National Youth Council Member

National Youth Council (NYC) Member

What is the RFU National Youth Council?

• The RFU National Youth Council (NYC) is a group of 18–25*-year-olds from across England, who act as a consultative body for the RFU at a national level. Involved in all aspects of the game, they provide youth perspective and help shape the development of rugby.
• *As the minimum NYC term is 2 seasons, applicants should be 18-24 on 1.9.25 in order to be eligible.
• All NYC roles are voluntary

What’s involved?

• Actively participate on RFU sub-committees & working groups to provide a youth perspective.
• Support RFU staff on development projects, as identified by the NYC
• Collate and produce an annual report, with the opportunity to present to RFU council
• Build networks, within and outside of RFU, to support the development of the game
• Act as an ambassador and promote the core values.

Who are we looking for?

• Aged 18-24 (as of 1.9.25).
• Understanding of, and passion for sport and/or volunteering.
• Self-motivated and able to work under their own direction but also enjoys working as part of a team.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Ability to analyse problems and identify solutions.
• Ability to travel across England independently.
• Commitment to the National Youth Council.

What you’ll get from it:

• Chance to meet others who have a passion to develop sport.
• The opportunity to make a difference and help shape the future of rugby.
• Develop personal and professional skills.
• Enhance your CV.
• Hands-on experience of project development.
• Networking opportunities.
• Appropriate expenses for NYC related travel will be reimbursed.

What are the time commitments?

• 6 National Youth Council meetings per year (3 virtual/3 face to face). We’re keen to recruit members from across England so location will be confirmed once recruited.
• Attendance at relevant sub-committee meeting (varies, but circa 6 per season, with majority online).
• Contribution to ongoing development of projects throughout the year.

What’s the role duration?

• Two seasons with opportunity to extend for an extra season.

Key Information:

Successful candidates will be expected to attend all RFU NYC Meetings to ensure maximum impact can be achieved. We appreciate there may be unexpected situations which mean you’re unable to attend, however it is important that applicants are able to make the first meeting, to help build a successful team for the season ahead. If you know you are unable to make any of the dates below, please include this in your application.

• Saturday 4 & Sunday 5 October: Face to Face
• Tuesday 18 November: Virtual
• Sunday 18 January: Face to Face
• Thursday 5 March: Virtual
• Mid-April: Face to Face
• Tuesday 19 May: Virtual

Face to Face meetings will be held at a range of locations across the country. All NYC roles are voluntary, however, out of pocket expenses will be covered.

If you have any questions about the NYC, please contact Stephanie Allmark (RFU Volunteer Manager); [email protected]

Opportunities Available:

Youth Representation Co-Ordinator Role

Support an increase in youth representation at decision making levels. As part of this, you will develop relationships with Constituent Bodies (CBs) who are looking to increase youth representation and attend relevant events to raise awareness of the importance and impact of youth voice. This role will not sit on a sub-committee.

Responsibilities include:

• Develop resources to support those looking to increase youth representation within their decision-making structure
• Collaborate with other NYC members to support local bodies who are looking to increase youth representation
• Attend events where relevant to highlight the value of youth voice within decision-making structures
• Identify models of good practice

This role will require someone who is self-motivated, good at planning and time management, can motivate & inspire others, can problem solve and communicate with a wide range of people. It would be helpful if currently engaged in Youth Leadership and/or have experience of youth councils. An understanding of CBs is also required but can be developed.

Social Media Co-ordinator Role

Help to increase visibility of the NYC across social media platforms through development and delivery of a clear plan. This includes creating social media content and identifying opportunities to utilise RFU channels. This role will not sit on a sub-committee.

Responsibilities include:

• Create and manage a content calendar for the National Youth Council
• Collaborate with other NYC members to create multi-media content that showcases the breadth of activity National Youth Council members are involved in.
• Edit, schedule and publish posts in a timely manner, re-sharing content created by other members where relevant
• Monitor messages, comments and enquiries
• Analyse social media performance to provide insights for improving engagement and assessing the effectiveness of content

We’re looking for someone with experience across social media platforms; effective content creation; technological awareness and ability to deliver youth-led content. The role holder will need to have strong organisation and time management and be able to communication effectively with others.

Inclusive Leadership Delivery Group (Working Group)

The Inclusive Leadership Delivery Group work across the Community Game and Council to ensure inclusive leadership and diverse pathways of talent into leadership positions within the game’s governance structures. Their work revolves around three key areas: sustainability, representation & game support.

We’re looking for someone with experience of working with under-served groups, who is passionate about tackling inequalities within rugby, can communicate clearly to a wide range of stakeholders, has confidence to offer opinions in a clear & constructive way, and can analyse problems and provide solutions.

Game Development (Sub-Committee)

This sub-committee focuses on the opportunity to monitor and promote coaching, match officiating and pitch side medical care across the game. There are circa 6 meetings a year, with the majority of these taking place online. A key part of the role will be to gather opinion from other NYC members to feed in to the sub-committee.

We’re looking for some-one with experience of coaching, match officiating or player welfare, the ability to clearly articulate thoughts & ideas, analyse problems and provide solutions.

Additional Information:

• This is a voluntary role.
• Please note that a DBS check will be required.

Application Information:

• Please submit a CV. Please anonymise your documents (i.e. remove personal details).
• In lieu of a traditional cover letter, please submit a document answering the following questions:

Please tell us (max. 500 words for both sections):

• Why you would like to represent the National Youth Council
• What impact would you like to have and why

Tell us about the skills and experience you can bring to the group & give us an example of when you have successfully used these skills? (this can be from rugby, education, volunteering & other sports). Max. 500 words.

Development is key in the RFU National Youth Council. What skills would you like to gain or develop by being involved in the group? Max. 250 words.

There are several available on the NYC this year, please state your top two choices & why. To reiterate, the available roles are:

1. Game Development Sub-Committee Member
2. Game Leadership Inclusion & Diversity Group Member
3. Youth Representation Co-Ordinator Role
4. Social Media Co-Ordinator Role

• Please upload the above documents in the section where you're asked to ‘attach a resume’; there are two boxes where you can upload a CV and your document answering the questions above (instead of a cover letter).
• The closing date for applications is Friday 11th April at 12pm.
• Interviews will be held in the week commencing 28th April.
• We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications.
• Applications may be considered whilst this vacancy is advertised.