St Augustine’s Catholic Church
Crescent Road
Tunbridge Wells
Kent
TN1 2LY
Telephone: 01892 522525
E mail:
www.st-augustine.co.uk
4th February 2015
Dear Applicant,
Thank you for your interest in the post of Youth Leader at St Augustine’s Catholic Church, Tunbridge Wells.
We hope you will find all the information here, if not please feel free to get in touch.
Interviews are expected to take place on Thursday 26th March at St Augustine’s Church. Please let us know if this is likely to cause you any problems.
The successful candidate will initially work on a fixed term contract of two years but may well have the opportunity to extend this contract, depending on performance and funding for the post.
The Youth Leader will be expected to work under the Diocese’s Policy for the Protection of Children and Young People.
An Enhanced DBS check will be required and references taken up.
The hours will be 37.5 hours a week, to include Sunday nights and weekends (with time off pro rata during the week).
The salary will be up to a maximum of £24,000 depending qualifications and experience.
The person appointed will be an employee of the Trustees of the RC Diocese of Southwark and the position will be covered by the terms and conditions of employment of the Diocese.
We look forward to receiving your application as soon as practicable. Please contact the parish office at or ring 01892 522525 for an application form. The closing date is Friday 13th March 2015.
Yours sincerely,
On behalf of the Youth Management Team:
Canon Peter Stodart Haike Hutchings
Parish Priest Chair
Catholic Youth Leader
Our Parish Vision for Young People:
To see our young people as active and valued members of the Parish.
To encourage our young people to develop their potential and enhance their life chances through dedication to Christ and a commitment to the Catholic faith.
St Augustine’s Catholic Church is a busy, friendly church, part of the Diocese of Southwark, and a member of Churches Together in Tunbridge Wells, helping with the Winter Shelter programme.
Until recently, the youth provision in the parish was by volunteers. In 2011/12 we were fortunate to have a young seminarian in the parish for a year. His transformation of the youth group into a popular and flourishing magnet for our teenagers has inspired us to employ a Youth Leader. We are looking for someone who will bring Christ alive in our young people, making him a relevant and powerful force in their lives and will embed youth involvement into every aspect of our parish life. We, the Youth Team, are ready with support as you build up social and spiritual activities for the young people of our parish of St Augustine’s, Tunbridge Wells.
The person appointed will have their own particular vision and gifts to bring Catholic Christianity alive for the young people of this community in their own way. We look forward to hearing how candidates envisage making their vision a reality, both through training up volunteer leaders as well as developing youth groups appropriate to different age groups of 14 -18 year olds in the parish.
Additionally, we have many active groups within our parish such as Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, Beavers, Cubs and Scouts, Children’s Liturgy, a Liturgy Group, four music groups, and numerous adult social and prayer groups. We also have the Catenians, St. Vincent de Paul, a Tuesday Club for older people, and team producing the weekly newsletter.
Church members also work with other Churches, reaching out to socially disadvantaged areas of Tunbridge Wells, and play a central role in providing food for the homeless. We are a Fair Trade church in a Fair Trade town, and are part of the Cafod Live Simply campaign, organised by the Justice and Peace group.
We provide many courses and education for the sacraments with groups for First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage and Baptism, including Journey into Faith (RCIA).
We have strong links with our Christian Secondary Schools: St Gregory’s Catholic School (1,000+ on roll) http://www.sgschool.org.uk/, Beechwood (independent 356 on roll) http://www.beechwood.org.uk/, and Bennett Memorial Diocesan School (CofE between 1.4k and 1.5K on roll) http://www2.bennett.kent.sch.uk/ They are all enthusiastic about working with the Youth Leader.
Catholic Youth Leader
JOB DESCRIPTION
Purpose: To deliver the parish vision for young people by developing and leading a vibrant youth ministry through activities and by building relationships.
Terms and Conditions of Employment
Title: Youth Leader
Employed by: Diocese of Southwark
Responsible to: St Augustine’s RC Church Youth Management Team
Work base: St Augustine’s Church
Work area: The Parishes of Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge, and the three Christian secondary schools
(St Gregory's, Beechwood and Bennett Memorial Schools) and the Diocesan Youth Centre at Whitstable.
