MECOPP is Scotland’s leading Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) carers’ organisation providing a variety of care and support services to carers from BME and other marginalised communities.

The postholder will join a established Community Health Team – ‘Community Health Matters’ – to improve health outcomes and reduce health inequalities amongst Scotland’s Gypsy/Traveller community. The Community Health Team is part of a wider programme of work supporting the Gypsy/Traveller community which includes carer support, support for the cared for person, financial resilience, addressing food insecurity, men and women’s engagement and building digital capacity.

Our newly established community mental health and wellbeing team sits within the wider remit of the Gypsy/Traveller Community Health Team. At full complement the mental health and wellbeing team will comprise of: 1 x team leader (children & young people focus); 2.5 x family support workers (1 x adults/older people + 1.5 x children/young people). The development worker for adults and older people is already in post.

Our ambition is to pilot a confidential and trusted Scottish-wide service, employing people who understand/have empathy with the culture and traditions of the community. This service will be accessible to young Gypsy/Travellers and their families wherever they are living and available online, via telephone and face to face. It will link to local specialist services as appropriate. It will promote accessible and culturally appropriate information about mental health and well-being to Gypsy/Travellers and provide a single point of contact so that when young people move their service provider would remain a constant and involved presence to aid transitions.

Lead on the development of a pilot training programme for mental health practitioners.

We anticipate that significant travel may be required so the location of the post is flexible although some attendance at the office will be required.

Delivery of all tasks and activities will be commensurate with the number of hours secured for the post.

MECOPP is Scotland’s leading Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) carers organisation providing a variety of care and support services to carers from BME and other marginalised communities.

This postholder will have lead responsibility for the following:

• Providing direct advocacy and casework support to members of the Gypsy/Traveller community;
• Raising awareness of housing/accommodation rights and entitlements within the Gypsy/Traveller community;
• Building the capacity of housing practitioners/providers to better understand and respond to the housing/accommodation needs of Gypsy/Travellers; and
• Identifying housing/accommodation issues to assist local and Scottish national government in the development of policy and practice.
• Policy- (working with/Influence future policy/strategies-ie SG/Las/Housing associations)
• Being part of relevant networks to advocate on behalf of MECOPP and the GT Community
• Working closely with wider team

The postholder will be part of a larger team currently delivering the following areas of work: carer support (adult and older people); young carer support; community health improvement including mental health and wellbeing and food insecurity; men and women’s participation; and, digital inclusion.

The geographic focus of the post is Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Perth & Kinross, Highlands, Moray and Angus.

Delivery of all tasks and activities will be commensurate with the number of hours secured for the post.

About Volunteering Matters

We are looking for a talented, dynamic, and compassionate Youth Engagement Manager to join our team in Edinburgh. The right candidate would be someone who can work flexibly and demonstrate an understanding and total commitment to our organisational values.

This role will be working in partnership with St Thomas of Aquins R.C High School, we have been delivering Brighter Futures here for two years and have funding till June 2025.

At Volunteering Matters we use volunteering’s unique power to bring people together and build stronger, more resilient communities across the UK.

We bring people together to resolve some of society’s most complex issues. From social isolation and loneliness; improving health and wellbeing; building skills, confidence, and opportunity; to ensuring young people can become change makers in their community, the impact that we make is great. And we won’t stop until everyone in the UK has the opportunity to thrive.

People-led and impact driven, we are a national charity that is deeply embedded in local areas across the UK. We operate in five regions: London and the South East; Wales and the West of England; East of England; the Midlands and North West England; and Scotland and North East England. We also have an Employee Volunteering Team with over 25 years’ experience, acting as a broker to provide tailor-made solutions to employers. We turn local knowledge and energy into action and progress, building stronger communities and a better future for all.

This is an exciting time to be joining the team. We’re changing the way we work to meet new ambitions and make sure our impact continues to grow alongside out business.

About the role

Project Scotland, part of the national charity Volunteering Matters, supports young people to get on in life through the power of volunteering. Brighter futures work with pupils (aged 13-16), we offer disadvantaged pupils struggling to engage with the regular school curriculum the opportunity to undertake a volunteering placement as well as the option of having a mentor. We support and empower pupils to gain skills and confidence in a new environment within the wider community, promoting a sense of belonging, whilst extending horizons and aspirations.

We are looking for a talented, dynamic, and compassionate Youth Engagement Manager to join our team in Edinburgh. The right candidate would be someone who can work flexibly and demonstrate an understanding and total commitment to our organisational values.

This role will be working in partnership with St Thomas of Aquins R.C High School, we have been delivering Brighter Futures here for two years and have funding till June 2025.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

• To build relationships with secondary school pupils, particularly those on flexible timetables, who have complex and challenging barriers, acting in a non-judgemental way to support them through their Brighter Futures journey
• Consistently role modelling and displaying Volunteering Matters organisational values
• Deliver and develop the Brighter Futures Schools programme within in St Thomas of Aquins R.C High School, meeting ambitious targets and milestones, ensuring all young people engaged achieve positive outcome.
• Provide pre and post volunteering practical and emotional support to each pupil, helping to build their confidence and identify achievable goals as well support the pupil to complete awards and qualifications linked to their volunteering.
• Engaging with current charity partners, not for profit organisations and social enterprises and developing new ones in line with our Best Practice for under 16’s volunteering.
• Develop diverse, high quality and bespoke volunteer placements with third sector partners that reflect the needs and interests of pupils.
• Effective recruitment, selection, training, and ongoing support of a diverse pool of talented and dedicated volunteer mentors from a wide cross-section of the community
• To maintain Volunteering Matters standards around quality and effective Volunteer Management
• To manage all elements of a young person’s experience, from referral to completion of their journey, including managing the match with their mentor.
• To manage the risk assessment, safeguarding, quality assurance and audit processes as appropriate
• Ensure monitoring, impact and evaluation information is collected and that Brighter Futures meets it’s agreed targets, reporting format and schedule.
• Administration tasks including maintaining effective and accessible records, the use of Microsoft Office, Teams, Zoom and other software such as Canva (use to develop relevant promotional material and information)

Our Values & Way of Working:

In all that we do, we embrace a philosophy of ‘Freedom within a Framework’ and are guided by our values: Empowering, Inclusive, Compassionate, Positive & Straightforward.

Benefits

Our employee benefits reflect our culture which is built on an approach of full flexibility with accountability, and designed to let you make your most positive contribution; we offer Flexible Working by Default (re hours & place of work), Unlimited Annual Leave, Employee Pension scheme, Life Assurance, Cycle to Work Scheme, Season Ticket Loan, Employee Assistance Programme, enhanced sick and family leave. We are also open to discuss job share applications.

Youth Scotland, Scotland’s national charity for the support and delivery of community-based youth work, would love you to come and join our dynamic team.

We are looking for an experienced worker who has direct experience of life in Scotland’s rural communities and great skills in supporting youth engagement and participation.

Scotland already has a rich landscape of organisations which support young people to mobilise and have their voices heard. The Rural Youth Action Network Project will not duplicate or dilute this work but will build upon this work to provide opportunities for young people from Scotland’s rural communities to come together and share their experiences, have their voices heard, shape decision-making about issues that impact their lives and ensure that Government plans consider their interests and priorities.

This project is a partnership between Youth Scotland and Scottish Rural Action, funded by Scottish Government. This project has been designed to work separately but in parallel to the existing Young Islanders Network (YIN) which is also delivered by Youth Scotland, and will distinctly support rural young people and not duplicate existing engagement with YIN stakeholders where practicable.