We are looking for individuals who reflect the principles of COV, including inclusion, respect, compassion and empowering young people to have a voice.

Session details

• Days: Tuesdays & Wednesdays
• Time: 3:00pm – 6:00pm
• Location: St Albans Church, Mercer Avenue, Coventry, CV2 4PQ
• Start date: Tuesday 14th January

Key responsibilities

• Support the delivery of engaging, youth-led sessions
• Build positive and trusting relationships with young people
• Create a safe, inclusive and supportive environment
• Encourage confidence, participation and personal development
• Work collaboratively as part of a values-led team

Training and development

• Regular CPD and training opportunities provided
• Ongoing support, guidance and supervision

About you

• Passionate about working with young people
• Reliable, approachable and a positive role model
• Committed to equality, diversity and inclusion
• Able to work as part of a team and use initiative
• Youth work experience desirable but not essential

Safeguarding
This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references.

Equal Opportunities
COV is an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from all members of the community.

How to apply
Application deadline: Sunday 5th January
Sessions begin: 14th January

If you wish to find out more about the role, please email info@creativeoptimisticvisions.co.uk

Application Form

The post Looking for Youth Worker Opportunities? first appeared on COV.

Who We Are

Creative Optimistic Visions (COV) is a values-led social enterprise supporting young people to feel safe, confident and empowered in their lives.
Everything we do is rooted in the Protective Behaviours process, believing:

🔹 We all have the right to feel safe, all the time.
🔹 We can talk with someone about anything — even if it is awful or small.

These principles guide how we deliver youth and community services — and how we treat each other as a team.

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced and compassionate Senior Youth Worker to help deliver our alternative education provision, youth and community programmes, and one-to-one mentoring.

This role is ideal for someone who is:

• Passionate about empowering young people
• Skilled in trauma-informed and relational practice
• Reflective, resilient and committed to personal growth
• Prepared to advocate for children, families and community voice
• Able to lead with confidence, kindness and professionalism

As part of this role, you will receive Protective Behaviours Practitioner training and access to ongoing development and reflective practice.

Why Join Us?

🟡 A culture built on care, curiosity and lifelong learning
🟡 A supportive team who values reflection over perfection
🟡 Opportunities for growth, creativity and real impact
🟡 Laptop, phone and expenses included
🟡 Flexible working where project needs allow

This isn’t just a position — it’s an opportunity to be part of something meaningful.

Role Details

📍 Coventry
💼 30 hours per week
📅 Fixed Term: 4 years
💷 Salary: £31,989 FTE (£23,993 pro rata)
🗓️ Deadline to apply: 1st December 2025
🗓️ Interviews: Week commencing 8th December

We’re looking for someone who understands that youth work is about relationships, not routines. Someone who can hold boundaries with kindness, meet young people with compassion, and believes that growth — for us and them — is lifelong. We are seeking an experienced and values-led practitioner who demonstrates professionalism, emotional intelligence and a commitment to trauma-informed and protective behaviours practice.

If you’ve ever thought “I wish I could work somewhere where values actually guide the work”…
You just found it.

This role is more than a job.
It’s purpose.
It’s community.
It’s impact.

This role provides the opportunity to influence meaningful outcomes for young people and families, while working within a supportive and learning-oriented organisational culture.

If you are a reflective practitioner committed to high-quality delivery, this role may be the right next step for you.

If this feels like a calling, not just a job — Please send a covering letter telling us how you would fit into our company culture, plus a copy of your CV to: stacey@creativeoptimisticvisions.co.uk

For an informal chat about the role, contact: Stacey-Jade Mason-Lynch: Director on 07532364336 or email stacey@creativeoptimisticvisions.co.uk

The post We’re hiring — and this really matters. first appeared on COV.

This achievement, made possible thanks to National Lottery players, recognises the years of dedication our team, volunteers, and community have invested in creating safer, stronger futures for young people across Coventry.

Grounded in Protective Behaviours – Growing with Purpose

At the heart of everything we do is the Protective Behaviours Process — a framework that reminds us “we all have the right to feel safe all the time” and that “we can talk with someone about anything, even if it is awful or small.”

This funding is more than just financial support — it’s recognition of how a Protective Behaviours approach can transform lives. It validates our belief that when young people are given the tools to understand their feelings, recognise their rights, and express themselves safely and creatively, they develop the confidence and resilience to thrive.

What This Funding Will Help Us Achieve

🌟 Sustain and strengthen our core offer — Expanding our COV Youth provision to two nights a week, giving more young people a free, safe and welcoming space to cook, create, play, learn, and belong.

🌿 Grow our new allotment space — A youth-led, outdoor wellbeing project where young people can grow food, connect with nature, and learn new life skills while improving mental health.

🎤 Expand our creative programmes — Continuing our successful Fire in the Youth and Girls on Fire projects, empowering young people through music, performance, and self-expression. Our female DJ group will continue to challenge stereotypes, build confidence, and perform live at events.

