Facilitator Role
We do not currently have vacancies, however occasionally we do! We would love to hear from you if you are interested in working with us. The facilitator role at Free We Grow is a precious and unique role. The role isn’t for everyone, but many people would love it and be really good at it. There are many aspects of this job which are unique. One thing that is so special about it is that as a facilitator you can really be yourself in the space. In fact, it’s not a role, because as a facilitator you won’t be role-playing, you’ll just be playing – you-playing, the best you you can be!
Another aspect of the job that is special is that it’s based in a unique urban setting that brings the natural / wild world into an intimate fold with the built environment. To do this job you have to love nature, want to get to know kin, care for kin, learn from kin and entwine your life with kin. You will live the seasons and your rhythm will fall into step with the wild world. The idea of this should fill you with a combination of excitement and bliss.
There are so many incredible elements to this job, but I’ll share just one more here.. It’s a job where relationship is everything. In every relationship you will be practicing and working on having the most helpful conversations. Mostly this relates to the children. Your relationship with the children will be real in that you’ll get to know each of them really well. You’ll get to know what they like, what interests them, how they like to move their bodies, how they use words and language and how they learn. Through your presence with them you’ll be working to help them explore each of those elements of themselves. You’ll help them explore what they like and what interests them; you’ll help them be able to move as, where and how they want to move, you’ll help them express themselves, find their words and support them to develop the confidence to speak out when things aren’t working out, and to work together to find solutions; and you’ll help them delve into all those awesome interests they’ll come running through the gate with each morning! And the best thing about it, is that as you help them figure all the stuff out, you’ll be doing the same for yourself – you’ll figure out what you like, what interests you, how to move your body, how to use words and language and how you learn. And you’ll learn a lot!
So if you think it might be for you, please do get in touch! We know we’ll be on the lookout for staff at some point in the future, and we’d like to give ample time for expressions of interest!
So get in touch, we can have a coffee or a walk around the woods, and see where it goes!
Internship
With internships, learning turns into a gift. An internship is a mutual learning experience, a gift exchange. We love having interns because we learn so much from them. From their interests and curiosities, from the way they are as a human, from their stories and the support they give.
Interns also learn a lot from being with us. They learn from the children and all they are and offer, from their curiosity and intrinsic freedom and joy they have in learning and being. They learn from the woods and the co-facilitators and from being embedded in an organization quite different from other organizations with its circles and consent and friendliness and vision and dreams and capacities of all its members.
We are aware that doing free internships comes with a whole array of challenges. As a small organization we do not have the funds to pay interns a salary. However we don’t want this to be an impediment to both sides accessing the opportunity. We can pay up to £10 a day to cover expenses. Often interns are students or parents or part time workers looking to learn about childhood, facilitation, community, being outdoors and self directed learning. We hope that providing this internship opportunity will be seen as a mutual learning opportunity given in the spirit of gift.
Previous intern profiles:
- Students (PGCE, Bachelors/Masters’ placements)
- Artist in residence
- Freshwater ecologist
- Drama therapist
- Founder/facilitator looking for experience
- Parents
Holding team
Free We Grow would be impossible without our super duper holding team! This team is the bee’s knees, the cat’s whiskers, the cushiony, fuzzy moss that tickles your toes and keeps the FWG ecosystem healthy.
People are attracted to this role for many different reasons: wanting the space to exist for their own children/other children to attend, wanting to continue to explore and learn about how we may grow better able to care for ourselves, each other and the world we live in, wanting to learn and develop skills, be part of a sociocratic organisational system that feels good to work in, be part of a network of friends, and pursue dreams!
All holding team positions are voluntary positions, which helps us keep the project affordable. The holding team forms an integral part of our gift culture.
Free We Grow is a not-for- profit company limited by guarantee. As such, holding team members are company directors and have the responsibility that comes with directorship.
We periodically look for holding team members to join our team. Skills of interest in particular are IT, and administrative skills. However, if you have an interest and have other skills to offer and passions to share, please do enquire.