Are you passionate about supporting young people to thrive?

We are looking for an experienced youth worker to join our small but growing and brilliant team, to help young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to have fun, try new things, make friends and prepare for adulthood.

Amazing Futures Youth Worker

  • 1 year fixed-term contract with the possibility of extension
  • Working out of Amaze’s Brighton office and at different venues across the city
  • 21 hours per week on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays – you must be available to work evenings on these days as part of your contracted hours
  • Salary is equivalent to £15.62 to 16.73 per hour 
  • 26 days annual leave a year (pro rata), plus extra 3 days at Christmas and public holidays
  • Other staff benefits include 5% pension, flexible, family and carer-friendly working, support for staff health and wellbeing, learning and development, and access to discounts schemes

About you

You will be a natural at connecting and building a rapport with young people, and at supporting youth-led participation. You will be driven by a true passion for making a difference in young people’s lives.

About the role

The role will guide and support young people with SEND aged 14 to 25 in their personal, social, and educational development, to help them access and develop opportunities and resources, and to facilitate positive change. It will enable young people to be more involved in their community, to explore and understand their ideas, values and beliefs, to improve their confidence and to develop their life skills.

Youth worker in an Amaze t-shirt playing pool with a young person

Equality and diversity

We are committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment. We believe having a diverse workforce at all levels allows us to represent the communities we serve.

  • We want to employ staff who have lived experience of disability themselves or as a relative/carer of a child, young person or adult with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND), and have an excellent understanding of the issues faced by SEND families
  • We particularly welcome applicants from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic communities.

Interested?

To support your application, please read:

apply for jobHow to apply

  • The closing date for applications is 9am, Monday 13 July
  • The provisional date for interviews is Thursday 30 July
  • Please upload your CV and cover letter here

You are warmly encouraged to contact us for an information discussion about the role – call 01273 234020 or email Sally B at SallyB@AmazeSussex.org.uk to arrange.

Amazing Futures will run a holiday scheme over four weeks this summer. The scheme is for young people with special educational needs and disabilities aged 14 to 25 in Brighton & Hove.

Weeks 1 and 2

The first two weeks will take place at the Weller Youth Centre, Knoll Park in Hangleton.

  1. Tuesday 28 to Thursday 30 July, 10am to 4pm
  2. Tuesday 4 to Thursday 6 August, 10am to 4pm

There are 14 spaces available on this scheme, including two one-to-one places.

Weeks 3 and 4

Weeks 3 and 4 will be half day sessions in various Brighton venues.

  1. Tuesday 11 to Thursday 13 August, 10am to 1pm
  2. Tuesday 18 to  Thursday 20 August, 10am to 1pm

These sessions are for young people who are more independent and can come to a variety of venues.

There are 14 spaces available again. We can’t provide one to one spaces at these sessions but young people are welcome to come with a PA.

Costs

The costs for each scheme are:

  • £30 a day for weeks 1 and 2 (full day)
  • £15 a day for weeks 3 and 4 (half day)

How to book

Bookings will open on Monday 8 June at 12 noon and close Monday 15 June at midday. All bookings and places will be confirmed with you by end of Friday 26 June.

You can book up to two days per young person, to ensure we can offer spaces to as many people as possible. If more days are available once we have allocated places, we will let you know.

Learn more and book:

Prices and booking dates have been set by Brighton & Hove City Council. If you have any questions, please contact us through Eequ or email us at AFHolidayScheme@AmazeSussex.org.uk. Please bear in mind we are a small, part-time team running other groups and activities and will respond as soon as we can.

Are you passionate about supporting young people to thrive?

We are looking for sessional youth workers to join our growing and brilliant team, to help young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to have fun, try new things, make friends and prepare for adulthood in our youth group sessions.

Amazing Futures Youth Worker

  • Regular term-time hours offered with the possibility of extra hours during busy times and summer holidays
  • Working in our Eastbourne base and at different venues across the county, including Heathfield youth hub and Bexhill
  • £15.89 per hour
  • Other staff benefits include paid training opportunities and learning and development.