👩‍💼 Invest in our growth and sustainability — We will be recruiting a Senior Youth Worker, working with a Social Impact Researcher, and developing stronger communications to capture and share our impact.

A Celebration of Partnership and Community

This grant is a reflection of the collective strength of our community — the young people, families, and partners who stand with us.

Our heartfelt thanks go to:

• Coventry Music (Heart of England Music Hub) for co-funding Girls on Fire and helping young women amplify their voices.
• Jami Dixon, our Social Impact Researcher, for evidencing the impact of our Protective Behaviours approach.
• Taylor Cottrell, our social media and comms consultant, for supporting spreading our message creatively with clarity.
• Coventry Youth Partnership, Positve Youth Foundation, Aptitude Youth, Youth Justice, Children’s Services, Coventry Alternative Provision, Safer Together, and the Violence Reduction Partnership for their continued collaboration and belief in our mission.
• The Protective Behaviours Consortium, for their guidance, support and quality assurance.
• And to the young people who inspire us daily with their courage, creativity, and optimism — you are the reason we do what we do.

Looking Ahead

For Creative Optimistic Visions, this funding is a defining moment — a chance to deepen our impact, secure our future, and continue showing that even a small organisation can make a big difference when driven by care, creativity, and community.

We’ll be sharing our journey, stories, and successes over the next four years — so follow along and celebrate with us!

✨ A huge thank you to everyone who plays The National Lottery – your support makes this possible.

#NationalLottery #TNLCommunityFund #ProtectiveBehaviours #CoventryYouth #CommunityImpact #CreativeOptimisticVisions

The post We are thrilled The National Lottery is funding COV first appeared on COV.

By becoming a Friend of COV, you can help us continue to make a real difference in the lives of those who need us most. Your support—whether through a one-off donation or a recurring contribution will:

???? Sustain our mission and expand our services.
???? Enable us to reach more individuals and communities in need.
???? Create a brighter future filled with optimism and opportunity.

Your generosity fuels our vision and allows us to continue providing hope and transformative change.

Every contribution counts. Join us in building a better tomorrow by donating today:
???? Make a one-off donation: DonateHere
???? Set up a monthly donation: Donate Here

Together, we can create a world filled with creativity, hope, and change. Thank you for your support!

The post Support Creativity, Hope, and Change – Become a Friend of COV first appeared on COV.

Thanks to our local community shopping and voting in Tesco Crosspoint, Tesco Coventry Walsgrave and Tesco Ball Hill Coventry, we have been awarded a small fund to support our local children and young people with one to one Protective Behaviours Mentoring.

Our mentoring service focuses on the individual, ensuring they are the focus of our work. We are committed to the welfare of the young people we support. All our mentors are Protective Behaviours Practitioners, ensuring that safeguarding is paramount. Keeping the the right to feel safe at the heart of all we do.

COV prides itself on quality not quantity. We initially deliver our service for 6 weeks, on average we mentor people between a period of 3 to 9 months**. Our mentors will provide support for as long as is needed.

If you wish to find our more about our mentoring services and how to refer a young person please click here.

Tesco Stronger Starts is in partnership with Groundwork UK.

**subject to additional funding

The post Thanks to you we did it!! Tesco Stronger Starts Grant first appeared on COV.

Our 10th BIRTHDAY fundraiser is on Friday 16th August 2024 at 3:30pm at Stoke Park Youth Centre, Shakespeare Street, Coventry, CV2 4JZ. Our Grill & Chill event has a live DJ, human hungry hippos, child and adult sumo suits, face-painting, hair braiding and not to mention raffle prizes from a dishwasher to loo roll!! And MORE!

About us

Creative Optimistic Visions (aka COV) is a Coventry grass roots youth and community organisation founded in 2014. We believe we all have the right to feel safe. Our mission is to provide organisations and individuals with the tools to enable this via education, training, mentoring, youth and community services for people of all ages.

COV has a team of people who are the people we all needed growing up. We all have our own survival story, and we have chosen to apply education and training to compliment our lived experiences.

After ten years, this deserves a celebration!

Fresh food served from our BBQ as part of your entry fee, live performances from our Fire in the Youth crew and much more. Tea, coffee & cakes in abundance!

You’re invited

Please bring a long your family and friends to celebrate ten years of youth and community services at Stoke Park Youth Centre. All funds raised will support our youth and community services. Card payments accepted for purchase of refreshments. One food item from the BBQ is included in your entry fee, additional food to be purchased. Please bring cash for entry, raffle and activities.

To find out more about who we are, or to make an online donation please visit our donations page here

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook

The post Celebrate our Unmissable 10th Birthday this Summer first appeared on COV.

We are asking in these difficult times for support for this wonderful organisation to ensure its survival. As funding decreases and other revenues finish, reduce or withdraw, we are facing an uncertain future.

Those of you who know our Founding Director Stacey, the COV team and the work they have done over the past 10 years will be familiar with the passion, dedication, and tenacity they employ to support our young people in Coventry enabling them to thrive.

But don’t take our word for it…

You’re more family than some of my own family, you’ve hugged me more than family, you are my family.

