Thriving Through Venture – Empowering Young Adults and Communities Director - Youth Development Programme with international travel. Based Marlborough, Wiltshire
February 2020
About Thriving Through Venture Thriving Through Venture (TTV) was established in 2018 in recognition of how many of our young people struggle with well-being and confidence as they approach the end of their school days. TTV brings together students from different schools and backgrounds around Marlborough and Swindon to engage in purposeful, real life projects that connect them to others within their UK communities and then beyond, to our partner community of Gunjur, in The Gambia.
TTV believes that there are two fundamental ingredients that contribute to healthy mental well-being. These are: 1.having a sense of connection/belonging, 2.having a positive sense of purpose.
Our Vision
Our Mission
A world where young people from the UK have access to life changing programmes, that provide experiential learning that improves their emotional well-being and confidence by involvement in connected projects within UK communities and/or communities in other countries.
Thriving Through Venture provides volunteer programmes for young people in the UK, that stimulate positive shifts in their mind set, and that develops transferable practical and vocational skills, at the same time as having a positive impact on their local communities and other communities in developing countries.
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Our objectives
Our Values
Thriving Through Venture has 3 distinct objectives:
• Having a sense of purpose and a sense of belonging/connectedness are core to good mental well-being. Interest in one another to help each individual realise their own potential, is part of the above • Mental Well-being is nurtured through both practical experiences and connectedness with others • Interest and value for the economic well-being and the mental well-being of communities both locally and more further afield, come from equal opportunities, collaboration and education
1. To provide ‘Thriving Through Venture’ well-being programmes for young people, that in particular provide a sense of belonging/connectedness and a sense of purpose which we believe are critical for good mental well-being. 2. To conduct research that informs ways of improving the lives of young people, and the type of support to help young people find their chosen place in their adult world, first through annual evaluations of the programme we deliver during our 3 pilot programmes 3. To introduce models of practice (once success is proven after three pilot programmes) to other volunteer organisations, to other areas in the UK, who have partnerships with different towns. Thriving Through Venture Director - Youth Development Programme
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Background to the charity Thriving Through Venture (TTV) obtained charitable status in April 2018. TTV provides programmes to change vulnerable young people’s lives. There is a huge need for the voluntary sector to expand to meet the requirements of supporting our young people, so many of whom are lacking confidence and suffering poor mental well-being. In England rates of depression and anxiety in teenagers have increased by 70% in the past 25 years, particularly since the 1980s (Young Minds). One in four adults, experiences at least one diagnosable mental health problem in any given year. There is clearly a need to address this difficulty, particularly within the context of our mental health services, currently being unable to meet the increased demand.
The TTV programme provides these by the young participants working together and with local people to develop skills on purposeful, rewarding projects within their local communities and then further afield in the very different, predominantly Muslim community of Gunjur, The Gambia, to which Marlborough has had a longstanding partnership since the 1980s. The intent of TTV is to develop a model of programme that will support those young people who are nearing the point of leaving school but who have been recognised by professionals and by their parents as being vulnerable, lacking confidence and unsure as to how to take their place in the adult world. TTV believes that there are two fundamental ingredients that contribute to healthy mental well-being. These are: having a sense of connection/ belonging and having a positive sense of purpose.
The TTV programme The TTV programme provides this by the young participants working together and with local people to develop skills through purposeful, rewarding projects within their local communities and then further afield in the very different, predominantly Muslim community of Gunjur, The Gambia, to which Marlborough has had a longstanding partnership since the 1980s.
Thriving Through Venture Director - Youth Development Programme
The intent of TTV is to develop a model of programme that will support those young people who are nearing the point of leaving school but who have been recognised by professionals and by their parents as being vulnerable, lacking confidence and unsure as to how to take their place in the adult world.
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The Role & Job Description The Trustees of Thriving Through Venture are looking for an energetic and experienced Programme Director to take its youth development programme into its third pilot year. TTV takes twelve 16-18 year olds from local schools in
North Wiltshire on an exciting trip to The Gambia building their resilience and confidence with a focused and structured programme of individual and group training before they go.
Ambitions for this role It is an exciting time to join this new youth development programme as Director. You will be leading an emerging programme with huge potential. This is an opportunity to work with young people, building their resilience and helping them evolve in to independent young confident adults. The role offers the opportunity to travel to The Gambia to work in a totally different cultural environment. Flexible and part-time, working locally, (in Wiltshire) bringing together young people from state and independent schools, thus making an impact within the local community.
