We are hiring – paid work experience for a young person

Are you a 16–19-year-old and somewhere between interested and passionate about the environment, climate change and keen on getting some paid work experience involving event organisation in the charity sector?

Yes? Then read on and seriously consider applying for this fantastic opportunity helping us to organise and stage our second Community Resilience Forum series.

What is the Transition Town Totnes Community Resilience Forum Project?

It’s a series of three interactive events where we welcome and encourage discussion and debate about community resilience research and practice. During the first series in 2024, Forum participants explored Land-use, Nature Recovery and Just Transition. You can read about the Forums here and here’s a link to the full report on our first season, which was compiled by two fabulous work experience students from King Edward IV Community College (KEVICC).

In our 2025 series, we will explore Alternative Economic Models, Climate Change, and Mental Health, and we will develop the third Forum topic in collaboration with you and local young people.

What will you be doing?

We have created this role to offer a paid work experience opportunity to a local young person who is 16-19 years old at the start of the position in January 2025.

We are not looking for specific experience. We are looking for good written and oral communication skills, and we expect you to be well organised and motivated.

If you can demonstrate an interest in the environment, climate change and event organisation that would be great, but it certainly isn’t essential.

You will be trained by working alongside our Community Resilience Forum Project Manager and here are some of the things you will be working on:

·       Event planning – finding suitable speakers, supporting a consultation session

·       Administration – booking event locations and speakers

·       Event communications

·       Hands-on event management – setting up the event venue, welcoming speakers, timekeeping

·       Final project reporting

When will you be working and how many days will you work?

We have budgeted for 10 working days between January and July 2025. There is some flexibility to work around your existing commitments – working some hours after school, for example.

We would prefer you to work most of your hours on Tuesdays at our office in The Mansion Totnes, but some remote work may be possible at different stages of the project.

You will need to be present on the three event dates (Saturdays).

Here is a summary of the timeline (1 day = 7.5 hours):

January - 1 day, introductions and onboarding

February - 2 days, event planning and consultation session

March - 2 days, event planning

April - 2 days, event planning and first Forum

May - 1 day, second Forum

June - 1 day, third Forum

July - 1 day, project reporting

How to apply and what’s the deadline?

Via our Google form by 6 January 2025.