Ahmad Solomon and the SiS mentor team

Towards the end of 2016, we embarked on a very ambitious undertaking to introduce Scouting into the School space in the Western Cape, in collaboration with the Department of Culture and Sport and the Western Cape Education Department. We’ve been involved in talks with the WCED for many years, but this was different. This was ground-breaking and came along with an initiative by the Western Cape Government when they introduced the “After School Game Changer Programme” into schools.

Ahmad Solomon stepped up to the challenge and spearheaded the Scouting programme – which has grown and morphed since inception.  Ahmad has laid a solid foundation over the past 7 years, bringing about structure as well as a great deal of respect for what Scouting can offer to the overall wellbeing of any school programme. He will now be exploring a different avenue and is passing on the baton. We would like to thank him for the sterling work that he has done. His passion for young people has driven this programme to where it is. It’s tough working with and mentoring youth who are entering the world of work for the first time. He has been blessed with a team of mentors, who have become pretty seasoned over the years. 

The incumbent thus inherits a well-established structure – thanks to the hard work put in by Ahmad Solomon and our former Regional Commissioner Paddy Milner. Paddy who has stayed close to this programme, offering support as a mentor and seasoned trainer. This guidance will go a far way in assisting the successful applicant in this role. Ahmad will also support this role until 31 March 2024.

Nimmy Abrahams,
Regional Commissioner Western Cape

Vacancy: WC Scouting-in-Schools Project Leader

Start date:  01 March 2024.
Deadline for applications: 31 January 2024

Background:

There are many young people within our local communities that leave school each day only to enter unsafe, violent neighbourhoods and homes with no adult supervision. This leaves them at high risk of destructive and anti-social behaviour including abusing alcohol and drugs, and becoming involved in gangs, which threatens their futures and, often, leaves them trapped in a cycle of poverty.

SCOUTS South Africa (SSA) operates in all nine provinces of the country. In each province certain partnerships provide SSA with the opportunity to reach youth and children in need of non-formal educational activities due to a lack of extra mural options. One such initiative is the Western Cape Scouting-in-Schools programme run in partnership with the Western Cape Government and Year Beyond.

The Scouting-in-Schools initiative takes it one step further as it also addresses the needs of unemployed youth as well as learners in disadvantaged and township schools with limited access to extra mural activities. Annually a number of unemployed youth are selected, trained, and mentored to implement the Scout Programme. This further includes learning and practicing project management and planning, public speaking, communication, and working with children, conservation, etc.

Role Purpose: 

The role provides leadership and oversight to a team of 8 mentors and effectively drives project delivery across the Region.

Characteristics: 

• The role calls for a person who is able to manage a team of mentors who in term manage young people in schools across the region.
• The individual should be an assertive and independent self-starter, detail and solution orientated, and committed to good leadership practices.
• The person needs to be able to work within given deadlines and manage multiple aspects of the SiS projects from conceptualisation, through inception to closeout and funder reporting with integrity and professionalism.

Minimum requirements:

• Min 5 years’ experience with project management and leadership
• Experience in managing projects from conceptualisation through to implementation and completion.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English (fluency in other South African languages will be an advantage).
• Residing in, or willing to relocate to Cape Town.
• Being a member of SCOUTS South Africa would be advantageous but is not a minimum requirement.

Skills needed include:

• Interpersonal skills across adults, school principals, young leaders, and the Scouting community
• Driver’s license
• Organisational and project planning skills
• Oversight of budgetary and administration requirements
• Computer literacy
• Team Leadership
• Programme writing experience.

Key responsibilities:

• Project manage and lead the WCR SiS project team, liaising with Region SiS team, Year Beyond team and AS Programme Office on timetables, expectations, deliverables, and budget spend.
• Reporting monthly to the RC/SiS oversight team with specific success stories, challenges faced, experiences and lessons learnt.
• Reporting quarterly to the funder and Regional teams, with specific success stories and reporting against their specific expectations and outcomes.
• Oversee the recruitment training and deployment to agreed schools of the 180+- YeBo intern recruits 2 senior mentors and initially up to 8 cluster mentor leaders.
• Liaise, establish, and oversee the Womb to Tomb Implementing partner in the George cluster.
• Establish a volunteer support team needed to deliver the project for ASPO and Year Beyond.
• All Intern training sessions will have a programme with detailed sessions with topics covered; time allocated; expected outcomes and equipment needed.
• All training courses will have the training manual as a deliverable, and for formal Scout courses a recognition certificate.
• All Future Fit Friday mentor/YeBoneer sessions will have outcomes for the day clearly set out and agreed in the annual plan.
• All Friday meetings will include the YeBo Scout programme training session for the following week with a focus on adequate content, skills, and resources.
• Ensure coordinators collect all administration needed within the 1st hour of meetings. If administration is outstanding the interns need to remain behind after the training session and complete it.  The training session should not be used for administration.
• Ensure a personal future road map completed for each intern by October each year.
• Track at least 70% of previous interns on what they are currently doing.
• Ensure administration for ASPO record keeping is met in full, in line with their prescribed processes and on time.
• Plan and lead additional activities, camps and outings as agreed within the SiS project team, Year Beyond office and with the RC.
• Maintain and monthly submit claims and records of spend on SiS events and activities within 5 working days of completion.
• Provide a monthly reconciliation of kilometers travelled in the project provided vehicle and ensure vehicle is kept clean, neat, and mechanically maintained.
• Participate in strategy and planning for the following year’s programme as well as the updating of the programme package and selection/agreement of the National Challenge badges that will apply to the following year’s SiS offering, budget, and organisational structure.

Additional information:

• The role requires flexible working hours, including occasional weekends due to the nature of the project (leading hike or outdoor programmes etc.)
• The role reports to the Western Cape Regional Commissioner and is a full-time position and part of the SCOUTS South Africa National employee cohort and terms and conditions of employment.
• The salary offered with be consummate with experience and funding provided.
• Remuneration is negotiable and applications or interest expressions or requests for information can be sent to Paddy Milner at paddy.milner@scouts.org.za no later than the 31^st January 2024.
• The position will suit a person passionate about youth development, interested in the NGO sector and with project, NGO, and leadership experience.