This team take out the rubbish and promote the economy! Not your average mix, but they do it in style. From managing the contract that ensures waste and recycling is collected they also make sure our parks are amazing, the toilets are clean and our communities are thriving.
Our work in the community focuses on getting people active, leading the economy, events management, tourism, sports and the arts and lots of other fun things.
What is your job role and what does that mean?
I’m the Youth Bus and Outreach Officer for Wychavon so the main part of my job is running our youth bus. You might be wondering what that is as there are not many youth buses across the country so it’s quite unique. The bus is a 57 seater Dudleys coach which we have converted into a multi-use drop in space for young people – like a youth centre but on wheels!, The bus provides a range of activities such as gaming, IT, arts and sports alongside offering a range of information and advice for 8-17 year olds. The ‘outreach’ aspect of the job covers the fact that we work in different parts of the district supporting young people, events and community projects. With over 100 villages we aim to reach out to as many as we can, it’s quite a lot for one bus though!
What does a normal day in your role look like?
My days are about ensuring we have the right ingredients to keep the youth bus running and deliver the service. This means that I check in on our bus schedule - where we are going to and at what time, ensure we have the right equipment and the bus is all set to go and of course that we have the people to staff the sessions. The people make the job really varied as I work with casual staff who all have busy lives with lots going on, students and volunteers who are studying as part of their education who want to learn new skills and I also spend time with parents and young people in our villages when we are out and about. This is important to ensure the bus is a regular part of our communities. We set off in the bus ready for the after school sessions, which involves me driving the bus, setting up equipment, signing people in on-board, talking to young people, encouraging them to take part in activities and promoting the service to parents and community members. Other days can be more office based when I’m writing reports and doing funding applications to help keep the service going as we rely on grants to make it all possible.
Why did you choose to work for the Council?
Because Wychavon is there to help people, that’s our agenda. We provide loads of great services and always have exciting projects going on. In general communities couldn’t keep going without their local councils and they are uniquely placed to encourage people to work together. The youth bus is a great example of this as we rely on parishes and residents to support what we do and help provide a place for young people in our villages. Our role is to help to develop communities to make them better places for everyone.
What advice would you give to a person considering a role at the Council?
Go for it, I think you’d be surprised at just how many opportunities there are, we do much more than just empty people’s bins! I would encourage people to find out more about what we do – check out our website, our social media or our annual report or ask to chat to someone who works here and find out a bit more about what goes on. Our communities are more diverse than ever as are the services we provide.
We offer a great setting to develop and learn new skills as you build a career path. I’ve been fortunate to train lots of people in my role who have gone onto a wide range of careers from social workers through to teachers and police officers. Wychavon offers a great platform to get new skills and experiences and learn more about the communities in which we live.
Rob Mace
Youth Bus and Outreach Officer
Economy and Communities
