NE Youth have been making a positive difference in the lives of young people for over 85 years. Their CEO, Jon Niblo, talks about the strategic changes that are taking place in the organisation now & over the next three years.
Coming out of the pandemic must have been hard for NE Youth and indeed all charitieswhat made you and your team decide to work on and implement a new Strategic Plan? The world changed following Covid and we needed to understand the needs and aspirations of young people and how our new strategy could ensure that we were in tune with this. We were at that stage of the cycle to plan a new three strategy but it needed to be different. Supporting young people around mental health and transitions/employability would be key and we needed to align our business development strategy and stakeholder engagement accordingly.
Tell us about some of the headlines?
Focusing on (see opposite page):
People
Sustainability
Innovation
Communications
We need to make sure that our core offer is relevant- our model is the traditional open access universal model of youth work and we are proud of that. With creativity, innovation and good communication we can ensure this remains relevant in the coming years. We need to be in tune with the wider world and ensure the voices of young people influence the strategy at all stages. With investment from unlocking some of our reserves we’ve been able to invest in the strategy, structure and team. Our skilled and experienced board have been at the heart of the plan’s development and their support and encouragement has been invaluable. Positive changes have taken place- for example, staff who were part time are now uplifted to full time with additional capacity and resources to be more effective in their role, giving them the support and training they need to step up and improve quality and achieve better outcomes for young people. Investing in the team and their career journey is so important to me. Our offer and package is above and beyond salaries- we’ve also focussed on well-being. One of the reasons youth work has fallen behind as a profession comes down to salaries, lack of full-time opportunities and short-term contracts. We’ve seen this over the last five years and knew something needed to be done. NE Youth now offers one of the most competitive packages to people joining the team. We are a stand out employer when it comes to pay and I’m really proud of that.
Why are people at the heart of the strategy?
Your staff are your most valuable resource. In a climate where recruitment and retention is difficult we wanted to take some ownership and be a leading organisation to go above and beyond. We offer well-being packages for staff which include:
A wellbeing resource library Moods Monday: once a month, one team member takes it in turn to prepare lunch for the wider team. This provides opportunities for strengthening relationships across all aspects of the team, regardless of role.
Discounted gym membership to support physical health
The Introduction of a Hybrid Working Policy We have a Wellbeing Committee so our initiatives are designed by employees for employees. We have a strong team culture and we believe in the importance of internal comms where there’s a safe environment to talk.
What could someone joining the team at NE Youth expect?
We are always looking to add good and different people to our team and increase diversity at all levels. New employees can expect to be valued, to be listened to, a team that has a strong work ethos and team culture. We offer a competitive pay structure, a chance to progress and we are fun… we love what we do!
How do you keep your team motivated?
The key is to keep the organisation current and relevant. We need to be in tune with the Sector and Young People as beneficiaries. Career development is important for motivation- we listen to our staff, we take on board what they have to say and involve them in all key decisions. We are very proud of our team and the culture that we have created that helps to motivate us all on a daily basis.
With a stronger team and clear focus- what’s next for NE Youth?
We want to continue to provide high quality and innovative opportunities for young people and support for those who work in the youth sector. We are also very excited about our soon to be launched new website.
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