17
DEC
Posted by
admin
Regional Development Worker - Midlands
Comprehensive seed funding has been acquired from Atlantic Philanthropies to implement the LGBT Diversity (Building Sustainable LBGT Communities) programme. The Programme seeks to deliver an ambitious and exciting set of outcomes for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals and communities in Ireland. Further information about the programme is available from Derek McDonnell on derek@lgbtdiversity.com or 087 66 00 872. Job Description is also available on activelink.ie and www.lgbtdiversity.com
• The Steering Committee is seeking to engage a full-time Development Worker to cover Galway, Westmeath, Laois, Offaly, and Tipperary. Precise location for the Development Worker's office to be determined.
• The Development Workers will be responsible for 3 key areas of development: Regional Development, Thematic Development, and Capacity Building.
• This job requires energetic people suited to working in a very flexible, adaptable way within a small team and often using your own initiative. It will suit someone with strong capacity building, facilitation, negotiation, and training skills.
• Secondment arrangements will be considered.
Please send your CV and a letter of application to Derek McDonnell at derek@lgbtdiversity.com no later than 5 pm on January 10th, 2011. Interviews will take place in Dublin on January 25th.
Only candidates selected for interview will be contacted.
Development Worker Job Description and Person Specification
The programme has the following three objectives:
1. In terms of Capacity Building, the programme aims to provide existing LGBT groups/organisations with increased access to: capacity building supports, standards/guides to good practice, networking, supports for the potential to work on transgender issues and other specific thematic issues, support and advice on engaging with policy development, funding, fundraising, and working with mainstream agencies. In addition the programme will include a modest ‘re-granting' scheme to enable local level LGBT groups to access small grants to support them into developing their reach, impact, and sustainability.
2. Developing supports for LGBT people in targeted areas will involve working with local people and organisations to develop new groups that provide supports for LGBT people, in geographical areas currently underserved. These may be completely new groups, or existing groups with a low capacity, restarting groups that have ceased to exist etc. They will be either stand alone groups, or be part of a programme of existing voluntary/community work. The emphasis will be on providing safe social and developmental spaces which are relevant to the needs of LGBT people, especially those who need support in relation to coming out.
3. In terms of strengthening the LGBT sector nationally, there will be a number of national level pieces of work that will involve conferences/seminars that help increase awareness of national and international legal, policy and practice developments; to get greater awareness of potential further capacity building and advocacy work within the sector, sharing work that's happening at a local level, working in partnership with the wider sector and building relationships with other sectors, e.g. statutory and broader community and voluntary sector.
Some of these events will have a thematic focus (e.g. lesbian women, bisexual people, older LGBT people, families etc).
There will also be a number of key pieces of research commissioned - this will include research on LGBT/rainbow families, and a scoping and feasibility study on establishing an LGBT community fund for longer term sustainable funding for the sector.
In addition, some research and consultation work will be undertaken to look at the feasibility and potential benefits and potential challenges of developing a national LGBT structure, umbrella body etc.
Reporting to: Derek McDonnell - Programme Manager
• Overall responsibilities: Responsible for 3 key areas of development: (a) Regional Development, (b) Thematic Development, and (c) Capacity Building.
.Key Responsibilities:
• Work with existing LGBT groups/organisations (where they exist) to develop a local level support plan
• Support local LGBT groups/organisations to build their capacity, identify and access funding opportunities, raise awareness and work with local mainstream services to encourage them to be more LGBT inclusive
• Develop regional community development plan
• Facilitate regional networking
• Work with Programme Manager and other Development Workers to disseminate specific programmatic supports (e.g. transgender work, LGBT families, parents of LGBT people etc) at a local level
• In areas that have been targeted for new LGBT groups/supports: local level research to identify any activity, or interested groups/organisations that could be used as a basis for building support groups (-beating the bushes‖)
• Work in these identified areas to support local people/organisations to provide a safe space, support for LGBT people and to build links with local development agencies to encourage their involvement in this work. Provide ongoing developmental supports, access to resources, training, information about accessing funding etc for these groups.
• Develop materials, guides etc in consultation with the Programme Manager and other Development Workers
Person specification
Development Worker
• This job requires an energetic person suited to working in a very flexible, adaptable way within a small team and often using your own initiative. It suits someone with strong capacity building, facilitation, negotiation, and training skills.
Preferred Candidates will meet the following criteria:
Essential:
• The role requires a person skilled in working with a wide range of organisations and capable of delivering significant change primarily by facilitating linkages and joint initiatives between organisations that are very different in size and culture.
