Essential information

• Relevant award: Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award
• Term: From April 2023 - ongoing
• Pay: SCHADS Award level 2, plus super
• Hours: Casual
• Reports to: Lianda Gibson, Business Development and Consultancy Manager
• Direct reports: None
• Location: Level 2, 196 Oxford Street, Leederville, WA, however the role will require travel throughout the Perth metropolitan area. There may also be the opportunity for regional travel (if interested)

* The YACWA office is wheelchair accessible, with accessible and gender-neutral bathrooms

About YACWA

The Youth Affairs Council of Western Australia (YACWA) is the peak non-government youth organisation in Western Australia. We represent the interests and needs of young people and the youth sector to key decision-makers to address the exclusion of young people in a rapidly changing society. We centre young people in decision-making, policy and program development and champion meaningful youth engagement and participation in WA. Our work is governed by four guiding principles of respect, equity, integrity, and the celebration of diversity.

We encourage you to have a look at our website and social media to learn more about us and the work we do with young people and the youth sector

Position context

YACWA Consulting is the fee for service arm of our organisation. With over 40 years of experience working with young people and the sector that supports them, YACWA is ideally placed to assist organisations in a consulting capacity. We are regularly contracted by organisations to help them with the following:

• Developing youth plans and strategies
• Running best practice Youth Advisory Groups (YAGs), including training and upskilling staff
• Developing and facilitating workshops and forums for the sector and/or young people
• Designing and delivering youth engagement and consultation opportunities
• Assisting with youth peer-led work, including training
• Reviewing and providing feedback on youth programs and services, including best practice youth engagement and co-design

YACWA also has a range of training workshops that we deliver to young people and the youth sector. These are on topics such youth advocacy, peer research, youth participation, youth advisory groups and more.

About this role

The demand for our fee for service work continues to increase and we need additional staff to support key elements of it. It is also important to us that a significant proportion of this work is co-designed and co-delivered by young people.

As a youth consultant, you will join small team of other youth consultants and work with the Consultancy Manger and the Consultancy Project Officer to do the following:

• Co-design and co-deliver a variety of youth-focused pieces of work, including workshops, consultations, steering groups, surveys, forums etc.

• Engage with a diversity of young people from across WA
• Provide feedback and advice from at youth perspective
• Develop youth-friendly social media content
• Develop youth-friendly promotional material and/or resources

• Be an ambassador for YACWA Consultancy and encourage youth participation and civic participation

Other things that are essential parts of the role include:

• Maintaining accurate records of work hours and submit a fortnightly timesheet
• Communicating with the Consultancy Manager about availability for pieces of work
• Attending team meetings (approx. every quarter)
• Adhering to all the policies and procedures detailed in YACWA’s Policy and Procedures Handbook

Selection criteria

Even if you don’t feel you meet all the selection criteria, we would love to hear from you and welcome your application. We recognise the importance and unique expertise that comes with community connections, cultural qualifications and lived experience and encourage applicants who bring these to the table.

Essential skills

• You have a good understanding of the issues that are important to a diversity of young people
• You have emerging or good facilitation skills and are keen to develop these further
• You have experience of participating in youth engagement projects (i.e. consultations, youth advisory groups etc.) or understand youth-led co-design

• You understand the importance of centring young people, and their voice
• You have experience of engaging with a diversity of young people both in person and online
• You have strong communication skills

Desirable skills

• You have experience of developing youth friendly resources (i.e. utilising Canva)
• You have social media skills on a variety of platforms

• You have access to a vehicle and driver’s license (not essential)

Essential attributes

• You are a young person aged 16 to 25 (this is a peer role)
• You have a commitment to support and promote the overall objectives of YACWA
• You will be self-motivated and have the ability to use initiative
• You will be adaptable and have the ability to work collaboratively within a small team

You will need to have

• Federal Police Clearance
• Working With Children Check
• Right to work in Australia

If you don’t already have the first two, we will help you get these, but you need to be willing to apply for them.

What YACWA can offer

• A respectful, open, and embracing team that values equity, fairness, and mutual support
• Flexible working arrangements including the ability to work from home and flexibility in working hours. We actively encourage work-life balance!
• Links to extensive networks in the youth and community services sector
• Access to a free and confidential Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Learning and development opportunities to build your skills and develop your potential, as well as opportunities to contribute across portfolio areas in the organisation

Nothing about us without us

We strive to be representative of the community we are working with. We strongly encourage applications from people of colour, those who identify as LGBTIQA+, people living with disability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people from culturally diverse, refugee and migrant backgrounds and those with lived experience. You are welcome to tell us about your identity (if you wish) in your cover letter/video so that we may continue to employ a diverse team.

Please reach out to Lianda if you would like to arrange a phone call to chat further about the position: [email protected] using the subject line: Youth Consultant enquiry via EthicalJobs / 0411 066 595.

A position description is attached.