About the opportunity
Are you a musician, visual artist, poet, writer, dancer, animator, illustrator, photographer, videographer, multidisciplinary artist passionate about empowering the next generation of leaders in Northern Ireland? Do you believe that creativity is a catalyst for civic action by helping children and young people in NI develop the empathy, problem-solving, innovation, collaboration and optimism needed to improve their lives and their communities?
Join us by using our globally acclaimed FEEL-IMAGINE-DO-SHARE framework, to support our facilitators as well as school teachers to mentor a group of minimum 5 youth to identify real-world issues and design music-based solutions.
Key Commitments
Time: A minimum of 24 hours total (delivered in 8 x 2 hour sessions) at schools + 8 hours of preparatory/ production/post-production activities. Shifts will be added at a later stage for musicians to choose from.Apply now to submit your expression of interest and your shift will be confirmed by the end of February.
Training: Participate in online and onsite training in Belfast.
Timeline: Programme dates to be confirmed at a later for sessions that run from March - July this year
See full list of tasks and responsibilities below
Who We Are Looking For
We are seeking values-led artists with at least 3 years of professional experience who can contribute to our school based programmes in one of the following roles:
Musician, who plays any instrument and can support songwriting, instrumentation, pre-production, production, mixing and mastering. We are keen to engage musicians across a range of genres.
Visual Artist, who is skilled in any visual art media (drawing, painting, sculpture, print-making etc
Poet/Spoken Word Performer who is skilled in writing and performing poetry
Writer who is skilled in prose, short story, fiction or non-fiction, essays etc
Dancer who is skilled in any dance form
Animator who is experienced with any open software that young people can get access to
Illustrator who is experienced with any open software that young people can get access to
Photographer who can share skills with young people, alongside taking high quality photos of our programme
Videographer who can share skills with young people, alongside doing video documentation of our programme
Multidisciplinary artist who is skilled in one or more of the key areas listed
Artists should:
Bring lived experience of migration, cultural transition, or integration, including previously or currently being in the asylum system
Are multilingual or have experience working with underserved communities.
Are motivated by equity, youth voice, and ethical leadership.
Have experience working with schools, young people, educators or community organisations either through professional roles or in a voluntary capacity.
Have strong relationship-building and communication skills
Have experience supporting or managing projects or programmes
Are confident mentoring young people and working alongside teachers and other volunteers
Have an interest in wellbeing-informed leadership and reflective practice
You do not need prior experience with Design for Change, but you should be open to learning and working within an established global methodology. You also do not need to have a background in Education or the Community Sector, yet should have experience with young people, prior voluntary experience in any field and must have a commitment to connect with and collaborate with underserved communities.
We are particularly interested in applicants who:
Have experience in arts, mindfulness, yoga or wellbeing practice alongside at least 3 years professional expertise in the creative industries or complementary field/sector
Are eager to go beyond the minimum of 24 hours to mentor 1 group of children and young people if this is required
Are open to supporting multiple groups over the course of the year.
This role suits someone who wants to actively contribute and who is excited by working at both local and international levels.
What difference will you make?
This role is critical to eduSOIL’s ability to deliver high-quality, sustainable youth leadership programmes across Northern Ireland.
By having a team of Artists For Change NI Youth Mentors eduSOIL can:
Strengthen relationships with schools, universities and education stakeholders
Increase programme reach, consistency and quality across NI
Better support young people through mentoring and leadership
Deliver nation-wide programmes effectively and responsibly
Build a stronger pipeline of partners, funders and future leaders
Ensure NI voices and practice are represented within a global movement
The contributions of each and every Artist For Change NI Youth Mentor directly supports young people to lead meaningful change while strengthening the long-term sustainability and visibility of the organisation.
What experience and support will you gain?
Wellbeing & Training Support
All Artist For Change Youth Mentors participate in eduSOIL’s wellbeing-informed leadership framework, including:
Weekly guided reflective practice (MEtime For Change)
Online training modules (Design For Change)
2 month abridged Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Course
Ongoing peer leadership exchange
Safeguarding Policies
All work operates under eduSOIL safeguarding policies:
🔐 https://www.edusoil.com/safeguarding-policy-procedures.html
Global Peer exchange
Through their volunteer engagement Artist For Change NI Youth Mentors will also:
Participate in shared leadership, wellbeing practice and safeguarding processes
Grow their own leadership capacity within a respected global movement.
Build and maintain relationships with schools, universities, funders and strategic partners
Contribute to national visibility and storytelling through stories of change
Represent Northern Ireland within the global Design for Change network
The role combines strategic contribution with hands-on involvement in programme delivery, partnerships and mentoring.
The team of Artists For Change NI Youth Mentors will work alongside the team of all Youth Mentors ( Visual Artists, Poets, Dancers, Animators etc) all of whom will be supported by the DFC NI Programme Director, Programme Coordinators and the Country Director. They will also be involved in a peer mentorship group with Programme Directors and Coordinators in South Africa and Sudan, contributing to shared learning and international, intercultural and intergenerational collaboration.
eduSOIL CIC, is the nation-wide partner for Design for Change (DFC) programmes in Northern Ireland, and is part of a UN-recognised global movement empowering children and young people to design and lead solutions to real-world challenges affecting their lives and communities. https://www.dfcworld.org https://designforchangeni.com
Our work integrates wellbeing, creativity, youth voice and global citizenship through school and community based programmes.
eduSOIL CIC and Design for Change (DFC) NI are looking for musicians to join a Belfast-based collective of mentors. We invite you to use your creative practice and professional expertise to support children and young people as they become empathic, collaborative, and optimistic "leaders of change" at their schools through music-based responses to issues affecting them.
How to Apply
Ready to bridge the gap between art and activism?
Apply directly via the Be Collective platform. You will be contacted within 2 days of applying.
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an online interview with our Founder/CEO within 5 days.
Successful applicants will undergo background checks via Volunteer Now.
Agreement to participate in Mindfulness and Safeguarding training, which are mandatory for this role must be provided prior contractual confirmation.
We aim to finalise placements on a first come first served basis, based on our organisational needs.
Shifts will be added at a later stage for musicians to choose from. Apply now to submit your expression of interest and your shift will be confirmed by the end of February.
Let’s use music to drive social change.