Blaze is looking for three people aged 16-25 to take on an exciting new paid role in Burnley as Young Producers for the Happy Place Festival. The Young Producers will support the planning and delivery of the youth-led, multi art form festival which takes place from 14th – 27th July 2025.
About Happy Place Festival
In July 2025, Burnley will host Happy Place, a dynamic, two-week long festival that brings together youth, arts and activism through a celebration of creativity and optimism. Happy Place aims to empower Burnley’s young people with the knowledge, skills, and passion they need to create meaningful change in both their own lives and their Community. Supported by public funding from the National Lottery through Arts Council England and facilitated by the Local Cultural Education Partnership (LCEP).
This collaborative, youth-led festival will play a vital role in shaping Burnley’s cultural future as part of the lead-up to Burnley’s 2027 Year of Culture. At its core, Happy Place is about putting young people at the heart of cultural placemaking. It offers them the opportunity to co-design cultural activities that reflect their ideas, concerns, and visions for the future of their town. The festival will serve as a platform for young people to express themselves, share what matters to them, and celebrate the spaces and places that make them feel safe, inspired, and connected.
About the Role
The three Young Producers will work alongside the Festival Director and Festival Producer. The Festival team will report to the members of Burnley Local Cultural Education Partnership (LCEP) at monthly meetings. We are still in the process of shaping and planning the Festival so there may be some additional tasks which evolve during the process however, we expect the roles to involve the responsibilities listed in the Job Description.
Job Description
- Assist in organising festival programming, including liaising with artists, partners, and volunteers
- Contribute to the selection of artists to lead workshops and projects
- Support community groups to manage production budgets
- Support with logistics, including venue preparation, technical and access requirements, scheduling, and ensuring that events run smoothly
- Support the Festival Producer to ensure all policies, insurance and permissions are in place for each event
- Work with local communities and partners to ensure the festival’s inclusivity and accessibility, ensuring a diverse range of voices are represented
- Contribute to and inform the festival’s marketing strategy by supporting social media campaigns, and assisting with outreach to schools and youth networks.
- Assist in gathering feedback from attendees, artists, and participants to evaluate the festival’s success and impact, and contribute to evaluation reports
Person Specification
There are no formal educational requirements for this role. We are looking for people who have the following:
- Passion for the arts and a desire to make a positive impact in the youth-led arts sector
- Some experience of participating in arts and cultural activities (this includes visiting venues and being an audience member as well as creating or producing something yourself)
- Interest in event production and project management
- Strong communication skills (both written and verbal)
- Ability to work well both independently and as part of a collaborative team
- Organisational skills and the ability to handle multiple tasks
- A positive attitude
- A connection to Burnley
- Willing and able to travel to locations across Burnley for meetings and festival events
We are really keen to tailor each role to the ambitions of each Young Producer, ensuring you get the experience which will most support to drive your career forward. We will be a small team so will be looking for people who are open to helping with any tasks required of them.
Training
To support your development as a producer, this role will include a number of training opportunities including Environmental, Access and Inclusion, and Safeguarding. All of this training will be part of your paid hours.
Practical Information
The role will start in April 2025 and finish no later than the end of August 2025. You are expected to work up to 22 days during this period. You will work flexibly, sometimes only working a couple of hours a week and sometimes working full days. It is essential that you have good availability during the festival delivery between 14th – 27th July as we will expect you to be present at a number of events.
The role will require some work during the day, evenings and weekends but we’ll try to work with you around any other commitments.
Please note that interviews for this role will take place on 10th & 11th April in Burnley.
You will be expected to work in a variety of locations within Burnley. You may also work from home on some occasions. Blaze has an office at Valley Street Centre which will be home for the festival team.
The role requires you to undertake an enhanced DBS check. Blaze will cover the cost of this and support you with the process.
Fees
The role is paid at £16 per hour. Each Young Producer will have up to 155 paid hours (equivalent to around 22 days). You will be paid monthly as an employee of Blaze Arts.
Diversity and Accessibility
We particularly welcome applications from those often marginalised from the arts and cultural sector including people from working class backgrounds, disabled people and people from diverse ethnic backgrounds.
If you have any questions or if there are any adjustments that would support you in your application or the interview process, please let us know. For example, if you need this information in a different format.
How to Apply
Please send your CV and a cover letter, video message or sound recording to caroline@blazeonline.org.uk by 11pm on Friday 4th April.
Your cover letter or recording should include:
- Your name
- An introduction to who you are and your connection to Burnley
- A summary of your relevant skills and experience. This might include information about previous paid or voluntary work that you’ve done, qualifications or training that you’ve completed or things that you’ve done in your spare time that are relevant
- An explanation of how this role will help you progress towards your personal goals
Cover letters should be no longer than 500 words and videos/sound recordings no longer than 3 minutes.
If you’d like to have a chat about the opportunity before you submit your expression of interest or need some support with writing the summary, contact Caroline at caroline@blazeonline.org.uk