Lead Youth Worker

Jack Drum Arts, a multi award winning community arts organisation based in County Durham, is recruiting a Lead Youth Worker to deliver Action Station, a new open-access creative youth programme in Crook funded through the Million Hours Fund – a £19 million initiative jointly funded by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) and The National Lottery Community Fund. Action Station will create a safe, welcoming, and engaging space for young people aged 11-18 (up to 25 for young people with SEND), providing creative, social, and skills-based opportunities while promoting youth voice and participation. The programme aims to reduce the risk of anti-social behaviour, build trusted relationships between young people and adults, and develop positive, accessible pathways for engagement. Weekly, term-time sessions will take place across multiple spaces: a creative arts room (graffiti, zine-making, DJ skills etc), a games and role-play space, and a relaxed, quiet social space. Free food and refreshments will be provided, with transport support where needed. This senior youth work position combines programme leadership, co-ordination, and direct youth work delivery. The Lead Youth Worker will help to establish Action Station as a high-quality, youth-led provision reflecting local need and Jack Drum Arts’ creative ethos. The role includes co-ordinating volunteers and junior youth staff and collaborating with freelance artists, ensuring safeguarding standards are met, monitoring attendance and progression, and collaborating with local schools and partner organisations to ensure accessibility and impact.