This role is establishing Friends of the Earth’s flagship environmental leadership programme with young people in Belfast and surrounding areas. The programme, People Planet Place, uses community organising methodology to support marginalised young people to develop and deliver their own environmental justice campaigns as a team within their Further Education college or Youth Work setting. This is a new role in Belfast that will work alongside an existing Youth Campaign Coach based in Derry/Londonderry.  

This work has been made possible by a four year grant from The National Lottery Community Fund. Enormous thank you to the fund for enabling a new generation of young people in Northern Ireland to campaign to protect our world.

Job purpose:

To deliver Friends of the Earth Northern Ireland’s inclusion programmes with working class, disabled, LGBTQIA+ and racialised young people in Further Education and youth work settings across Northern Ireland, with a focus in the greater Belfast area. This includes: 

1. Responsibility for direct project delivery in colleges and youth groups; 
2. Co-delivery with college and youth work staff so they can subsequently run the programme independently; and 
3. Coordinating a professional network of youth work and environmental organisations to increase access to environmental campaigning opportunities for marginalised young people in Northern Ireland.  

The direct delivery involves leading recruitment and induction of small teams of young people followed by support in the form of training, coaching and resources to help them to implement environmental campaigns in their colleges, youth groups and communities.  

Projects may vary but the focus will be on supporting 16-25 year olds within Further Education and Youth Work settings to learn about environmental justice and become skilled campaigners. Work will include follow up support for alumni of the programme to continue their campaigning journey. 

Closing Date: Monday 22nd April 2024 23.59

Interviews: Tuesday 7th May 2024 - Wednesday 8th May 2024

Contract Type: Fixed Term contract funded until 31st August 2027

Hours: Full time (30 hours over 4 days)

Location: Belfast office and Home-based in Northern Ireland, working in Belfast and surrounding areas

Please note we only accept applications via the Friends of the Earth Application System.

We offer a competitive range of benefits, good work/life balance including a 4-day working week with no loss of pay, excellent learning and development opportunities and a vibrant organisational culture. 

Our staff body is currently under-representative of People of Colour, LGBTQIA+ people and people with long term conditions or impairments. We are committed to eroding these historic barriers, so as to create a movement in which people from all walks of life see themselves in, and so we particularly encourage you to apply if you belong to one of these groups or sit at multiple intersections of disadvantage. We are committed to the Disability Confident standard and will guarantee an interview to any candidates who declare a disability and who meet the essential criteria for the role.

Friends of the Earth staff who publicly represent Friends of the Earth (including all campaigners) are not allowed to also represent a political party. This is to ensure that there can be no confusion in the minds of the public about Friends of the Earth's party-political independence. Affected staff should also seek permission from the Senior Management Team if they wish to hold a non-public facing official role in a political party. If this is an issue, please do raise this with us as soon as possible.

Friends of the Earth is an international community dedicated to protecting the natural world and the wellbeing of everyone in it. We lead campaigns, provide resources and information, and drive real solutions to the environmental problems facing us all.