Outreach Coordinator & Youth Practitioner

Heavy Sound CIC; Preston; On-site; GBP 20,000; Part time

Job description

• On site: Based in Cockenzie, with outreach work across East Lothian
• Closing: 18th April 2025
• Advertised from: 18th March 2025
• £20000 for 24 hours per week. 1 year contract with opportunity to extend based on funding.

Role

Overview of Organisation:

Heavy Sound is a Community Interest Company, incorporated in 2015, based in East Lothian. We work with disconnected young people and adults, re-engaging them through strength-based activities of interest including music, biking, sports, creative arts, education, mentoring and 1:1 therapy. By building trusting relationships we help inspire positive opportunities for further learning, life skills development, and future training and employment.

Job role:

The role is to manage and deliver outreach youth work projects, activities, and events across East Lothian, working in partnership with existing youth clubs and other stakeholders.

Heavy Sound has a 40ft single decker bus, The Community Reach & Inclusion Bus (The Crib) which provides community outreach initiatives including music, creative arts, and bike activities. The role will involve bringing equipment, and on occasions our bus (The Crib), along to youth clubs and community events, and running various activities from it. Activities will mainly be music and bike-based consisting of DJ’ing, electronic music production and basic bike mechanics. If there is not suitable space for The Crib, activities take place in community halls etc.

The role can either be part-time to deliver the above, or potentially full-time if the applicant has an additional skillset in music, creative arts, biking, sports, outdoor pursuits, education, or mentoring.

An ability to drive the bus is not essential but would be highly desirable. Only a normal Category B driving license is required as the vehicle doesn’t carry passengers and is classed as a ‘mobile project vehicle’ by DVLA.

Flexible working is required as there will be evening and occasional weekend work.

Closing date for applications: 18th April 2025

Start Date: 1st May 2025 (subject to successfully completed PVG check)

16+ Programme:

Heavy Sound transforms the lives of vulnerable, disengaged and, in the main, care-experienced 11–15-year-olds across East Lothian. Based on their needs, we have developed a 16+ Programme to extend this support to provide:

• Qualifications
• Support into further education, volunteering, training and employment

Participants are referred mainly through education and social work, and engage in a variety of activities including education, music, biking, sports and mentoring, leading to qualifications and awards, and life skills development.

Flexibility in hours is required as there is a weekly evening 16+ drop-in.

The successful candidate will be a music practitioner with experience of taking a trauma-informed, therapeutic approach. An additional skillset in creative arts, or sports/biking/outdoor pursuits/other activities would be highly desirable.

• You will be facilitating 1:1 and group sessions as well as developing and delivering music-based projects with young people, all of whom have experienced trauma. Your work will focus on providing opportunities for participants to enjoy music and be playful with their own musicality in a trauma-inclusive environment. Sessions and projects are adapted to suit the young people’s individual needs and interests. They may include listening to music, creating music videos, writing, recording, and producing the young people’s music, learning songs and playing together, or facilitating therapeutic group activities such as drumming workshops or beat making. You will work in a resource-oriented way to empower and encourage the young people to explore their musical interests and have fun with music. Our participants have diverse needs. You should be adaptable, patient, and able to create an inclusive space where every young person feels valued and inspired.
• We are looking for someone with an additional skillset in creative arts, sports/biking/outdoor pursuits/other activities to deliver 1:1 and group sessions as described above.

Successful candidates must possess a positive can-do attitude, a real talent for engaging young people, demonstrate self-motivation, and exhibit a strong ability to adapt to changing circumstances in order to thrive in our dynamic work environment.

Flexibility in working hours is essential, as the role includes a weekly evening drop-in, with occasional cover needed for absences in our evening outreach programme supporting youth clubs in East Lothian, and occasional weekend events work.

Full-time or part-time considered depending on skillset.