Laughing youth worker at a group session, young people in the backgroundAbout you

You will be a natural at connecting, and building a rapport, with young people, at supporting youth-led participation and you will be driven by a true passion for making a difference in young people’s lives.

You’ll be working under the guidance of our East Sussex lead, and alongside our core permanent youth worker and intern, plus other sessional staff.

Equality and diversity

We are committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment. We believe having a diverse workforce at all levels allows us to represent the communities we serve.

  • We want to employ staff who have lived experience of disability themselves or as a relative/carer of a child, young person or adult with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND), and have an excellent understanding of the issues faced by SEND families
  • We particularly welcome applicants from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic communities.

Interested?

To support your application, please read:

How to apply

  • Deadline updated! The closing date for applications is now midnight, Tuesday 30 June 2026
  • The closing date for applications is 9am, Friday 12 June 2026, but we will be reviewing applications as they come in and offering rolling interviews
  • Please upload your CV and cover letter or video application here

You are warmly encouraged to contact us for an information discussion about the role – call 07494 121 322 or email Charlie at Charlie@AmazeSussex.org.uk to arrange.

Ellie is back to tell us about another Amazing Futures day trip! This time she’s sharing about our trip to the Take Shelter air raid museum beneath Downs Junior School in Brighton.

Young person walking through a tunnel, with solid concrete struts, and framed displays on the walls.We went to go see one of the last remaining school air raid shelters from World War II, which was in Brighton, underneath Ditchling Road School, what is now known as Downs Junior School. 

The trench was first constructed in 1939, when news of war broke out. The shelter consisted of multiple interconnecting tunnels, with benches lined up at the sides so children could sit there, as well as a small toilet area. The shelter had the capacity for at least 300 children and staff. It was dark, noisy, and damp. Some tunnels had escape hatches with metal ladders. After the war, it was sealed up and left for 30 years until it was rediscovered.

In 2012, restorations on the shelter were started by a group of volunteers. They restored the tunnels, and made it safe to be in. They have recreated different 1940s scenes like bedrooms and a kitchen, and there are areas displaying artifacts and items from WWII, from gas masks and radios to ration books and kitchen appliances. They have also made the entrance steps wider and easier to go down.

Visiting the shelter

We went by train and walked to the school. The entrance to the shelter is right at the back of the playground and we had to go down some steep steps to get into it. It was damp and had a musky smell to it, also a little bit cold.

Young people sat on benches watching a projection of children in an air raid shelter.We got to have a full tour of the shelter. In the background was the air raid siren, and we got to see the benches where the children sat. At one point, we got to sit down and they played the sound of children singing, and showed a projection, so it looked like we were sitting with them. There were also TVs showing interviews of past school children talking about what it was like.

We got to experience what it would have been like during the air raids. We sat on the benches while they played a projection of the head teacher talking. The room was dark and the lights flickered, and there were noises of bombs going off and the siren and planes going overhead. It was really interesting and cool to feel how it would have been like, but it was also a bit loud as well.

They also have a museum area in the main school building, with more artifacts and objects. There was a range of different gas masks such as children’s gas masks and masks used on bedbound patients. They also had uniforms, and a visual of a plate of food that showed how small the rations were per week.

It was really fun and interesting!

It showed what it would have been like during the war and what the children and staff had to go through, but also showed us the different daily objects used in that time, and what the average person had to deal with every day. It had a lot of history and was informative, as well as being really engaging and fun!

