Who are The Mouthy Poets?

Transcription

1 Who are The Mouthy Poets? "Often, hardship and isolation from the 'norm' gives young people a story and a need for catharsis: there isn't vocabulary for their experiences, so they must develop their own." Mouthy Poets believe that young people deserve support and education in developing and expressing this vocabulary. Furthermore, by performing these stories to large live and digital audiences, others are inspired to articulate their own differences and listen to those of others. Mouthy Poets is an open community collective of approximately fifty year olds, meeting on a weekly basis where they learn writing, editing, performance and eventcoordination skills. You can find out more about Mouthy here: About the Role The Education Coordinator will play a pivotal role in our Spoken Word Education Mission, an initiative that has been funded through Arts Council England s Grants for the Arts funding stream. Over the next 2 years, we aim to quadruple our Spoken Word Educator output working with thousands of young people in schools across the East Midlands. We also aim to make concrete our own pedagogy and model as an organisation enabling young people to write, perform and produce poetry. As a result, in the next 5 years, we aspire to become an international leader in spoken word education; connecting groundbreaking practice worldwide, providing models for those who want to set up their own collectives and establishing a Mouthy Manual that provides clear pathways for our students to become our Artistic Directors one day. Education Coordinator Job Description Fee: 9,216 ( 15,360 Pro Rata) Working: 3 days per week (to include Fridays 5pm 8pm*) * the job requires that you attend Friday sessions to enable you to become familiar with the cohort of Mouthy participants and fully understand the ethos that your work will embody. Additional Benefits: Training to the value of 4,200 Responsible to: Artistic Director & Lead Producer Location: Nottingham Working With: Artistic Director, Lead Producer, Professional Development Manager, Creative Core Artists, Pastoral Care Director, Workshop Facilitators, Mouthy

2 Interns, Creative Admin Placements, Organisational Consultants/Mentors and Partner Organisations. Key Contact: Lead Producer, Charlotte Hodkinson Duration: 1 year (with the potential of extending for an additional year). This position offers an aspiring artist/education practitioner the opportunity to step into an arts role with ongoing support, training and mentorship. The Educational Coordinator will be instrumental in Mouthy Poets developing and delivering a high quality, large-scale education programme that represents our ethos and will generate sustainable income for the company. The Education Coordinator will develop an understanding of what education means to Mouthy, what it can achieve for its students and how it fits into the long term planning of the organisation. As the role progresses, the educational coordinator will work with the Artistic Director to build a body of research that will enable Mouthy s educational reach to extend nationally and internationally, whilst ensuring those delivering the education programme have the support and resources they need. Key Purpose: - to coordinate the educational programme as a key income strand for Mouthy Poets - to develop connections with schools in the East Midlands/Nottinghamshire - to secure bookings for Mouthy Poets spoken word educators in local schools - to maintain ongoing contact with schools - to develop and coordinate the Mouthy education team Key Tasks: Education Delivery: Initiate and develop new relationships with relevant contacts in schools Understand and build upon current relationships with schools Work alongside the Lead Producer to write and agree contracts with schools Document work within schools and colleges and maintain accurate databases Reach clear targets for income achieved through Mouthy Poets educational offering to schools Work with the Professional Development Manager to engage with Mouthy Poet participants who express an interest in being educators and enroll them on the Mouthy education programme Attend events within the area in order to network with teachers and other educators Working alongside the Professional Development Manager to develop online educational resources To gather and analyse evaluation materials from education work in schools To shadow 10 Mouthy sessions a year To Deliver 3 Mouthy sessions a year

3 Education Training: Work alongside the Artistic Director to develop an educational training programme for Mouthy Poets interested in delivering education Supervise Mouthy Poets in the early stages of education delivery Establish clear protocol for Mouthy Poets educators Coordinate Mouthy Poets training for teachers Education Marketing: Make concrete the Mouthy Poets Education Menu and work with the Audience Development Researcher to promote it to all schools Ensure the Education Menu is up to date and visible on the Mouthy website Document success stories from education provision Administration Maintain a database of schools and other clients. Update the Educational Menu with appropriate artist rates. Work with the relevant staff to create Spoken Word Educator guidelines in: o Safeguarding o Code of Conduct o Best Practice Research: Assist the Artistic Director to: Produce a Mouthy Manual a document containing all the educational models used in all strands of our work from the core collective to school-wide education programmes Maintain connections and international exchanges established thus far (New York, Boston MA, South Africa, Germany, Beirut and Amsterdam) Carry out a body of research that informs our own structures and models and outline them clearly to strengthen the legacy of the company Shadow and talk to a variety of international organisations and apply their lessons, structures and methods to the Mouthy Manual

