Birmingham Internship Job Application Pack

Transcription

1 Birmingham Internship Job Application Pack

2 About Envision Envision provides young people with the opportunity to make a difference. The charity was set up by young people in 2000 to challenge the stereotype of the youth as apathetic and disengaged. Today Envision supports young people aged from over 100 schools and colleges in Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds and London, helping thousands of young people every year to design their own social action projects tackling issues ranging from street crime to climate change. The experience builds confidence, aspirations and skills inspiring the next generation of young community leaders. We aim to: encourage young people to explore and become aware of social and environmental issues within their communities; develop key skills in young people including teamwork, communication, negotiation, presentation and leadership; broaden horizons, build confidence and aspirations and encourage young people to aim high and; act as a catalyst for behavioural change and build the next generation of future leaders empowered to take action and create more sustainable communities Our programmes build valuable skills and knowledge for action and advocacy through first-hand exploration of citizenship and social action as it applies practically to their lives and local communities thereby creating the next generation of future leaders. Our work in this area has received a number of awards. We were named Guardian Charity of the Year in 2009 and have been highlighted in recent reports as an example of good practice by the Department for Education and Ofsted. Please visit for more information.

3 Our Vision and Values What kind of society do you want to live in? Envision is a philosophy, not a programme. It is an attitude to life - the importance and excitement of taking responsibility for issues we face in our day to day lives. Nick Nielsen, Envision Founder At Envision we want to build a society where everyone recognises that we are all interconnected. Where there is a sense that doing something for others is good for all of us. A society where every individual feels motivated and able to do their bit to make the world a better place. We re creating that change from the bottom-up. Starting with young people. Why young people? Well they re still at a critical stage of their development when they are becoming more aware of the world around them and shaping their values. And young people have a contagious optimism and energy. They ask not why things can t be done, but how they can. Our mission is to unlock that energy, enabling young people to become more aware of social and environmental problems and empowered with the self-belief and skills they need to build a better world for all of us. Through experience, these individuals become the can-doers who inspire others. The self-starters who don t expect someone else to always sort out someone else s problems. The sort of people who always look for the upside. The creative collaborators who make life fun and we all want to work with. The Envisionaries who combine vision and action to make good ideas reality. Our Values: Empowerment: we encourage ideas, give real responsibility and support people to gain skills and knowledge to develop within themselves and society. Do-ability : we focus on what can be done, rather than what can t. We foster creative problem solving and are courageous about trying new things. Compassion: we strive to make the world a better place - and treat others - be they our colleagues or strangers - as we would like to be treated ourselves. Collaboration: we achieve more by working with people and organisations different to ourselves. Fun: we make learning, and work, fun. We always take our work seriously, but not ourselves!

4 About the Internship The Envision Internship is in its 8 th year and has proven to be an incredibly important and valuable part of the organisation. As an intern, you will be at the heart of our operations, working directly with the young people that we serve and support. At Envision, we encourage all staff to take on new challenges and to play a central role in organisational decision-making. This emphasis on staff empowerment applies as much to our interns as it does to our managers. We strongly believe that the breadth of experiences and level of responsibility that we give to each Envision intern places this role amongst the most exciting in the sector. This excellence has been recognised through Internocracy s Star Internship Programme status and through the regular talks and consultancy projects that we deliver for the sector and beyond. Role Purpose Your chance to take on a challenging role for a topical and ambitious charity; working right at the interface of youth empowerment and social action. The role would suit a graduate from any discipline with strong facilitation and communication skills and a genuine passion for social and environmental issues. Reporting to the Project Coordinator and working closely with Regional Managers, interns will have a varied and challenging workload, coordinating a number of youth-led social action projects whilst supporting the organisation s wider work. Primarily, you will be responsible for ensuring that our young people have a fun and empowering experience; developing their motivation and ability to lead positive change in their communities and beyond. Of fundamental importance is your ability to engage and inspire young people. The role will also test your task and project management skills and will see you offering key support in your regional office across functions such as events and volunteer management. Throughout your work, you will be called upon to work and communicate effectively with a range of external partners including teachers, adult volunteers and other community stakeholders. Envision wouldn t be where it is today without giving opportunities to ambitious and competent people. If you think you are a great fit and you meet most of the criteria but lack experience in certain areas please do get in touch. We are more interested in meeting the right person and supporting them to achieve than someone who can tick boxes but has no room to grow. Above all, you ll be passionate about making a difference, but with your feet firmly on the ground about what it takes in order to make that happen. Sound like you? We can t wait to meet you.