A life size model of a child in 1940s school uniform, holding a small suitcase
Young person holding a green cuddly toy touching an old military radio, sat on top of military trunks and boxes.
Life size model of a World War 2 soldier in uniform
Inside the tunnel, white concrete walls, with a ladder leading up.
People walking in single file inside the tunnels. There is strip lighting, framed photos from World War 2 on the otherwise bare concrete walls, and Union Jack bunting strung across the walkway.
Memorial with photos and red poppies.
Display showing an evacuee's suitcase, containing a teddy bear and wooden doll, along with an identity card and respirator. There are other vintage children's toys like board games and card games on the table too.
Display showing vintage children's toys and games, along with a vintage first aid kit and medical supplies.
Young people looking at display.
Row of young people in a tunnel looking at something off camera.
DIsplay showing what a kitchen looked like, with vintage cooking implements on a shelf and table next to a sink.
A staff member shows a young person a small old pamphlet, in front of a display of domestic items from World War 2, including a kettle, sauce pan, bottles, bowls and other kitchen items.
Young person and a staff member watching something on a TV screen, inside one of the tunnels. There are sandbags piled up near their feet.
Display showing a child's bedroom at the time, with colourful blankets, some toys and books, a radio, and a small dresser.
Display showing clothes, including a green jumper, helmet, and military jacket, along with medals and photos.
A simple child's bed with a blanket, some toys, newpapers, and a chamber pot under the bed.

Ellie attends our Amazing Futures youth groups, and has previously written about our London museum trip to see the Design and Disability exhibition at the V&A.

Thank youA huge thank you from all of us at Amazing Futures to East Sussex County Council for helping fund this day trip as part of their National Lottery Heritage Fund project!

Young people from our Amazing Futures youth groups had a great day out in London recently at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Ellie, who attends our East Sussex youth groups, is here to tell us all about it:

Young people entering Design and Disability exhibition.We went to the Victoria and Albert museum in London to see their Design and Disability exhibition, which shows different artworks and objects about disability.

It also shows adapted objects to help people with disabilities complete daily tasks and access the same hobbies as those without disabilities.

We went to London by train, and then got on the tube and walked through an underground tunnel until we made it into the museum.

Here’s some of what we saw:

Young person playing a computer game at the exhibition, and an artwork reading: "Sending immense love during a time of almost impossibility." The words appear cut out of paper, and someone is touching the artwork, feeling the letters.Design and Disability exhibition

There were lots of different things to look at and touch in the exhibition, as well as videos you could watch and listen to.

Some informative displays showed objects that had been adapted to work better for disabled people, such as an Xbox-produced Switch controller. There were handmade adaptations too, like a controller an artist had personally adapted so he could access gaming in a way that worked for him.

A lot of the displays were personal to the artists and what worked for and empowered them, such as accessing gaming, making a statement, being included, and their own personal experiences and struggles when navigating a world that isn’t always accessible. The displays were also about empowering other disabled people too.

There were artworks and clothing too, and items used in protests about disability rights, which were impactful.

Looking down on a large area with statues and old-looking architecture.Paintings and sculptures

We then looked around other areas of the museum. We looked at different sculptures, some clay, some stone, some of them carved from wood. They came from all different cultures and eras. Some of them were huge!

We also looked at a lot of paintings – some were massive, whilst others were miniature. Some of them were oil, others woven, on various subjects.

Costume for Elphaba in Wicked - a witch with green skin and a pointy black witch's hat and dress.Costumes and props

We looked at an area dedicated to theatre, and we got to see lots of different things. There were lots of costumes, not only from theatre productions like Lion King, Wicked, and Matilda, but also from tv shows like Peaky Blinders. There were also props, like a huge polar bear from His Dark Materials. There were smaller puppets too, animal and human, as well as a whole area dedicated to miniatures of sets and stages.

This area had lots of places to sit and watch videos, showing scenes from plays and productions. One had a screen so you could see what was happening behind the scenes whilst the show went on. There was lots to look at here and it was really interesting and fun. We could also put on costumes and play on the interactive screens.

Close-up on an intricate altar, featuring statues and columns.My favourite area…

My favourite area was full of different altars – all of them really detailed. Some were painted, some had gold on them, another was made out of stone, whilst another was carved fully out of wood. It was really amazing to see. I also really liked the huge paintings, lots of which were done by or in the style of Raphael – they were so cool.

It was a super interesting and fun day out!

We got to see so much at the museum, some of the artwork and sculptures were beautiful, and there were lots of places to sit down. At the end we got to go into the gift shop and buy some things from there, too.

