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Outdoor Learning and Play Volunteer Officer - Skelton Grange

Place: Skelton Grange Environment Centre, Stourton, Leeds

Why we need you:
We work with around 5,000 children a year at Skelton Grange, running fun, engaging activities outdoors for children on our beautiful nature reserve.

Volunteer Officers are a key part of our team, working with young people and the local community at Skelton Grange Environment Centre. You will be trained and supported by experienced project staff, and work as part of a team with paid staff, trainees and Volunteer Officers.

Benefits to you:
We will aim to train Volunteer Officers in:
• Running a range of outdoor education and play activities and events with schools and community groups on the Skelton Grange Environment Centre site.
• Planning, risk assessing and running safe and engaging activities outside for children.
• All the necessary skills and knowledge to be able to run the sessions, from bushcraft skills, to plant identification, to working with children.
• Organisational Safeguarding and Health and Safety training so that you can create a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone.

Typical activities for a Volunteer Officer include:
• Running environmental education sessions for school visits during term time.
• Running play activities for groups of children and young people during the school holidays.
• Keeping education day resources up to date and developing new resources, activities or materials as required.
• Helping with the general running of the centre and the project including both development work and routine maintenance to ensure we are an inspiring location for visitors to experience nature.

What you need:
We are looking for people who can commit 2-5 days a week to take advantage of this opportunity. There is a lot of training involved and it takes time to build experience, so ideally you should consider taking on the role for a period of 6 months or more. However, we can be very flexible around people’s life commitments, so please get in touch to discuss this.

If you have experience already and want to share your skills this may be possible from as little as 1 day volunteering a week – once you are trained up to deliver our sessions.

How much time:
2+ days per week for 6 months or more.

For further details please contact Chris Ensor on 01132430815.

Email: skelton@tcv.org.uk

You will be supported in your role by experienced staff through regular meetings where issues can be resolved and guidance provided. You will have all reasonable expenses covered (foreign travel excepted) so will not be out of pocket through your volunteering. You will be insured and expected to comply with the policies and procedures of The Conservation Volunteers.

Where roles will be responsible for others, we need to check your references. When the role involves young people and vulnerable adults, we will need to ask for an Enhanced Disclosure from the Criminal Records Bureau, Central Registered Body in Scotland or appropriate body in Northern Ireland.

Many people who work in the Environmental Sector have used a Volunteer Officer role as a stepping stone in their career.