Storyteller for the Social Action Inquiry Scotland
- Part time
- Sessional
- Edinburgh
- Closing 14th November 2022
Would you like to help capture and tell stories which will change the future of Scotland?
About Us
Social Action Inquiry Scotland is partnering with communities and individuals across Scotland to carry out research into social action. We are providing resources the communities know they need to make a difference. Resources that they may not have access to through the current systems. A vital part of the inquiry is the collection and sharing of the stories of the journeys of these communities' social action. This is where we need you!
We won’t just stop after collecting these stories. We will share with our partners what they need to do differently to help social action across Scotland. Therefore, this is an exciting storytelling opportunity which will make a difference to the future of Scotland.
About the Role
We are looking to recruit four professional storytellers.
- The main responsibility is to work alongside the communities in capturing and telling their stories. There will be a particular focus on what helps and hinders social action, with the intention to tell both the positive and the challenging stories.
- The role will amplify the works of the Inquiry through accessible, engaging, and inclusive mediums like stories, films, poetry, art, etc.
- The successful candidates will be working closely with a community storyteller who will be proficient in the local context and knowledge of the relevant community. Although bringing different skills, they will have a similar brief, and the requirement is for the professional and community storyteller to connect, share skills, inspire each other, and collaborate.
Initially this role will be for a period of 4 months from January 2023 – April 2023, for 20 hours a month at £25/hr. This may extend depending on the emergent work that we engage with till then. This role will involve travel and time with communities in Scotland.
More information about the role can be found in the role pack that can be downloaded below.
Invitation for Guides of the Social Action Inquiry in Scotland
- Part time
- Sessional
- Scotland
- Closing 22nd October 2021
Do you want to live in a Scotland where communities can make positive differences to their way of life? A Scotland that values social action and helps to make it happen?
We invite you to be part of our Social Action Inquiry team to shape the direction of the inquiry by adding your voice and experience into the inquiry process.
What is the Social Action Inquiry
The Social Action Inquiry is being set up to find out more about how communities can take action that makes a difference. It will look at what helps, and what gets in the way. It’s hoped that it will help influence how Scotland rebuilds after the coronavirus pandemic.
The Inquiry’s vision is:
A Scotland which recognises the value of social action and its potential to enable us to overcome the challenges we face in the 21st century.
This independent inquiry will be led by people with direct, lived experience of Scottish communities which have felt powerlessness over decisions affecting their own lives, and that this power has been exercised by others. It will support people to find their voices, take action, and use what they learn to help create wider change. For more details, see our website – socialaction.scot
To help the Inquiry we are inviting people to become Guides.
What will a Guide do?
To allow for the Inquiry to create a more inclusive and sustainable journey the guides will help shape the direction of the Inquiry. For more details on the role please download our invitation to become a Guide file below (General or Easy-Read).
Work, Hours and Pay
The Guides will meet once a month for one full day, online or in-person.
The Guides will be offered £200 per day for their time or equivalent vouchers if this is more suitable.
The panel of Guides will be reviewed every six months. This is to ensure diverse perspectives can contribute into the Inquiry.
Creative Communications Officer as Time to Shine Leader
- Full time
- £17,290
- home based with occasional time spent in Edinburgh
- Closing 14th October 2021
Do you want to live in a Scotland where communities can make positive differences to their way of life? A Scotland that values social action and helps to make it happen? Alongside, being a part of a friendly, inclusive and dedicated team?
The Social Action Inquiry is recruiting for an exciting new role, a Creative Communications person who will assist the co-leads to devise the communication strategy and be responsible for its delivery.
The Rank Foundation’s Time to Shine Programme:
The Creative Communications person is recruited as part of the Rank Foundation’s Time to Shine Programme (T2S). The aim is to recruit a Time to Shine leader (aged 18+) with the right skills mix, talent and work ethic, who is currently under-employed or unemployed. to experience a 12-month full-time paid position within a supportive social sector work environment. For further information please see the 2022 Time to Shine prospectus attached below.
Role Overview:
We are looking to recruit a Creative Communications person to work alongside the core team to understand, help deliver and support social action. The communications role will help us amplify the work of the Social Action Inquiry over the next 12 months. The main responsibility is to assist the core team (co-chairs and co-leads) in the creation and initial delivery of the communication strategy. The successful candidate will be working closely with the co-leads in providing digital, editorial, creative and operational support across the Inquiry’s work. The post holder will play a key role in ensuring our communications are influential, informative and engaging for the full range of our stakeholders. This involves organising, posting and updating communication material on our website, engaging with collaborative and communication platforms, creating content for our social media platforms, and occasionally communicating to groups by email.
