head of venue sharing or venue sharing manager - Youth United

HEAD OF VENUE SHARING OR VENUE SHARING MANAGER INFORMATION & APPLICATION PACK 1.

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Table of Contents A note from the Chief Executive… ............................................................................................. 3 Our (brief but interesting) history… .......................................................................................... 4 What it means to be a “uniformed youth group” ..................................................................... 4 An overview of our structure….................................................................................................. 5 Our impact… .............................................................................................................................. 5 About the venue sharing project: an ‘Airbnb for the youth sector’?!....................................... 6 Our mapping tool ...................................................................................................................... 7 Role description......................................................................................................................... 8 Person specification .................................................................................................................. 9 Recruitment process ............................................................................................................... 10 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................. 10

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A note from the Chief Executive… Youth United is at an exciting point. In December 2014 we celebrated the conclusion of our first major grant programme – The Supporting Inclusion Programme. Our goal was to fund the Youth United Network to open 400 new units in areas of deprivation where there was previously no provision. By the end of that programme there were 627 new units (90% of which are still sustainably running today!). This work was funded by the Department of Communities and Local Government, whose Secretary of State Eric Pickles described the work as “the best £10 million I’ve ever spent.” Now our primary grant programme is the Uniformed Youth Social Action Fund, which we are delivering in partnership with the Cabinet Office. This project has given us the opportunity to expand by funding new organisations (beyond the eleven members of the Youth United Network). As well, this programme signifies our first time working in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. We are on track to over deliver with this programme as well – which makes us thrilled, as over delivery means more opportunities for young people across the UK. I joined the team as Chief Executive in November 2014, and it has been an unbelievable journey. I took this role because I was excited by the idea of eleven of the largest voluntary youth organisations working together. Importantly, through our strategy review last, we confirmed our role, not only as a grant giver, but also as an “engine for collaboration” among the Network. And that’s where you come in. The venue sharing pilot aims to solve a pressing problem facing our Network (and the wider sector): how can local units find affordable and appropriate space to delivery excellent opportunities for young people? We are looking for a unique and motivated individual: someone who can lead an ambitious and ground breaking project that brings together web technology, youth work and property in an entirely new way. I do hope you decide to apply.

Lindsay Levkoff Lynn, Chief Executive

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Our (brief but interesting) history… For nearly a century and a half, young people in the UK have been becoming members of Youth United organisations – with substantial benefits for both the young person and their community. In 2009 HRH The Prince of Wales, now our patron, thought that this benefit could be magnified if the organisations worked together. As a result, he brought together the heads of many of these organisations to discuss a new way of collaborative working. From that meeting, Youth United was established as a network. Today the members are: • • • • • • • • • • •

Army Cadet Force Fire Cadets Girlguiding JLGB RAF Air Cadets Sea Cadets St John Ambulance The Boys’ Brigade The Girls’ Brigade England & Wales The Scout Association Volunteer Police Cadets

Together, the Youth United Network works with more adult volunteers and young people than any other organisation in the UK. In 2012, the Youth United Network established a charitable foundation. The goal of the Foundation was to fund the growth of the Network organisations because in many areas of the country young people didn’t have the opportunity to join these youth groups. These organisations require adult volunteer leaders, and so they flourished organically where they had a history and local support but sometimes struggled to grow into new communities. Through the Youth United Foundation (YUF) a range of funding was secured from the DCLG, the Cabinet Office, the Queen’s Trust, and others which was directed to seeding new units in areas that previously had none.

What it means to be a “uniformed youth group” • • • • • •

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National governance, a trusted reputation and charitable objectives Common, structured activities Progressive programmes where young people can advance into leadership Focus on youth development Adult volunteering and social action as key parts of delivery, and A shared, required uniform

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An overview of our structure…

Our impact… We recently commissioned a study to look at the impact of joining a Youth United member organisation on a young person and their community. The data showed statistically significant changes in communication skills, confidence, creativity and resilience. As well, we learned that young people were more engaged in social action once becoming members of a Youth United organisation. If you’d like to hear about the impact directly from young people, please check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBfVRsKrFlI&list=UUKivNNkITEq0aPvDuYpD3Rg

Please also take a look at our 2014/15 Impact Report. http://www.youthunited.org.uk/downloads/yuf-impact-report-14-15-spreads.pdf

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About the venue sharing project: an ‘Airbnb for the youth sector’?! Since the earliest days of Youth United, venue sharing has been discussed. The logistical challenges and the fact that solving them on a one-off local basis is often not efficient, has meant that little has happened to date without clear national leadership. However, we are now in a position to look at this potentially valuable work. A long term goal of a venue sharing project might someday be an “Airbnb” for youth social action providers, where organisations can book low-cost, high-quality spaces for weekly meetings and one off activities. To begin we will work with our Network and key community partners such as local authorities, other charities, community centres, schools and colleges to pilot a venue sharing scheme in a targeted area of the United Kingdom (likely to be Manchester). This venue sharing scheme will unlock currently under-used facilities and create hubs in which multiple youth organisations can operate. These hubs will grow social action opportunities and ensure that young people from all backgrounds have access. In time this project will be nationwide, however, at the outset we will work in one region to pilot the work and to create a prototype on-line tool. There are three core elements to the Venue Sharing Project: 1. Stakeholder engagement: Working with our 11 Network members to understand how property works in each organisation and what the barriers and enablers to success would be for a venue sharing platform. This is at both a national and local level. 2. Tech development: Working with potential users and our developers to spec out and commission a prototype of the online tool that will facilitate venue sharing. 3. Senior engagement and visioning: Convening and working with a senior board of advisors (from a range of sectors including, legal, property, tech and the voluntary sector) to develop an ambitious and long-term vision for the platform. As Head of Venue Sharing, you would lead this ambitious and cutting edge pilot that will employ some of the latest approaches in digital technology to support dedicated volunteers to deliver great youth work for young people. And you’ll have the backing of an organisation in Youth United that is in a unique position to deliver a successful project based on the following key assets: •

A thriving network: The goal of YUF is to support uniformed youth organisations to collaborate strategically and therefore to make it so that more young people across the country get access to the often life-changing experience of joining a uniformed youth group. Based on several years of successful collaboration, YUF is in a strong position to continue facilitating practical, collaborative projects with our network.

