Check back here for news & updates on Concrete Garden activities.
You can also like Concrete Garden, Back Garden and Swap Shop on Facebook, tweet us or subscribe to our newsletter.
Community Led, Community Owned
Growing an Urban Outdoor Socio Economy
Over the last thirteen years, Concrete Garden’s dedicated team has turned once vacant and derelict land into four vibrant spaces that focus on environmental protection, food growing/social gardening, outdoor play and civic pride through volunteering.
These transformative projects have had a tremendous positive impact on the social and economic conditions in our community, and in a small way to wider society. For example, by implementing sustainable regeneration practices, we have not only revitalised the physical landscape but also created outdoor employment opportunities, encouraging economic growth and enhancing community resilience. Additionally, through volunteering, non-formal and community-based education programs, and free access to resources and skills, individuals have felt empowered to meet their own basic needs and improve their physical and emotional health and well-being.
In today’s changing climate, where both individual and environmental well-being are at a crisis point, we believe it is crucial for organisations and communities to develop effective strategies that promote outdoor lifestyles. Research has shown that outdoor activities and engagement with nature supports the advancement of equity, social justice, and overall well-being for people, planet, and place.
Moving forward, we recognise this urgency and are developing specific goals to address it. These include
- Community ownership of urban greenspace and play spaces to protect them from future development and enshrine access to them as a right for residents for generations to come.
- New pathways to employment/volunteering/training in the Urban Outdoors
By pursuing these objectives, we envision a future where local people have a sense of ownership, agency, and control over their surroundings. Are active participants in decision-making processes related to their land and green spaces, where they can work, learn and play in harmony with nature, leading fulfilling lives enriched by the outdoors.
Play and Learning Youth Worker Job Description
Outdoor Play at the Back Garden
We offer free fully outdoor play sessions for children and young people of all ages! Our natural play area at the Back Garden can accommodate a wide range of activities including free play, outdoor cookery, gardening, parkour, arts and crafts, woodwork, sports, den building, workshops, and much more! We also offer daytrips during Easter, summer and October school holidays. These activities and our space empower young people to enjoy the natural environment, learn to take risks, gain confidence, and develop friendships and community. As a result, young people experience an improvement in all aspects of development – physical, cognitive, social and emotional.
We are big advocates of free play in the Back Garden. Free play is an unstructured, voluntary, child-initiated activity that allows young people to develop their imaginations while exploring and experiencing the world around them. It is the spontaneous play that comes naturally from their curiosity, love of discovery, and enthusiasm.
We care about creating an environment in the Back Garden where everyone feels welcomed, included and respected. We promote ideas of diversity and equality within our play sessions and ask that all young people respect communal rules of the space to make sure that everyone feels safe, supported and heard and gets the most out of their play with us.
We usually play every week on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday (during term time):
After school:
15.30 – 17.00
17.30 – 19.00
During school holidays (Thursdays are often trips which must be booked with us, these timings may be subject to change):
11.00 – 12.30
13.00 – 14.30
Play with us is always free and all young people are welcome to join. Young people must be able to arrive and leave independently as we may have to stop a session and all young people must be able to walk home on their own. Children under 5 must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
To play with us we need a parent or carer to complete a quick, online registration form here.
For more information contact: playdelivery@concretegarden.org.uk / 0775 208 0042.
The Back Garden is Behind Possilpark Health Centre, corner of Carbeth and Killearn Streets.
Have a look at what we’re up to on our Instagram!
To book a place or to hear more, please contact our Play Delivery Manager Maura on the above email or mobile number.
Job Vacancies at The Concrete Garden
Job Title: Outdoor Play and Learning Youth Worker
Sessional Pool £12.50 per hour – No fixed hours – Ongoing
Location: Back Garden, Possilpark, and as required
Responsible to: Outdoor Play and Learning Manager, Project Manager and Board of Trustees
ABOUT THE POSTS
We are looking to add to our pool of sessional outdoor play and learning youth workers – Our session pool staff are called on to provide cover for core staff, or to support us facilitate additional weekend/school holiday play sessions. There are no fixed hours – sessions will be offered as and when we have work available.
Our outdoor play projects are based in Possilpark. We deliver sessions in our Natural Play area at The Back Garden or through outreach sessions in community green spaces and trips/excursions.
Sessional youth work staff will deliver play alongside our core outdoor play team. (Term Time) Play sessions are after school or over the weekend. With an increase in daytime, evening, and weekend sessions over the school holidays. Shifts vary between 3 -7 hours
Outdoor Play and learning is all about playing outdoors, but you will also find yourself involved in supporting children to cook and eat together at sessions, build fires, make dens, climb trees or use the nature around them to create art or design and build new playful structures. All post holders will be expected to respond interchangeably within roles while supporting each other to play to their strengths.