Hours of work: 37.5 hours per week, to include evenings & a minimum of 3 weekends per month
Annual Leave: 20 days plus Public Holidays or time off in lieu (pro rata) (ideally in school holidays)
Accountability: Through the Parish line manager, jointly to the Parish Priest and the Head teachers and Lay Chaplains at St. Gregory’s School, Beechwood and Bennett Memorial schools. The Diocesan Youth Officer will provide regular direction, supervision, support and mentoring. The Youth Leader will be required to meet regularly with the Line Manager for reviewing and planning; and also to report on activity to the Parish and attend Parish meetings.
Roles & responsibilities:
LEADERSHIP
· provide leadership, inspiration and inspirational role modeling to the young people
· take lead responsibility for youth action in the parish and embed youth involvement into every aspect of parish life
· encourage and support lay people in the various volunteer ministries working with our young people
· lead, guide and support volunteers in setting up new groups, ventures and initiatives aimed at developing the overall youth programme
· fulfill any appropriate reasonable responsibilities asked by the parish Youth Leader Management Team.
· to work with others to ensure that the youth work is conducted in accordance with the Diocesan Safe Guarding Procedures.
CONNECTION
· connect with the young people of the parish and deanery.
· build links with our local Catholic schools, spending time with our young people in school and providing catechesis to pupils, including leading worship
· make contact with and build bridges with the young people in the parish who are no longer practising Catholics
PARTICIPATION
· encourage young people in the congregation to take an active role in the Church’s life and worship. To this end regular involvement in parish liturgies will be expected.
· promoting Christ at its core
· liaise with the Diocesan Youth Team to enable young parishioners to take part in events and activities, within and beyond the Diocese
· find youth leaders and others who share a vision for increasing the involvement of our young people
PASTORAL
· provide a safe and informal environment where they can explore issues relevant to them, providing pastoral and spiritual help.
· Give young people a chance to have their voice heard and help young people learn how to express their beliefs constructively.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Creativity – evidence of experience and success in producing ideas for liturgy, other activities for youngsters, catechesis and fundraising
Spirituality – Catholic, evidence of the influence of God in their own lives, of the ability to communicate this to young people, and a knowledge of Catholic practices and teachings
Rapport – evidence of the ability to build and maintain relationships with young people and the parish, including “young leaders” and volunteers
Teamwork – evidence of both leading and working in teams, the ability to inspire, influence and take on board the ideas of others
Resilience – evidence of the ability to “self-start” and self motivate with a minimum of supervision; to overcome obstacles and learn from criticism; to work alone and on own initiative
Criteria / Essential / Desirable / Evidence obtained from:
Experience: / Experience of youth work in church and/or non-church settings
Experience of catechesis and of helping young people explore the Catholic faith in creative and relevant ways / Two years experience of youth work and youth ministry / Application Form & Interview
Qualifications: / Practising Catholic.
A lively knowledge & enthusiasm for the Gospel and the ability to communicate it effectively to young people.
A good general education to KS5 minimum
Supportive reference from your Parish Priest / Youth Leader or Catholic Youth Ministry Qualification
Previous Retreat/ spiritual workshop experience / Application Form & Interview & Supporting Statement (references)
Training: / A willingness to undergo training / Demonstrate previous experience of training
First Aid
Health & Safety / Application Form
Special Knowledge: / Knowledge of Child Protection
Basic computer literacy and willingness to further computer skills / Skills in Music and/or Drama and/or Sport / Application Form & Interview
Behaviour: / Fair, honest and consistent in approach
Diplomatic, self-motivated and enthusiastic with a professional attitude
Communicate sensitively and effectively
Ability to work in a small team of volunteers and under the supervision of the parish priest
Excellent organization skills, able to prioritise and meet deadlines
Ability to be innovative and instill enthusiasm into others
Listening skills
Ability to maintain confidence / Application Form & Interview
Vision: / An awareness of, and commitment to the needs of young people
Christian commitment and an ability to work out the implications of your faith in a professional youth work context
A passion to bring Christ alive for our young people / Interview
Other Requirements: / Due to the nature of this post clearance through the Disclosure and Barring Service - DBS - (previously CRB checks) will be required
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