4 Person Specification Skills and Experience YOU WILL HAVE ESSENTIAL DESIRABLE Artistic Development -Understanding and experience of spoken word/performance poetry as an art form. -An understanding of Mouthy Poets development and ethos and our place in the region. -A passion for Spoken Word as an art form. -Experience writing and performing poetry. Research -Experience of gathering and disseminating information verbally and digitally. -Good analytical and strategic skills. Communication Skills Education Development and Delivery Leadership Business administration & managing systems -Excellent written and spoken communication skills, and an ability to convey facts and ideas clearly, fluently and effectively. -Excellent digital communication skills. -Ability to interact at all levels. -Excellent listening skills and an empathic communication manner with young people. -Ability to be an articulate advocate for Mouthy Poets. -Ability to communicate the needs and rules of an organisation whilst simultaneously enabling the creativity and individuality of the practitioner. -Understanding and experience of spoken word/performance poetry as an educational tool. -Knowledge of Nottinghamshire schools. -Experience delivering spoken word education. -An understanding of what good training looks like. -An ability to engage a diverse spectrum of pupils. -Experience in leading a team. -Ability to manage complex projects including planning, monitoring/reporting and evaluation. -Understanding of a supervisory role and responsibilities. -Experience motivating, supporting and assessing progress/performance to enable facilitators of diverse backgrounds and personal styles to achieve their own potential. -Good administration skills. -Experience evaluating and analysing data. -Experience making basic marketing materials for projects/events. -Experience of alternative communication platforms such as Google Hangout. -An understanding of social media tools such as Twitter and Facebook, and how to use these as communication tools. -Strong social media presence. -Experience working with young (vulnerable) people. -Experience of working within the Grants for the Arts funding model. -Experience teaching in Nottinghamshire schools. -Experience in developing and delivering training. -Experience updating social media sites and websites. -Experience building and maintaining databases. -Experience writing policy and procedural documents.

5 Personal attributes YOU WILL HAVE ESSENTIAL DESIRABLE Interpersonal skills -Excellent interpersonal skills and experience of working in high-energy teams. -ability to inspire enthusiasm in others. -Ability to establish and maintain a network of external contacts in related fields. Adaptability & flexibility Selfmanagement Cultural diversity -Ability to think creatively and strategically, identify fresh approaches and work flexibly. -Tenacity. -Ability to maintain a patient and genial manner under pressure. -Ability to prioritise effectively under pressure. -Self-sufficient and capable of managing a varied and rapidly developing portfolio of work. -Developed organisational skills with the ability to see tasks through to completion with detail and accuracy. -Experience of taking responsibility for decisions and overseeing their implementation. -A passion for empowering young people -A commitment to equal opportunities and cultural diversity, and a willingness to apply this at work. How to Apply? Please read the Mouthy Poets Mission Statement and Core Beliefs on the About Us section of our website, Closing date for applications midnight 18 th February Interviews to be held Wednesday 25 th February. Due to the stage of the academic year, the role would commence w/c 23 rd March at the latest. Applicants should be available for our Summer event, Say Sum Thin 9, on Saturday July 25 th. Please send the following to charlotte@mouthypoets.com 1. Your CV (no more than 2 sides of A4). 2. A covering letter that explains how your skills and experience meet the criteria of the job and why you wish to apply. 3. (Voluntary) A completed Mouthy Poets Equality Monitoring Form. (Please ensure all documents are in Word or Pdf. format, electronic applications only) *Please also provide the name and contact details ( and telephone number) for two referees who have known you in a professional or educational capacity or who can otherwise vouch for your suitability for this role.