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A wealth of untapped resource: One of the founding ideas behind Youth United was that sharing facilities could create substantial cost savings. As a network of organisations, Youth United has access to a large number of venues which are currently only used sporadically each week, often only by one organisation.

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A cutting edge infrastructure organisation: YUF is not a delivery organisation. We are an organisation that provides support for the uniformed sector, and based on the trust and engagement of our network we have the ability to co-develop and coordinate projects that are changing the scale and reach of youth opportunities in the UK.

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Tech assets and experience: To date, we have developed a mapping tool that has data on all uniformed groups in the country (see below for more detail). This tool is a major asset to the proposed project as it means we will not have to develop the base layer of technology, only additional modules.

Our mapping tool On the data and technology side of the project, we already have significant capabilities through our mapping tool. The mapping tool allows users to see the location of all our members’ units on a map of the UK. The boundaries of Super Output Areas (SOAs) are displayed on the map and regions are colour-coded by the level of deprivation in each area. The mapping tool is thus used to target expansion into areas where there are low levels of provision and high levels of deprivation. The tool has been used very effectively for its current purposes and could form the basis of the technology that is used for the venue sharing platform. Beyond this, there are a number of other ways that we could develop the datasets and functions of the tool and it would be this post’s responsibility to lead this work. See below for a screenshot of the mapping tool.

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Role description Overview Position:

Head of Venue Sharing / Venue Sharing Manager, dependent upon experience

Remuneration:

c.£40K, dependent upon experience and location (we are willing to consider candidates based in London or Manchester) with 30 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Contract:

Up to the end of August 2017 with the possibility of extension

Location:

Flexible. Your time will be split between our London office and the pilot region (likely to be Manchester)

Reporting to:

Director of Programmes and Impact

Direct Reports:

1 Project Manager / Project Support Officer (TBC), web developers (contractors)

Other key relationships:

Internal – Team External – relevant regional Youth United organisations, Venue Sharing Visioning Group, web developers, relevant local authority, other charities, community centres, schools and colleges

Role details The successful candidate will be responsible for all aspects of the venue sharing pilot, developing a deep understanding of the operational barriers and enablers, commissioning a prototype platform that works for users and engaging with high-level individuals to build an ambitious long term vision for the project. The role will require a fairly unique combination of skills and aptitudes, demanding attention to detail and strong project management, advanced people skills and an ability to develop and engage with a vision beyond the pilot. Project management • Ensure the delivery of agreed project outputs and outcomes in line with funding agreements and internal targets; • Develop key performance indicators for the project and monitor and evaluate progress against them; • Report progress to SMT and key donors (Cabinet Office and Pears Foundation); • Manage the project budget, in partnership with the Director of Programmes and Impact. Tech development • Work with potential users and the developers to commission a prototype platform for venue sharing in the pilot region; • Ensure effective testing with users in the development process; • Develop and manage the contract with the web developers to a fixed budget; • Manage the updating and ongoing development of Youth United’s mapping tool.

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9 Operational stakeholder engagement • Work with representatives from our 11 Network members – both in the pilot region and through the national HQs – to understand each organisation’s needs and current operating model in relation to venues; • Build a clear picture of supply and demand within the Network in the pilot region; • Engage with a wider group of stakeholders in the pilot region (for example, the local authority, other charities, community centres, schools and colleges) to establish potential supply from these sources; • Develop and sustain an operational steering committee in the pilot region to act as a source of advice and to build buy-in from potential users. Strategic development • Convene and manage a senior board of advisors (from a range of sectors including, legal, property, tech and the voluntary sector) to develop an ambitious and longterm vision for the platform; • Work with the SMT to develop a business plan for the platform beyond the pilot phase. Other requirements Ability to • Travel between the pilot region and London on a regular basis (with costs covered by YUF); • Work flexible hours when required; • Support the wider operations of a small team when required.

Person specification Experience • Led projects in one or more of the following fields: property, digital technology, youth and community work; • Planned and delivered pilot projects; • Worked with the voluntary and community sector; • Managed steering groups / committees / boards to support project delivery. Skills • • •

Relationship building: able to influence and negotiate with a wide range of individuals and organisations; Project management: able to plan and manage a complex project on time and on budget; Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Personal attributes • Excited by the opportunity to drive efficiency in our Network through the effective use of technology; • Ambitious with high standards and the desire to succeed; • An eye for detail; • Confident but humble; • A collaborative working style.

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Recruitment process If you are interested in applying for this role, please email a CV and cover letter to Patrick Taylor, Director of Programmes and Impact ([email protected]). If you would like to submit anything else with your application, please feel free! Deadline for applications: 09.00 on Monday 22nd February 2016 First round interviews: Wednesday 2nd March 2016 Second round interviews: Wednesday 9th March 2016 Good luck!

Acknowledgements This project has been made possible by a National Youth Social Action Fund grant, funded by Pears Foundation.

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