Freelance Oracy Workshop Developer

Overview

People’s History Museum (PHM) is seeking a freelance workshop developer to continue to develop our new oracy and confidence building workshop, currently titled ‘Speak Your Truth’.

People’s History Museum is the national museum of democracy, telling the story of its development in Britain: past, present, and future.  Explore the radical stories of people coming together to champion ideas worth fighting for and be empowered by the past to make a change for the future.  We are all together in the fight for a fairer world.

PHM has been embarking on an exciting project to review its Learning Programme for children and young people, from formal (schools) and informal (youth and community) groups.  Our vision for the Learning Programme is to empower people with an understanding of how change can be achieved through individual, social, and political activity.  The review has given us the opportunity to ensure the programme is in line with PHM’s mission; to use its collection to inspire people to have confidence to speak up and take action on issues that are important to them.

In June 2024 we will launch a revised Learning Programme that will be challenging, relevant, and impactful.  This programme will include a new oracy and confidence building workshop in which learners will write and deliver their own speeches and/or spoken word pieces on issues that are important to them.

Learning Programme values

• We advocate debate, collaboration, and co-operation as a source of learning
• We promote the value and potential of all people
• We use PHM’s unique collection to provide evidence of how democracy, protest, and people have shaped society

About the role

According to the Speak for Change Inquiry launched in 2019, there is compelling evidence to show the educational benefits of effective and purposeful talk at every stage of schooling, and how a greater focus on oral language improves outcomes for the most disadvantaged students.

In response to the needs and wants of educators and learners alike, and with support from the Art Fund, PHM is recruiting a freelance workshop developer to work on a new oracy and confidence building workshop currently named ‘Speak Your Truth’.  This workshop is already in the initial stages of development, and we are seeking a freelancer to continue with this.  Working with PHM’s Learning Officers, we would like you to develop both a half day and a full day version of the workshop.  You will then run testing workshops with groups of young people and children from both formal and informal learning groups.  These workshops will mainly be based at the museum, though some sessions may need to take place in the groups’ own settings.  You will collect and collate feedback from learners and group leaders to inform the development process, and whether it will be offered as a half or full day workshop as part of the new Learning Programme.

Deliverables

• The workshop will be bookable for young people aged between 7 and 16 years old from school and non-school settings.
• The workshop and its supporting resources will be easily adapted to suit the needs of different learning ages and abilities (you should set out plans for how it can be adapted for different groups).
• The workshop will draw connections between historical examples of how people have used speeches and contemporary issues relevant to young people today. Inclusion of examples from PHM’s collection is integral to the development of the workshop.
• The workshop will also draw inspiration from contemporary orators; these could include singers, performers, or spoken word poets.
• Learners will explore the ways people have changed the world through the power of speech/protest, and be inspired to share their own ideas for change.
• The workshop will have a focus on navigating challenging conversations as well as developing robust arguments.
• The workshop will consider the self-esteem and confidence of children and young people and include activities to build up their confidence.
• Learners will have the chance to speak in front of their group in a supportive atmosphere and receive constructive feedback.
• The workshop and its supporting resources will link to the National Curriculum as well as feel relevant to children and young people on a personal and social level.
• You will work with PHM’s Learning Officers to regularly monitor, review, and improve the workshop to ensure all sessions are delivered to a high standard.
• A workshop plan will be produced that can be easily followed by our team of freelance workshop facilitators, along with accompanying resources to support the delivery of the workshop.

Who we want to work with:

• You will have experience of developing and delivering relevant workshops for a range of formal and informal learning groups, including primary, secondary, and community groups.
• You will have experience working within the cultural sector or within formal and informal learning environments.
• You will have competency and understanding of a variety of historic and contemporary orators, speeches, and spoken word performers, as well as rhetoric devices and confidence building techniques that will help young people learn how to prepare and perform their persuasive arguments and ideas for change. You will be able to show evidence of your own practice.
• You will have experience in designing workshops, programmes and/or activities that cater to learners with a range of access needs. This could include but is not restricted to: ESOL, youth groups, adult groups, and groups with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
• You will have experience of developing accompanying resources to support workshops.
• You will have experience of or a readiness to engage enthusiastically with a co-produced approach.
• You will be familiar with or willing to learn about PHM, its collection, its mission and its values which underpin its Learning Programme.
• You will be willing to engage with trauma-informed approaches.
• You will be willing to work with the Learning Officers to regularly monitor, review, and improve the workshop to ensure all sessions are delivered to a high standard.
• You will have strong time keeping, planning, and organisational skills.
• You will be able to work independently, be proactive, and use your own initiative to deliver workshops.
• You will have a deep understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion, and experience in developing and delivering workshops in an intersectional andsocially informed way.

Other requirements

• To perform all tasks in line with the museum’s policies, including Equal Opportunities, Safeguarding, Environmental, and Health and Safety.
• A Basic DBS certificate (less than a year old) or willingness to undertake checks.

Timeline

• 12.00pm on Monday 8 January 2024: application deadline
• Wednesday 17 January 2024: interviews
• Thursday 18 January 2024: successful candidate informed
• Week commencing Monday 22 January 2024: successful candidate in post
• January to March 2024: session development
• Late February to April 2024: session testing
• June 2024: Learning Programme launched with workshops bookable

Fee

The total fee for this work is £1,400.  This does not include travel expenses or other out of pocket expenses, which will be reimbursed at PHM’s discretion and are subject to approval in advance.

Expressions of interest

Please submit an expression of interest, with the following information to Jackie Royle, Finance & Operations Officer at hr@phm.org.uk by 12.00pm on Monday 8 January 2024.  You can submit an audio or video recording if preferred.

• Brief CV that includes relevant examples of workshops you have delivered and/or developed (maximum two sides of A4).
• A statement of your suitability for this work and why you would like to undertake it (maximum 500 words).
• A costed proposal for delivery of this brief, including timescales.
• Two testimonials/references.
• Relevant examples from your portfolio or website.

Interviews will be held on Wednesday 17 January 2024.

Each application will be assessed against the criteria for the role detailed above.  If you have any questions or would like to arrange a chat to discuss the role, please contact Rum Samuel, Learning Officer at rum.samuel@phm.org.uk.  (Please note that Rum will not be available to discuss the role between 23 December 2023 and 1 January 2024).

People’s History Museum will be closed on the 24, 25, and 26 December 2023 and will close to the public on Sunday 31 December 2023 and re-open on Thursday 1 February 2024 so that it can carry out further work as part of the Welcome Project at PHM, which stems from the museum’s vision to be an exemplar for accessibility.

Equity

PHM prides itself on being a welcoming and inclusive organisation, profoundly committed to advancing equality and diversity in the broadest sense.  We highly value the benefits that diverse perspectives bring to PHM’s mission.

We recognise the museum currently underrepresents people of colour, disabled people, LGBTQI+ people and those with intersecting identities in our workforce; PHM is actively working to address this and encourages applications from these backgrounds.  While the successful candidate will be selected purely on merit, in the event of a tie between two candidates with equal experience, we may select a candidate who helps us better represent the communities the museum serves.