fair community.

Mission: We create the conditions for our communities to work alongside artists and cultural practitioners to become creative agents for change who will proactively co-design, participate in, support or lead quality creative activity at all stages of their lives.

WHALE Arts is:

• Community-led – we are embedded in our community, consult with local people, we are a membership organisation, we have local board members.
• A Cultural Anchor Organisation – we are the conduit between local people, artists and cultural opportunities and organisations.
• Place-based – we develop creative programmes and services that have a simultaneous focus on people living in Wester Hailes and the social, geographical, infrastructural, and economic factors of the area and the synergies between the two: people and place.
• Building-based – we have responsibility for a building from which we run a range of programmes, activities and services which are largely free or subsidised and are tailored towards people from Wester Hailes and the surrounding area. We also use the building as an asset from which we can generate income which contributes to our running costs and our unrestricted reserves.
• Strengths-based / Asset-based – we make the most of, and building on, the skills and experiences of local people and assets within the community.

WHALE (Wester Hailes Arts for Leisure and Education) launched in 1992 and was originally based in the Blue Hut on the Murrayburn Greenway. WHALE was launched officially on August 7th, 1992, and saw a balloon launch, a hot air balloon trip as well as live music and street performers.

Over the past 27 years WHALE Arts has grown and continued to adapt and innovate through challenging times, moving to a purpose-built home in November 2000, the same building the organisation works from today. 2017 saw celebrations for the 25th anniversary of WHALE Arts and 2022 will be our 30th year.

WHALE Arts launched a new strategic plan in 2019 which will take the organisation forward into 2024. This new strategy has a focus on Arts, Health & Wellbeing; Creative Placemaking; Enterprise, Learning and Skills as well as Development and Improvement of our key asset (our building).

WHALE Arts Strategic Plan 2019 – 2024 https://issuu.com/whalearts/docs/strategic_plan_whale_2019_-_2024__web_version_

This post focuses on the following two aims within the Strategic Plan:

Economy, Enterprise, Learning, Skills

• To improve economic prospects of local citizens and members through developing creative enterprise, learning, and skills development opportunities
• To improve the economic sustainability of our organisation

Development and Improvement

• To maintain good governance and improve professional and practice development of our people and improve our physical assets

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Facilities

• Overseeing Health and Safety policies and procedures and ensuring the building and all activities within the building are compliant with current legislation
• Dealing with trades/contractors.
• Overseeing day-to-day maintenance and upkeep of the building and outside spaces (front and back garden) with the support of staff and volunteers
• Strategic planning implementation for building and IT improvements which will enhance the day to day experience for users of the building
• Line managing facilities and front of house staff
• Be a key holder, opening and securing the building out of office hours where required.
• Reception cover

Enterprise

• Increasing income generation from existing enterprise activities.
• Overseeing rentals of creative, community and office spaces and being the key point of contact for tenants.
• Developing, managing and evaluating new enterprise projects with the community – such as leading on the development of a community cafe, a community making workshop, crèche, a digital studio and community markets.
• Taking the lead on asset transfer (purchase) of the land on which the WHALE Arts building sits, working closely with the Chief Executive and a sub-group of Trustees – this will involve community consultation and working with business consultants, City of Edinburgh Council and Scottish Land Fund.

Strategic & Funding

• Supporting the development, implementationand monitoring strategic and operational plans with the Chief Executive and Trustees. Ensuring these align with local authority and government strategies and respond to the needs and requests of local people.
• Researching and testing ideas for social enterprise development and exploring the social investment
• Overseeing the implementation of enterprise strategies for the organisation.

Finance

• Managing project budgets – monitoring achievements of budget costs and reporting to the Chief Executive on any variances against budget, including proposals for action to address these.

Reporting & Data

• Ensuring data is collected, funding objectives are met, reports filed and relationships with funders maintained.

Personnel

• Managing enterprise and facilities staff team according to set policies and procedures.
• Supervising students and volunteers.
• Ensuring staff and volunteers receive any necessary training.

Communications

• Designing and implementing a marketing strategy for all commercial activities.
• Promoting the enterprise work and maintaining profile of WHALE Arts by attending conferences, making presentations, liaising with media, councillors, MSPs etc.
• Attending meetings to represent WHALE Arts at local, citywide and national networks and forums.

Scottish Government Targets

2020/21:

• Develop, test and evaluate community café
• Develop, test and evaluate crèche and co-working
• Asset Transfer – progress to Stage 2
• Increase rental, letting and events income to £80,000 per year

2021/22:

• Develop, test and evaluate community making workshop
• Asset transfer – progress to completion
• Increase rental, letting and events income to £100,000 per year

Job descriptions cannot be exhaustive and the post-holder may, from time-to-time, be required to undertake other duties, which are broadly in line with the above key responsibilities.  

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential Skills & Experience

• Minimum of 3 years experience of social enterprise, business, or third sector management.
• Experience of facilities management processes.
• Experience of dealing with trades/contractors.
• Knowledge and understanding of Health and Safety legislation.
• Experience of overseeing Health and Safety procedures in public spaces.
• Experience of driving income through room, office and desk rentals.
• Experience of developing creative and/or community enterprise.
• Knowledge and understanding of the social enterprise and social investment sector in Scotland.
• Marketing and business development experience in relation to driving income.
• Excellent financial management skills and experience of managing budgets.
• Experience of developing and maintaining partnerships with community, academic, local & national government and other stakeholders.
• Experience in managing public funding.
• Communication skills, including copywriting and making presentations.
• Monitoring, evaluation and report writing skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent leadership skills.
• Experience of managing staff and volunteers.
• Educated to degree level or with equivalent practical experience.

Desirable Skills & Experience

• Experience of community asset transfer.
• Experience of securing and managing social investment for community enterprise.
• Experience of managing a creative and/or community arts centre.
• Experience working in the community or voluntary arts sector.
• Experience of fundraising (public and/or private).
• Experience and understanding of using arts to address community issues, particularly those faced by people living in areas of deprivation.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Apply by email attaching:

• An up to date CV detailing relevant education and employment experience.
• A covering letter demonstrating how your skills meet the Person Specification (no more than 2 pages).
• Details of two referees, including at least one previous employer.

Applications open on Friday 17 January 2020. Applications close on Friday 14 February 2020 – applications should be submitted no later than 1pm. Late applications will not be considered. Please send these to recruitment@whalearts.co.uk using Enterprise & Facilities Manager Application in the subject line.

Please don’t send questions about the role to this email address as it will not be monitored on a daily basis, questions should be sent to Leah Black (details below).

Interviews will be held on Thursday 27 February at WHALE Arts, Wester Hailes, Edinburgh.

The successful candidate will be appointment to the role subject to confirmation of PVG Scheme Membership.

Equal Opportunities Monitoring:

WHALE Arts Agency is committed to recruiting high quality candidates whose skills and experience are most suited to the job regardless of sex, race, colour, ethnic or national origin, religion (or beliefs), marital status, sexual orientation (or perceived sexual orientation), disability, age or political affiliation. Please complete the Equal Opportunities form enclosed with the application pack. This information is for monitoring purposes only, will be treated as confidential and will not be used in the selection process.

We are happy to answer any questions about this role, please contact:

Leah Black, Chief Executive, WHALE Arts, 0131 458 3267, leah@whalearts.co.uk