• The person appointed will sometimes support small organisations that are focused on providing services to a local community.
• Other times they will work with large public sector organisations.
• A key aspect of their work will be seeking to bridge the gap between mainstream service planners and small LGBT service providing organisations.
• The position is full time and the candidate will be based in a Non-Government Organisation (town/city to be decided)
The ideal candidate must have the following:
Motivation
• Strategic and pragmatic, interested in change that is significant and sustainable.
• Comfortable working with small and sometimes embryonic organisations that are focused on delivering services to relatively small groups of people locally.
• Committed to matters such as equality, social inclusion and advocacy
Experience and Knowledge
• Organising and handling meetings, negotiating, and working with others to develop and deliver strategic responses to challenges identified.
• Development of presentations and delivering these to groups.
• Programme and project implementation and management.
• Undertaking action research and production of associated reports.
• Undertaking evaluation and the dissemination of what is learned.
• Working with statutory agency and departmental personnel
• Significant experience of working in the community and voluntary sector.
• Clear understanding of policy, practice and organisational development.
Skills and Abilities
• Demonstrable understanding of LGBT community issues.
• Good ability at writing and communication.
• Ability to work on own initiative, but also willing to take direction.
• Conceptualising, addressing issues strategically and ability to innovate.
• Partnership development and working with consortiums to deliver change.
• Dealing with people that are heading up small and local-focused initiatives, often voluntarily, often on a part-time basis.
• Researching sources of new funding and accessing to meet needs that exist.
• Producing wide-ranging correspondence and reports professionally.
• Building large networks of contacts and to utilise these to progress matters.
Desirable:
• A third level qualification in a relevant discipline.
• 3 years experience in a similar role
Other:
To be willing and able to work outside normal office hours.
A driving license and own transport.
To be open to change and new learning.
To have a good sense of humour.
Salary:
The Development Worker's salary is €40,000.
Application / Selection Process
Applicants should apply by e-mail by submitting a curriculum vitae and letter of application to derek@lgbtdiversity.com. The deadline for applications is 5pm, January 10th, 2011. Interviews will take place in Dublin on January 25th, 2011.
Short Listing
After the closing date all application letters and CV's will be reviewed to see how each person's skills, experience and qualifications relate to the post - that is, how they match the person specification that has been prepared. Applicants judged to meet the specification most closely will be invited to attend for interview. Only successful applicants will be notified of the outcome of short listing.
Interviewing
It is envisaged initial interviews will be held on January 25th, 2011. Interviews will be done by a panel, made up of 3 people at least. The panel will ask a number of pre-determined questions. Everyone will be asked the same basic questions with supplementary questions posed - based on the information provided in each person's application letter and CV. The questions asked will allow applicants expand on the information they have already provided, and to demonstrate to the panel how well they meet the requirements of the job.
A number of interview stages may take place before a decision to appoint is made. Everyone attending interviews will be given an opportunity to ask questions about the job, conditions of service and anything else they consider relevant.
People involved in short-listing and interviewing candidates will produce an account of their assessment of each candidate considered so that a record exists - that is clear and consistent - documenting reasons behind decisions that are made. Anyone who wants to discuss why they were not successful (after being ruled out of consideration) should contact Derek McDonnell, Programme Manager. They will then be provided with feedback.
Complaints
Anyone who feels that they have been treated unfairly should, as early as possible, write to JWG at the address provided below. The matter will be investigated without delay and action will be taken to rectify the situation if that is considered to be appropriate. The Joint Working Group recognises that it has a duty to ensure every applicant is treated equally and fairly and that rights, such as to confidentiality, are safeguarded.
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07
DEC
Posted by
admin
Our first national conference “Foundations” on Nov 29th was an action packed day with a variety of speakers and workshops. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet with LGBT activists and other interested parties from all over the country. We would like to thank everyone who contributed to making the day a success, despite the treacherous weather, and look forward to next years’ conference already!
Everyone was impressed and motivated by President McAleese’s speech, during which she acknowledged the work of LGBT organisations all around Ireland as being “strong and powerful advocates, promoting human rights, insisting on equality, and diligently chipping away at the hardened old mindsets and prejudices built up over centuries and which no longer hold the moral high ground.”
There is plenty of work to be done in 2011 in order to get closer to our vision of an Ireland where LGBT people are equal, visible and active participants in all aspects of family, social, political, cultural and economic life, so recharge your batteries over the holidays.
Below: President McAleese with LGBT Diversity Chairperson Patricia Prendiville
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