Casual Youth Worker

Based at the Central Family Hub Join YMCA Chiltern Group and help create positive opportunities for young people in Bedford. We're looking for Casual Youth Workers to join our growing youth team, supporting young people aged 11–25 through our youth provision in Bedford. Based primarily at the Central Family Hub in Bedford town centre, you'll support our regular youth sessions when additional cover is needed, as well as helping to deliver school holiday activities, events and other youth work opportunities as they arise.

Our sessions provide welcoming, informal spaces where young people can meet friends, enjoy activities, build positive relationships with trusted adults and access information and support when they need it. How casual working works: This is a casual role with no fixed or guaranteed weekly hours. Opportunities will be offered according to the needs of the service and your availability. This may include cover for regular afternoon and evening sessions, additional staffing and daytime activities during school holidays.

Our youth offer in Bedford continues to grow and develop, and there will also be opportunities to get involved in different activities and projects as they arise. This could be a great opportunity if you're an experienced Youth Worker looking for additional hours, already work in a related field, are studying, or simply want a flexible way to use your skills and experience to make a difference to young people.

What you'll do

• Help create safe, welcoming, engaging and inclusive spaces for young people.
• Build positive, trusted relationships and support young people's personal and social development.
• Deliver and support activities based on the interests and needs of young people. Listen to young people and encourage them to have a voice in the activities and opportunities available to them.
• Provide informal information, guidance and support when appropriate. Work alongside colleagues to maintain appropriate boundaries and respond positively to behaviour. Support basic session recording, monitoring and evaluation.
• Work as part of a team to ensure safeguarding and health and safety standards are maintained.

Who we are looking for

• Experience of working positively with young people, whether through youth work, education, sport, community work, mentoring, volunteering or another relevant setting.
• Can quickly build rapport and positive relationships with young people from a range of backgrounds.
• Has good communication and teamwork skills. Understands some of the opportunities, challenges and pressures facing young people today.
• Is reliable, adaptable and able to step confidently into an established youth work team.
• Shares our commitment to ensuring young people feel welcome, respected and heard. You don't need to have followed one particular route into youth work.

If you have experience of working positively with young people and believe you could contribute to our team, we'd like to hear from you.

This is an ongoing recruitment opportunity. Applications will be reviewed regularly and suitable candidates may be invited to interview as opportunities arise. We will recruit throughout the advertising period as we build and develop our pool of Casual Youth Workers in Bedford.

Why join us?

At YMCA Chiltern Group, you'll be part of an inclusive and supportive organisation committed to helping young people thrive and creating stronger communities. Casual youth work offers the opportunity to gain experience across a developing youth service, work alongside an experienced team and get involved in a variety of activities and projects. As our youth provision grows, there may also be opportunities to get involved in other roles and services across the organisation. Join our casual youth work team and help us create safe spaces for young people in Bedford.

This is a Casual role.

Hours per week: Varied

Working Pattern: Casual workers will provide cover and additional staffing for regular youth sessions, school holiday activities, events and other agreed youth work opportunities according to service need

Important information:

We do not provide visa sponsorship; you must be eligible to work in the UK. You must reside in the UK for the duration of your employment and provide Right to Work evidence.

As some of our roles involve working with vulnerable members of society, this position may require a Basic or Enhanced Criminal Disclosure, which will be conducted once a conditional offer is made

Previous Applications: We welcome applications from all qualified candidates. However, if you have applied for a similar role within the last 6 months and were not successful, please consider whether your experience has developed further before reapplying

Accessibility & Adjustments: We are committed to making reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process and will strive to be as accommodating as possible. Please inform us in advance of any arrangements you may need to fully participate in the process.

We are an inclusive organisation and actively promote equality of opportunity for all with the right mix of talent, skills, and potential. We do not discriminate on the basis of Age, Disability, Gender Reassignment, Marriage/Civil Partnership, Pregnancy/Maternity, Race, Religion/Belief, Sex and/or Sexual Orientation. We encourage applications from all backgrounds, communities, and industries, and are committed to having a team that is made up of diverse skills, experiences, and abilities.