Young People's Engagement Officer
Wigtown Festival Company is looking to appoint a Young People’s Engagement Officer to develop and run our year-round programmes with 15-25-year-olds. This is an exciting opportunity to help shape a fresh way of working with our target group of 15-to-25-year-olds at Wigtown Book Festival and around the year.
Closing date: 2 August 2024
We are seeking a dynamic and imaginative individual who is experienced in enabling young people (YP) to develop cultural skills and explore their interests in a secure and supportive environment. The ideal candidate will be passionate about widening cultural access and overcoming barriers to participation.
Working within a small programming team and reporting to the Creative Director, they will be responsible for initiating, delivering and evaluating projects, and delivering against the aims of the Festival Company’s Young People’s Engagement Plan. An ability to self-organise and juggle multiple projects in a busy workplace is essential.
The Young People’s Engagement Post is kindly supported by The Holywood Trust.
Salary and Terms
The position is full-time / 35 hours a week. The salary is in the range of £26,000-£30,000 depending on experience, with an initial contract for two years.
WFC is a Fair Work and Real Living Wage employer and is open to flexible working from day one.
Key Responsibilities
- Working closely in partnership with a wide range of young people to programme activities (including at Wigtown Book Festival) and develop new projects according to need.
- Creating new and lasting working relationships with other YP organisations in the region and beyond.
- Building and nurturing a new young people’s advisory team.
- Developing and implementing the young people’s engagement plan and evaluation framework.
- Monitoring, evaluating and reporting on the impact of our activities with YP.
- Sourcing funding for YP projects and managing funder relationships.
- Overseeing social media and marketing for our young people’s activities.
- Occasional weekend and evening working (eg during Wigtown Book Festival) with time off in lieu.
Essential Experience and Attributes
- A proven ability to work with and engage with young people collaboratively and respectfully.
- A proven ability to build relationships with partner organisations in the cultural and third sectors.
- An understanding of monitoring and evaluating young people’s activities.
- An understanding and respect for the principles of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.
- An understanding of the essential importance of safeguarding; PGV certificated.
- Interest in / experience of the cultural sector.
- Excellent personal, communication and teamwork skills.
Other Desirable Experience and Attributes
- Experience in budget management.
- A knowledge of Dumfries & Galloway.
- A knowledge and passion for literature.
- Familiarity with social media and marketing.
How to Apply
To apply, please submit a CV and cover letter to Anne Barclay at [email protected].
Should you have any questions before applying, please feel free to contact us at the same address.
Closing date: 11.59 pm on 2 August 2024.
Reasonable travel expenses agreed in advance will be reimbursed for interviewees. Prior to the interview, candidates will be asked about access requirements and appropriate accommodations will be made. Ideally, the candidate would be free to take up the position by Monday 16 September.
About Wigtown Festival Company
Wigtown Festival Company is the charity (SC037984) that runs the Wigtown Book Festival, Big Dog children’s book festival in Dumfries and a programme of year-round activities including writer development and programmes for young people. Our purpose is to bring cultural, social and economic benefits to all the people of our region. For further details about our activities, see our What We Do page.
Appendix
The context for Wigtown Festival Company Young People’s Engagement Post
WFC’s values include an explicit commitment to YP engagement: “The arts transform young people’s sense of possibility: we will create opportunities for them to be involved as creators, organisers and audience.” This is echoed in one of the five Priorities of our Business Plan.
(2024): “We will reinvigorate our programmes for young people with a new emphasis on co-creation, empowerment and sustained engagement.”
We recognise that many young people in our region face structural barriers to cultural participation common to rural areas. The high proportion of over 60s in our region (31.1% to 24% nationally) and low percentage of 16-29-year olds (14.6% to 18.3% in Scotland) skew provision of cultural services. Poor transport links have worsened since 2020. COVID-19 provoked increased feelings of isolation and mental health worries among young people (DG Young People’s Response Covid:19 2020). D&G Council data (2021) showed a dip of up to 10% in attainment and reading.
In 2023, WFC commissioned an external review of its work with young people (aged 15-25) from The Imaginarium consultancy. It sought the opinions of current, past and potential participants in our activities, as well as our staff and key stakeholders. The conclusions confirmed the need to rethink how we work with this age group, making their individual and collective voices central to the way programmes are constructed, committing to better understand the barriers they face to participation, and creating an environment where genuine collaboration is possible.
WFC’s plans for engagement 2024-2028 will be shaped by this report’s findings. By fully engaging young people in creative decision-making and empowering them to shape projects according to their needs and interests, we hope to encourage self-confidence and self-worth. As well as building cultural skills and knowledge, our CYP work will help develop employment, communication and leadership skills.