Role summary • Directing and leading the programme, working with trustees, staff, local health professionals, potential and committed funders, volunteers and young people in all aspects of the charity’s activities • Preparing, managing and implementing the Charity’s strategic plan including: programme content, managing any training facilitators, managing and overseeing pupil referrals • Increasing the Charity’s profile and reach by maintaining the promotion and marketing of TTV and representing the Charity in various public contexts • Creating and developing a programme for local and community involvement • Developing an alumni network • Overseeing the formal evaluation of each annual programme
Essential Experience • Experience in leadership and management • Experience in working with young people, ideally in both individual and group formats • Awareness of risks associated with young people, of travelling in a group, of dealing with potential mental health and physical health issues • Team building • Reporting and evaluating, setting annual objectives for staff • Knowledge of or work experience in Sub-Sahara Africa, and in particular The Gambia would be helpful but not essential • Experience with legal requirements of a charity • Preparing and implementing a business/operations plan which reflects the agreed strategy of the Charity and develop and maintain systems to monitor the progress of those plans • Knowledge and experience of young people with mental health and other vulnerabilities
Thriving Through Venture Director - Youth Development Programme
Person Specification • Passionate about improving the lives and ambitions of and opportunities for young people • Reliable and committed • Highly motivated, a self-starter, self-directed and team worker • Professional approach • Organised and communicative: able to easily connect with different types of people, here and abroad • Sound financial awareness • Full and in-date DBS Certificate • Degree level education • Clinical experience or mental health training qualifications for working with vulnerable young • Remote First Aid qualification
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TTV’s aims • to encourage and promote a sense of connection and belonging, and a positive sense of purpose for healthy mental well-being. • to provide programmes for young people to work together with local people to develop skills on rewarding projects within their local community and the community in Gunjur, The Gambia. • to support the selected, vulnerable young people who are nearing the end of school to take their place confidently in the adult world.
TTV 2018-2020 This programme will be delivered annually in Wiltshire and Swindon, initially through 3 pilot programmes for 3 years, 2018-2020, and following a full evaluation and measurement of the impact on the young people involved, we then aim to share the programme model with other towns and local areas that are twinned with towns/communities internationally.
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Role responsibilities Programme • Running the training programme pre and post Gambia trip • Travelling to The Gambia with the group • Creating and developing a programme for local and community involvement Partnerships • Developing relationships with schools, Further Education contacts and other key partners and agencies Risk Assessment & Evaluation • Overseeing Health and Safety and Risk Assessments • Overseeing the formal evaluation of each annual programme • Providing an annual report covering the performance of the Charity, meeting statutory reporting requirements, satisfying objectives, research findings, compliance and finance including evaluation of all projects. • Overseeing insurance provision Reporting to the Board • Working with and supporting the Board of Trustees to ensure good governance of the Charity • Providing an annual budget for approval by the Board of Trustees
Thriving Through Venture Director - Youth Development Programme
• Reporting all information directly to the active Board of Trustees in an accurate and timely manner. • Attending trustee meetings as required Charity Governance • Managing all charity policies and regulatory requirements, keeping abreast of changes in legislation and ensuring that the legal requirements of the Registered Charity are met. Leadership & Management • Managing and ensuring excellent practice in all aspects of Human Resources • Ensuring contracts and appraisal systems are in place for any staff • Managing the recruitment of new staff • Ensuring health and personal well-being of the group is up-to-date Income Generation & Fundraising • Developing an alumni network • Overseeing a freelance fundraiser to establish, manage and deliver a reliable funding network and diverse income streams • Producing funder expenditure reports • Evaluate, cost and implement new initiatives
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Salary
Location
Trustees wish to retain a self-employed contractor. Trustees anticipate the duties described should be capable of delivery with 1 1/2 days per week. However you will be required to commit such time as is necessary to adequately discharge the duties defined above for which the renumeration is expected to be in order of ÂŁ12,000 per annum. Detailed timesheets to be provided monthly in arears.
Working from home, flexibly with a secure computer. There will be lots of interaction and contact with partners involved with delivering the programme:the trustees, clinical psychologists, parents, teachers, community workers, the Gambian Kombo Silla team in Bristol, counsellors, psychiatrists, the Gambia partner and of course, the young people themselves.
Travel
Reporting to:
There are three residential group training weekends, a presentation evening plus two weeks in The Gambia.
The chair of the Board of Trustees, Treasurer
Responsible for All staff, young people and volunteers. TTV is also currently recruiting a freelance fundraising consultant.
For more information or to have an informal discussion, please contact the trustees at Info@ttventure.org Thriving Through Venture Director - Youth Development Programme
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About Oxford HR Oxford HR operates globally - mainly within the international development and charity sectors. We carry out retained executive search mandates at board and senior management levels. We also offer human resource and organisational development consultancy. Oxford HR has many years of experience in search as well as an extensive network of international development, social sector, corporate, public sector, and academic contacts from across the world. We carry out comprehensive Thriving Through Venture Director - Youth Development Programme
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