We are committed to taking positive action to create and maintain a diverse workforce which is representative of our local community. We would particularly welcome applications from suitably experienced Possilpark residents and the following under-represented candidate groups
- Black and Minority Ethnic Youth workers
- LGBTQI+ Youth workers
To Apply: Please submit your CV plus a cover letter to mo@concretegarden.org.uk explaining why you would like to work in our play team, and how your skills and experience make you a great candidate for this role
This is a rolling recruitment – no closing date – applications can be submitted at any time. Selection will be via informal interview and practical play session (The children have a voice in who becomes a play worker)
MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Duties:
- Be a trusted, caring, playful and positive adult role model
- Be part of a team that creates and sustains a nurturing environment where all children can play freely, deeply and without sustained fear for their own safety
- Be a welcoming, friendly, and reassuring presence for all visitors to site
- Provide outdoor and/or online/virtual play opportunities all year round (on and off site)
- Facilitate freely chosen and self-directed play opportunities
- Encourage children to help plan and choose the kinds of activities that they would like to do enabling them to experiment and learn about themselves and the world around them while allowing them to experiment and take risks within the safety of the project
- Encourage good behaviour and deal with any challenging behaviour in accordance with the projects policies and procedures
- Encourage participation considering abilities, communication skills, and individual nature of children and young people
- Always ensure non-discriminatory practices – in line with the Equal Opportunities policy
- Planning, preparation and clearing up of activities/areas
- Manage and maintain The Back Garden play area, ensuring health and safety of site and all those who use it.
- To liaise with parents, carers, professionals, and partnership agencies
- To support the development of youth leadership and volunteering
- Be able to deliver first aid as and when required, or deal with other exceptional circumstances
- To keep an on-going oversight for the well-being of all children visiting the site, and online during activities, upholding and reflecting the child protection policies, working and reporting any concerns, however small, to the child protection officer and filling out the appropriate forms
- Ensure that everything that happens on site is in the best interests of the community of children on the playground. Be an advocate and champion for their needs, taking consistent and active steps to make sure the organisation is structured around them. Always be on the children’s side and represent their interests at a board level
- Ensure no child is exposed or exposes themselves to an unacceptable level of risk, using dynamic risk assessment. Keep risk assessments up to date, be primarily responsible for upholding the organizations Risk and Safety policy. Work with whoever is leading on-site maintenance and development.
- Participate in and support the planning, coordination an implementation of inductions, training sessions or information days for staff recruitment, play sessions, youth volunteering, play volunteering.
Administration/Procedures/ Support:
- Contribute to the development of and actively ensure familiarity and adherence to the organisation’s procedures/policies, conduction regular reviews of policies and procedures in relation to play.
- To work with the OPLM to identify funding strategies, including the submission of funding applications, and securing income in kind and generating income through play
- Develop, lead and support the evaluation of the service by maintaining register of attendance, consent and contribute to weekly monitoring and evaluation records and evidence gathering (statistics, observations, images, questionnaires, videos etc as appropriate)
- Keeping up to date with and acting in accordance with supporting special health or dietary needs of children on register
- Implement and maintain robust and accurate financial management, cash handling,
- Attendance and contribution to staff meetings and training sessions as required
- Keeping a log of, and reporting any issues on sessions to your line manager
- Committing to regular supervision to promote personal development, and reflect on accountability for work
Free Play
- Ensure all activities, play or games allow Children the freedom to develop the play, activity or game in any direction they want.
Food/Cookery:
- Plan menu options with the children, source food and plan the cooking sessions (including relevant risk assessments), cook the meal on site with the children when possible
- Plan, prepare and record online cooking sessions, source and ensure delivery of ingredients
Building/Woodworking
- Support the children to build or create things using various tools, create new fun structures on site with the children, complete the relevant risk assessment for these activities
- Support the children to learn about and contribute to maintenance of tools and equipment
Imaginative and creative play
- Encouraging children to be able to imagine a different world through creative play, role play and freedom to bring the space to life with their imagination.
- Developing their confidence through acting and performing their thoughts, ideas and feelings
PERSON SPECIFICATION
| Essential | Desirable | |
| Qualifications | Your attitude and experience are more important to us than your qualifications
We just need you to be able to demonstrate a passion for play/youth work – and referenceable experience of working with children and young people |
· Basic first aid
· food hygiene · Youth or Playwork qualification (gained or working towards) – e.g. SVQ2 in Playwork (or equivalent) |
| Knowledge or Experience | · Experience of working with a wide range of children and young people (including areas like Possilpark)
· An understanding of the principles of play and the role of adults · Ability to teach and play lots of active and fun games · Awareness of Child Protection guidelines and relevant legislation · Excellent communication skills with children and adults · Good team worker and able to use own initiative · Ability to work in partnership · Awareness of dynamic risk benefit assessments · Computing/IT skills and social media |
· Experience (paid or voluntary) in an organisation which works with vulnerable children.
· Understanding of monitoring and evaluation techniques · Experience of working with children with additional needs, disabilities, and challenging behaviour · Knowledge of local area · Experience of consultation techniques with children · Ability to advocate for children’s rights and promote participation in decision-making. · Experience and working knowledge of gardening and growing |
| Personal Skills | · Adaptable to adapt to a varied workload
· Flexible approach to working hours · Comfortable working outdoors in all weathers · Be patient, tolerant and able to work in a team · Be organised and efficient as well as flexible in his/her approach · Be able to work within the ethos of the employing organisation · Be full of fun and sparkle |
|
| Other | · A willingness to work unsociable hours (evenings and weekends) | |
| · PVG clearance and committed to Safeguarding children |
Community Social at The Back Garden
Join us for a fun afternoon in the garden at our next monthly community social – we’ll have food, crafts, play, outdoor cookery – all sorts!
Free event, open to everyone, all ages. See you there!
Saturday 30th June 12-4pm
Saturday 28th July 12-4pm
Saturday 18th Aug 12-4pm
The Back Garden
Behind Possilpark Health Centre