5 Envision Intern Case Studies Rachel Joined Envision in 2005 and was one of the first Envision interns. After 5 years working with Envision, Rachel rose to become our Director of Programmes, responsible for the delivery of Envision s youth programmes nationwide. After 6 years of outstanding service, Rachel recently moved on to a new role as a humanities teacher at an east London academy. Stephen Joined Envision in 2009 after studying Media, Culture and Society at Birmingham University. After completing his internship, Stephen got a job working for Izwe, an online social enterprise, before moving to YouthNet. Stephen rejoined Envision in 2011 to lead our sustainable transport programme in partnership with Transport for London. He now works for Hounslow Council, leading their voluntary sector partnerships programme. Stephen has this to say of the internship: The Envision internship has offered me some of the biggest challenges of my life. The sheer number of activities I've been involved in has given me a chance to develop varied skills as well as knowledge of sustainable development and social justice issues. This breadth means that I have developed the ability to adapt quickly to the demands of different tasks and the skills they require. The internship is not only a great personal development role it is also a huge amount of fun! The atmosphere in the office is dynamic, colleagues are inspiring and the young people who get involved are constantly entertaining The internship is an excellent platform for work in the voluntary and public sector, teaching and education, youth work and research. The broad nature of the Envision programme allows interns to explore many different issues and campaigns as well as the various different jobs that are on offer in the charity sector.

6 Main Responsibilities Student Team Support Deliver interactive engagement presentations Facilitate initial weekly meetings Coordinate and support adult volunteers Research issues, campaigns and organisations for team support Additional Duties (There will be an opportunity to get involved in some of the following areas) Adult Volunteer Support Recruiting volunteers Interviewing volunteers Training volunteers Envision Event Programme Support Support in event planning for large-scale Envision events Design your own smaller-scale event for young people Manage to a budget Event promotion and publicity Organisation Development and Strategy Collaborate with and form partnerships with external organisations Participate in organisation-wide strategy and development work Design and deliver educational consultancy work Fundraising support (preparing reports and applications) Media and PR support Please note that this job description serves only as a guideline for your responsibilities and is not a definitive list. As with any fast-moving organisation, staff roles can be subject to change to meet new priorities and therefore you may, on occasions, be required to take on other jobs as necessary. Our ideal candidate will warm to this way of working and it will actively help to get the best from them.

7 Person Specification Experience Criteria Essential Desirable Degree or relevant equivalent training/experience Working with young people Volunteering Varied administrative work in a small office Coordinating volunteers Organising events Fundraising Communications and PR Workshop delivery Skills and Competencies Criteria Essential Desirable Commitment to youth participation and the youth-led approach Excellent written and verbal communication and numerical skills Ability to take responsibility and work under own initiative, coping with a demanding workload and prioritising effectively Excellent organisational skills Good IT skills, including Microsoft Office Inspired by our work and able to fit into our organisational culture, becoming an integral member of the team Dynamic, fun, passionate and creative personality Commitment to Envision s mission, vision and values Knowledge Criteria Essential Desirable Interest in and understanding of citizenship education and sustainable development issues Understanding of and commitment to equal opportunities

8 Terms and Conditions Salary The salary offered for this post is per week (+ Birmingham Bus Pass). Salary will be paid monthly in arrears. Management and Direct Reports This post will be managed by a Project Coordinator, under the supervision of the Regional Manager. Contract and Hours This position is a full-time, fixed-term 11 month contract for which normal working hours are 35 per week (excluding lunch breaks). Staff are, however, generally expected to work such additional hours as are reasonably necessary to meet the needs of the organisation or as are necessary to perform the duties of the role. It may be necessary to work occasional evenings and weekends for which time off in lieu is offered. Successful candidates will be expected to start on the 1 st August. The normal place of work will be in our Birmingham. Some national travel will be required. Holidays In addition to public holidays, staff are entitled to 25 days leave per annum. This allowance rises by an additional day each year up to a maximum of 30 days. Probation and Notice The probationary period for this post is three months during which time your suitability for the position to which you have been appointed will be assessed. The notice period during probation is no less than one week from either party and one month s notice (plus one week for every year of employment) in writing thereafter.

9 Application Process To apply, you need to submit the following documents: Application Form Equal Opportunities Form CV The necessary forms can be downloaded from our website ( Applications should be submitted via or post to Cameron Nimmo: e: p: Envision, Unit 413, Scott House, The Custard Factory, Gibb Street, Birmingham, B9 4AA. Deadline for applications is Thursday 18 1 th April at 12pm, applicants invited to interview will be notified by 5pm on Friday 19 th April and interviews will be held on Saturday 272 th April. Thank you for your interest in the role. Envision is an equal opportunities employer and applications are invited from black and ethnic minority candidates, as these are groups that are underrepresented on Envision's staff.