The United Dioceses of DUBLIN and GLENDALOUGH

APPLICATION PACK

FOR THE POST OF:

Diocesan Youth Officer

(Full-time Term Contract)

For

The United Dioceses of DUBLIN and GLENDALOUGH

Job Description

Diocesan Youth Officer

Title of post: Diocesan Youth Officer

Employed by: The Diocesan Council of the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough

Work Base: to be arranged.

Work Area: The primary work area shall be the United Diocese of DUBLIN and GLENDALOUGH. The officer will also be required to attend training meetings in Ireland, and to take groups on trips nationally .

Hours of work:40 hours per week.

Probationary period: 6 months subject to review for a further 6 months.

Length of Contract: Three years.

Salary: The remuneration for this position will be circa €25,000. In addition a package of work related expenses will be paid on a vouched basis, such expenses not to exceed €5,000. and be approved in advance of expenditure.

Summary of Responsibilities:

To work with young people and youth helping to build up their Christian FAITH, DISCIPLESHIP and LEADERSHIP, working on a devolved basis with individual Rural Deaneries and clusters of Parishes and their clergy within the framework of the ethos of the Church of Ireland in the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough.

Key tasks of the Position:

Working with the Dublin and Glendalough Diocesan Youth Council, Rural Deaneries, Clusters of Parishes and Clergy develop a Strategic Plan for The United Dioceses. The Plan should deal with Faith, Discipleship, Confirmation, Retreats/Preparation, Weekends away, Outreach, training, Mission trip/s, Youth services, Fun days and any other area as may be considered appropriate.. The overall aim should be on developing youth ministry and not just youth activity. The purpose of involvement should be with the main intention of building up Faith, Discipleship and Leadership in young people , and not just to keep them loosely attached to church by age appropriate activities.
Work with the Dublin and Glendalough Diocesan Youth Council in implementing the Diocesan Youth Programme in accordance with the Strategic Plan
Support Rural Deaneries and Clusters of Parishes and Clergy to develop, assist and evaluate programmes for young people and youth
Meet with the Rural Dean of each Rural Deanery to start organizing their Rural Deanery Youth Consultations. Follow this through to meeting with the stakeholders(Clergy, young People, Youth Leaders, Parents and other parties as may be directed by the Diocesan Youth Council).
Meet with the established appointed parish Youth workers ( both paid and voluntary) for support and to identify their needs (compare with the Diocesan Strategic Plan )
Be available and active in visiting churches and schools to speak at youth services/weekend retreats/gatherings, assemblies and transition Year Talks at the invitation of Rectors/ Chaplains.
Identify and invest time in specifically training potential youth leaders and liaise with CIYD in identifying potential leaders countrywide.
Liaise with CIYD to look for opportunities for our Dioceses to share in..

Provide a series of post Confirmation weekends for those confirmed so that every candidate who has been confirmed is invited to a post confirmation weekend at least once by the Archbishop. Focus of these weekends should be to examine their ongoing growth and discipleship in the Christian Faith in light of the promises they made at their Confirmation.

To become aware of all sources of funding for youth ministry, and make this information available to the Rural Deaneries and Parishes..
Support youth groups to develop opportunities to engage with the wider community
To devise information, education and training programmes for youth leaders
To encourage volunteer support and development across the Diocese including localized skills training and resource days, regular communication with volunteers and volunteer development evenings.
To liaise with uniformed youth organisations ,schools and colleges as appropriate.
To connect with Children’s Ministry Network to be familiar with what they are doing, so that connections can be made between children’s and youth work, and that an active transition can be encouraged from children’s to youth ministry.
To assist in the development and organization of Diocesan events for young people.
To support clergy and parish workers in their work with young people..

To represent the Dioceses across strategic youth networks in the Diocesan area when appropriate.

Have a very clear understanding of Safeguarding Trust and its implementation throughout the entire area of the operations of The Diocesan Youth Council including the important aspect of advance enquiry before the active training of potential leaders

To fulfill any other duties as requested by the Diocesan Youth Council.

JOB SPECIFICATION

Essential criteria:

Have a committed Christian faith and ability to work within and maintain the ethos of the Church of Ireland.

At least 2 years experience either in paid or voluntary capacity of working with young people

A 3RD Level qualification.

Competence in working with computers and in basic administrative and organisational tasks.

The ability to work on own initiative.

Effective interpersonal and communication skills.

Flexibility and the willingness to work outside of office hours.

An ability to work in both formal and informal environments.

To have a clear Garda vetting history regarding suitability to work with children.

An understanding of the structures of the Church of Ireland.

The unlimited use of a car and a current driving licence.

An excellent communicator orally and in writing.



Desirable criteria:

The following desirable criteria will be applied at short listing should the panel decide that too many applicants meet all of the essential criteria. It is important that in making your application, along with the essential criteria listed above, you provide sufficient detail of all the desirable criteria that you think you meet.

Qualifications in a discipline relevant to youth ministry.
At least 2 years of full-time employment in a field relevant to working with young people.
A proven ability to understand and apply various models of youth ministry.
Experience of developing and implementing strategies for change and growth in the area of children’s and Youth ministry.
Experience in the training and development of youth leaders, including the ability to develop and present training materials.
Wisdom and strategic thinking –the ability to recognise and adapt to changing situations.
A proven ability to organise, promote and implement events and initiatives for both young people and leaders.
Experience of research and problem solving.

Experience in managing budgets and resources.
Experience of working with church leadership.

Selection Process:

Candidates selected for interview will be given at least seven days notice of interview.

Interviews will last approximately 45 minutes and each candidate selected for interview will be asked within this time to deliver a short presentation (of no more than 10 minutes) on what strategy they would implement to ensure that the key tasks of the post are achieved.
United Dioceses of DUBLIN and GLENDALOUGH

Application for Diocesan Youth Officer

Personal Details

Surname______

First Names ______

Address______

______

Home Telephone Number______

Mobile Number ______

Day-time Telephone number______

Email address______

Do you hold a current and clean full Republic of Ireland driving licence? Give details ______

Have you access to personal transport for work purposes?Yes / No

Educational qualifications

Employment History: starting with the most recent, list your employment for the past 10 years, with dates.

Experience:

Have you ever been convicted of criminal offence or Yes / No
are currently subject to a Garda investigation?

How much notice are you required to give your current employer?

Please supply the name and contact details of three referees including a previous employer and a church minister/pastor.(references will not be taken up until after the interview process is completed)

NameAddressTel. No.

Signature ______Date

Closing date 5pm 14th July 2014 Applications to: The Diocesan Secretary, The Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough, Church of Ireland House,, Church Avenue, Rathmines, DUBLIN 6. Or

e-mail to