Work, Hours and Pay
- You will be working often from home with occasional time spent in Edinburgh to work with the core team or in other areas in Scotland as part of the Social Action Inquiry activities
- The contract is over 12 months, 35 hours per week
- Working hours are Mondays to Fridays, between 9am and 5pm. Some evenings and weekends may be required.
- £9.50 per hour
This role will be primarily supported and managed by Deborah Menezes (Research Co-lead)
Top job! Recruitment of Co-leads x2 – Research Lead & Social Action Lead
- Part time
- Sessional
- Flexible Location
- Closing 9th June 2021
Social Action in Scotland – an independent inquiry
Do you want to help build a Scotland where what communities do themselves can make a real difference? A Scotland that values this ‘social action’ and helps to make it happen?
The inquiry’s vision is:
A Scotland which recognises the value of social action and where its potential to enable us to overcome the challenges we face in the 21st century is unleashed.
This independent inquiry will be led by people with direct, lived experience as part of Scottish communities which have felt that they do not hold power over decisions affecting their own lives, but that this has been exercised by others. This might be, for example, experience of childhood trauma, homelessness, or poverty, experience of racial inequity, economic or educational disadvantage or living with a disability. It will support people to find their voices, take action, and use what they learn to help create wider change. In the light of COVID19, this work is more important than ever.
For more details, please see our website – socialaction.scot
We are looking to recruit two Inquiry Lead roles: Research Lead and Social Action Lead, to work alongside a Social Action Inquiry Panel of up to twelve people, including two Co-chairs to understand, help deliver and support action.
As Inquiry Lead, you should have a strong commitment to the power of social action, both in terms of learned and lived experience. The ideal candidate will have experience with community-based research, system change, and feel comfortable working in a complex, and changing, project. An understanding of political and social context of Scotland will be needed for this role. Most importantly, this role requires everyone involved to embrace a collaborative model of power rooted in relationships and strengths.
Person Specification
- Together, it is essential the co-leads bring the following skills, experience and characteristics:
- Strong commitment to the power of social action and its possibilities for Scotland, both in terms of learned and lived experience
- Embrace a collaborative model of power rooted in relationships and strengths
- Be responsive to the needs of the partners and work in a way that is congruent to the values and principles of the inquiry
- Flexibility in personal style, with an ability to lead a project that is complex, emergent, and changing.
- Experience of people management, with the ability to learn, use initiative but seek help, when required and provide support and guidance to a small team
- Strong relationship building and interpersonal skills, with the ability to deal with complex dynamics and capacity to persuade and influence those whose behaviour the inquiry seeks to change.
- Knowledge of communities of place, interest, practice, kinship, and the ways people form and maintain community
- System change and transition, and the role of funding and funders in driving social change within the political and social context of Scotland
- Excellent written and verbal communication for different audiences, thinking logically and methodically
- Conflict management and active listening skills; with the ability to constructively give and receive feedback
- Excellent IT proficiency, including: Office 365 suite of software, cloud-based file management, email management
- Experience in administering funding and managing a budget
- Excellent time and workload management; high level of self-motivation
Research lead specific skills:
- Relationship building with individuals, communities and organisations.
- Willingness and skills to work with communities to develop research agenda.
- Evaluation skills, particularly participatory evaluation using theory-based approaches
- Research skills, especially qualitative data analysis skills
- Project management skills, and ability to manage a multi-stream research project over a 2-3 year period
- Excellent financial management skills
- Ability to train and support community-based researchers, with research activities and practicalities
- Knowledge of ethical issues related to participatory and peer research in communities.
Social action lead specific skills:
- Communication and design skills, especially in producing accessible outputs/information
- Facilitation skills, ability to support others to reflect and learn
- Project management skills, and ability to contribute to design and support a multi-site social action initiative
- Excellent financial management skills
- Relationship building skills, experience with co-creating projects with people and communities
- Understanding of local decision-making structures and build relationships with decision makers
The co-lead roles are for three days per week for the duration of the inquiry due to end December 2023. Each role will be reimbursed at a rate of £600 per week based on 21 hours per week plus reasonable expenses.
This role requires working remotely and independently, therefore self-motivation is essential. This role may require travel around Scotland and some evening and weekend working.
This role will be supported by the Inquiry Co-chairs, who work three days a month, flexibly, to manage the Inquiry process. A Social Action Inquiry Panel of ten people will also be appointed to support the process and the Co-leads.