Learner, mentoring service

Getting an education – a qualification!

Learner, Changes programme

Overall, a very fun and enjoyable experience. Has propelled my musical ability and confidence massively. In addition, was welcoming and made me feel comfortable. Had a great time!

Learner, Fire in the youth

I like being at COV Youth because I feel safe and as if I matter.

COV Youth

I have never met someone who ‘gets it’ so well, is so passionate, inspiring and creative. Stacey’s dedication and belief in the young people she works with is outstanding and the youth of Coventry need COV to champion, represent and support them.

COV staff member

We need your help to see this success continue, so please consider:

1. Providing a one-off donation to the work of COV
2. Becoming a ‘friend’ of COV by making a monthly donation 
3. Become a champion of COV and directly support our activities and contact us info@creativeoptimisticvisions.co.uk
4. Feedback to COV about how you have found our services or where you heard about us.

Finally, if you haven’t already, please watch Stacey’s TED talk (just below), sign up to our new quarterly newsletter.

Thank you

The post COV is 10 years old! first appeared on COV.

HOW IT STARTED:

HOW IT’S GOING:

Shelby has passed her Bronze Level Kennel Club Good Citizenship Scheme Award. As a working German Shepherd she is very smart, and like us, loves to learn, Shelby will progress onto her Silver Award and aims to be a certified therapy dog by the age of 2 years.

If you would like to support Shelby on her learning journey, and visit your place of work, please do get in touch.

The post Meet Shelby – Our Therapy Dog in Training first appeared on COV.

Thanks to funding from the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, we will be hosting more open access youth provision! FREE entry, Tuesdays, 3:30-5:30pm.

COV provides a safe space for young people aged 11-19years can come to access food, play some footy and or basketball. Learn new music skills or just chill with their friends around the pool table or playing SWITCH with some tunes. 

We host lots of workshops for young people to get involved with if they choose. Workshops include visitors from local and national organisations providing information and opportunities for young people to take part in exciting projects that can help influence policy and practice within youth work.

We like to promote a space where we can have real talk, that means speaking and listening about the things that really matter to young people and incorporate that into doing something about it by hosting themed projects. Regular projects include being involved with Fire in the Youth or Confident Me! to name a couple.

If you are a young person interested in attending, or would like to know more about what we do you can send us a message via Instagram Facebook or email info@creativeoptimisticvisions.co.uk

ABOUT COV

Creative Optimistic Visions (COV) provides alternative education, training, youth provision, consultancy and mentoring services through the lens of the Protective Behaviours Process. This is a practical, relatable approach to feeling safe, equipping people with skills to keep themselves feeling safe throughout their life journey. 

A grass roots organisation, founded in 2014 in Coventry City, that has built a respectful reputation with existing partners, beneficiaries and families. COV engages with people of all ages due to their difficulty to engage with education, employment, statutory services, and broken-down relationships within their family structures. 

We believe that ‘we all have the right to feel safe’ and ‘we can talk with someone about anything even if it is awful or small’. 

Our Theory of Change model aims to increase people’s abilities to keep themselves and others feeling safe including evaluating increased confidence, social communication, decision making skills, setting goals, stress, and feeling safe.

Take a look at our Social Impact Report to see how our small organisation helps create change.

The post COV YOUTH – Providing free youth provision first appeared on COV.

Last years finalists have been working hard to become a qualified youth mentor, to support the design and delivery of next Summer’s project. Six young people have undergone safeguarding training, safer recruitment and accredited Protective Behaviours Training to enable them to support our next round of participants.

This year, we will be hosting three community Open Jam sessions, inviting young people aged 16-24years to informally audition for Fire in the Youth. Our very own, Coventry home grown talent Feisty will be working with other talented finalists, Fire in the youth 2022 winner G3NNA, plus Teedemba, ZeZe, Whizzy, Sophie Taylor and Cazzy.

We are delighted to offer our young mentors paid employment and personal development opportunities. Our aim as an organisation is to invest in our young people to aspire and enable them to become the best they can be, whilst helping others and giving back to our local community.

This year our Open Jams will be hosted at The HMV Empire Coventry during June and July 2023, with workshops being delivered from August – October 2023 at COV Youth Centre. Young artists will be tasked each week to put their music ability to the test to win our Fire in the Youth competition which will win them a full day professional recording studio and a full days filming of their very own 4k music video. Artists will also achieve a Level 1 AIM Qualification in Personal Development.

Working with partners such as Coventry Music, Media Mania and Coventry Youth partnership, last years finalists will be performing at Godiva Festival 2023. Please do come and visit us in the Youth Zone and the second stage to see performances, and to talk more with our staff and young people about the project.

This years live final will be on the 4th November 2023, with special guest artist, winner of The Rap Game UK – Big Jest!

Keep an eye on our Fire in the youth Insta @fireintheyouth and @COV__youth for updates, and tickets.

The post Urban Arts Fire in the Youth is Back – Investing in Youth Musical and Personal Development first appeared on COV.