Senior Mentor
Location: London, Surrey, Berkshire, West Midlands, North West, Leeds and Bradford
Length of role: 11 days (plus training)
Dates: October-November (see details below)
We are looking for Senior Mentors to lead teams of sixteen-year-olds during our autumn programme, working both residentially and in the local community in London, Surrey, Berkshire, the West Midlands, North West England, Leeds and Bradford.
The Senior Mentor is responsible for leading, inspiring and developing a team of twelve sixteen-year-olds whilst on the NCS programme. The Senior Mentor reports to the Programme Leader.
This role is suitable for a dynamic and confident person with experience of leading groups of young people, who is able to motivate them and earn their respect.
About the Organisation
The Challenge is a fast-growing social enterprise that connects and inspires people across Britain to strengthen their communities.Our NCSprogramme brings together young people from different backgrounds, builds their confidence, and challenges them to make a difference in their local community. In summer 2015, 24,000 young people across London, Surrey, Berkshire, the West Midlands and the North West will take part our NCS programme.
Our programmeis part of the National Citizen Service (NCS), a life-changing experience for 16 and 17-year-olds. The scheme is available to people from all backgrounds. Young people get the chance to do outdoor activities, meet new people and give something back to their communities. By taking part they learn new skills and have a great experience they can put on their CVs or college applications. NCS promotes:
- a more cohesive society by mixing participants from different backgrounds;
- a more responsible society by supporting young people’s transition into adulthood;
- a more engaged society by enabling young people to work together to create social action projects in their local communities.
Our NCS Programme
We bring together young people from across a community and challenge them to connect with people from different backgrounds, learn key skills for the workplace, and make a difference in their community. They achieve this by completing three challenges:
•NCS Personal Challenge (PC): Between four and seven socially mixed teams of young people bond through a week of challenging outdoor activities.
•NCS Team Challenge (TC): Teams return home and use their skills to experience serving the local community.
•NCS Real Challenge: Teams work to design and organise activities that will bring the local community together. The NCS Real Challenge Design (RCD) is the third part of the autumn programme and the NCS Real Challenge Action (RCA) takes place over weekends in November.
All young people who complete our NCS programmegraduate and are signposted into year-round volunteering, membership and social action opportunities through The Challenge Society.
About the Opportunity
A single programme lasts 11 days and includes outdoor activities, skill development and community service. Senior Mentors can take part in one programme over the autumn.
The Senior Mentor will:
- Lead, inspire and pastorally care for a team of twelve participants, ensuring their safety and assisting their personal development through three weeks of intense activities
- Work alongsideother members of staff to ensure that all the young people in your team are engaged and fully participating in all activities
- Work with the support of the Assistant Programme Leader to deal with challenging behaviour and additional needs from young people
- Live residentially during the NCS Personal and Team Challenge
All meals and accommodation are provided during the NCS Personal Challenge and Team Challenge. No mealsare provided during the NCS Real Challenge.The accommodation during the Personal Challenge is generally in an outdoor activity centre and during Team Challenge is generally at a university campus; however, in some areas and during some parts of the programme, accommodation is at a campsite.
Training
All successful Senior Mentors will be asked to attend a compulsory training to be able to deliver our NCS programme.
Work dates
The Senior Mentor can work on one wave during the autumn. The Senior Mentor will work for 11days.
The work date options for a Senior Mentor are below.
Please note that these opportunities are also available during February half term
Options / NCS PC / NCS TC / NCS RCD / NCS RCA12 / 23 to 26 October / 27 to 29 October / 7 to 8 November / 14 November, 21 November
13 / 24 to 27 October / 28 to 30 October / 7 to 8 November / 14 November, 21 November
14 / 26 to 29 October / 30 October to 1 November / 7 to 8 November / 14 November, 21 November
The role includesweekends.
About You
Candidates must demonstrate the following skills and characteristics:
Essential:
- Ability to motivate and earn respect of a group of twelve young people
- Belief in young people and in helping them take more active roles in their communities
- Experience of working in a fast-paced and demanding environment
Beneficial:
- Experience working directly with groups of young people aged 14-19
- Experience of working in a residential youth environment
- Experience working in partnership with schools, youth or community organisations
We also look for all employees to show the following characteristics:
- Trust-building: Works hard to build trust with people. Brings people together in the community
- Responsibility-taking: Takes responsibility for actions and attitudes. Claims and solves problems in the community
- Understanding and Empathy: Works to understand others – their strengths, fears and needs. Ready to stand up for someone who is different from themselves
Requirement
All staff who work on our NCS programme must have prior to starting work a returned satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)dated since 31January 2014 and two satisfactory references regarding their suitability to work with young people. The Challenge will assist the application for, and pay for the processing of, a new DBS for staff members where required.
Further details
This is an excellent opportunity to be involved with an exciting programme which has tangible results for the young people involved.The role is demanding and fast-paced but highly rewarding.The compensation for this contract role is £935 per 11 day programme. This payment includes pay in lieu of annual leave and is subject to tax and National Insurance deductions. There is no additional payment for attending training. Staff will be paid through The Challenge payroll on a monthly basis after completion of the programme.Staff can only claim for travel expenses incurred during the delivery of the programme, and not to and from either the residential or community part of the programme.
To apply
To see timing and location options and to apply, please visit
Our NCS programme is part of the National Citizen Service.