Young People's Project Lead (London)

Neighbourhood Watch Network is seeking an enthusiastic, proactive youth work specialist to deliver and grow our engagement and service work with young people (16-24 year olds), funded by the City Bridge Foundation. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced professional with the skills, energy, and passion to engage with young people and youth organisations in local communities, supporting our strategic priority to ensure the voices of young people are heard and fully represented in their communities and throughout our organisation. 

The work will be informed and led by the young people you are engaging with. We will expect you to take a collaborative approach to the work with young people, involving them in design and delivery wherever possible. You will be building on the foundations set with our pilot work last year, strengthening our relationships with youth organisations and building new ones in three locations – Hackney, Wandsworth and Croydon. Through these connections, you will get to know the areas and young people who wish to actively engage with their communities and make a positive change around crime prevention and community building.  

You will run task groups with young people focused on community action and crime prevention in these three areas, with the support of local volunteers and the Head of Membership and Community Engagement. Using previous learning you will shape and implement 3-4 future place-based models of working with young people, co-developed by young people. You will also be supporting a newly created Youth Council.  

The aim of this work is to ensure Neighbourhood Watch is supporting young people to: engage with their communities; address their concerns around crime and personal safety; improve their mental health and wellbeing; build confidence and self-esteem; work through challenges constructively; and help prepare young people for their next steps in life with newly gained skills and experiences for their CVs and future. 

Neighbourhood Watch Network

Neighbourhood Watch Network (NWN) is a registered charity (CIO) and the umbrella organisation that supports local schemes throughout England and Wales, as the largest crime prevention movement in the UK. Our staff support team are the strategic voice for the movement and support volunteers and members across England and Wales to work with their communities, the police, and other agencies to build safer, connected and resilient neighbourhoods. 

Current estimates suggest that 2.3 million households are involved in the movement, with 60,000 active volunteer Coordinators running schemes across England and Wales. The strength of Neighbourhood Watch is in our engagement with local people to be active within their communities.  

Who You Are

You will be passionate about engaging young people in community engagement in inner London, and seeing transformation in their lives.

You’ll be good at:

• Understanding the context of the inner-city environment, and the challenges and issues young people face
• Understanding on the key issues affecting young people and the youth sector in general
• Communicating verbally and written reports
• Developing and delivering workshops with groups of young people
• Understanding, or willing to understand, the issues surrounding crime and safety for young people
• Taking initiative and working as part of a dynamic team
• Self-motivation, with good leadership and networking abilities
• Managing competing projects and deadlines, and prioritising your work
• Using Microsoft Office and video conferencing software

How to apply

Please apply via our Charity Job by submitting your CV and a covering letter up to 2 pages, detailing how you match the job description and person specification criteria. 

Applications close: Monday 17th February 2025 2pm

Interview dates: Thursday 20th February 2025 and Friday 21st February 2025

This role is funded by the City Bridge Foundation.