Gown made from fabric with bold abstract drawings
Young people entering exhibition below Design and Disability sign
Bench with text reading: "I need more time. Rest here if you agree."
Grey schoolgirl uniform on display from the musical Matilda.
Previously pictured gown, with two banners visible on the wall behind, featuring abstract art in the same style as the art on the dress.
An adaptive device to allow Blind people to vote independently, called a McGonagle Reader. It has many small buttons, a small screen, and headphones.
Some costumes and mobility devices on display at the Design and Disability exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Hanging chandelier-style artwork, made of green and blue bubbles and tentacle-like fronds. It hangs in the middle of the museum foyer.
Costumes on display, including Elphaba's costume from Wicked, a long black dress and pointed witches hat, and the model has green skin.
Young people posing for photo in front of a case showing costumes from musicals, including Wicked.
Looking down on a large area with statues and old-looking architecture.
Close-up on an intricate altar, featuring statues and columns.
Young person playing a computer game at the exhibition
Artwork reading: "Sending immense love during a time of almost impossibility." The words appear cut out of paper, and someone is touching the artwork, feeling the letters.

Thank youA huge thank you from all of us at Amazing Futures to East Sussex County Council for funding this day trip through their Life More Ordinary small grants scheme!

Nancy and Louise holding a plate of soda bread rolls from the baking session.

Hi, we’re Nancy and Louise!

We’re occupational therapy students from Brighton University, who’ve spent the past six weeks on placement with Amazing Futures. We’ve been helping support and run groups for young people with special educational needs and disabilities in Eastbourne, Bexhill and Heathfield.

Read on to learn what occupational therapy is, what we’ve been up to over the past six weeks, and what our favourite bits have been.

Young woman painting a pictureWhat is occupational therapy?

Occupational therapists support people to take part in meaningful everyday activities — the things that give our lives structure, purpose, and identity.

It’s called “occupational therapy” because we use occupation (doing activities or tasks) to support with therapy.

You might see occupational therapists in the hospital, in schools or supporting people in the community.

What we’ve been doing at Amazing Futures

We’ve focused on supporting you to try new activities, build confidence and self-advocacy skills, and become more aware of opportunities available in your local community.

We’ve run pottery, baking and walking sessions. These helped you to learn and develop your skills, whilst providing a fun opportunity to socialise with friends.

For example, in our baking session, we made soda bread rolls and enjoyed them together as a group. This was a fun and practical way to develop everyday life skills like problem-solving, resilience, communication, and asking for help when needed. It was especially great to see some young people who don’t usually take part in structured activities choosing to get involved.

“I enjoyed making things with clay today”

"I loved it and tried it - scary but yummy"

"Fun open-ended activity"

"Enjoyed it, would likely do it again"

"It was very therapeutic"

"I enjoyed making bread because I've never done it before and it was something new to make and try"

Table with soda bread dough on baking sheets, mixing bowls and wooden spoons, and instruction sheets with lots of photos. A young person is sat at the table, their hands are visible.Nancy’s favourite bits:

💚 Baking sessions – It was brilliant to see the young people getting involved and trying something new – despite it getting a little messy! The reward of the lovely soda bread and jam after the baking was also a nice treat.

💚 Bowling trip – It was a fun evening with lots of chatting, bowling, and some exciting arcade games. It was good to see everyone enjoying themselves.

💚 Youth groups – It’s such a welcoming and friendly environment. It’s been great getting to know all the young people and seeing some of the incredible creations they have made from clay during the pottery sessions.

Two young people stood next to a costume display in the V&A Museum, featuring Elphaba's costume from Wicked.Louise’s favourite bits:

💚 Museum trip – The trip encouraged social interaction, independence, and confidence when navigating transport and community spaces. I saw some young people overcome significant anxieties, to be rewarded with an experience that clearly meant a lot to them.

💚 Youth voice day – It was great seeing young people share their thoughts and ideas about Amaze and the wider community. The activities were fun and interactive, and young people were made to feel safe and valued. This highlighted the importance of involving young people in decisions about the opportunities available to them – a key learning point I will take with me.

💚 Personal development – Overall, my placement helped me to grow in confidence and develop my professional identity, whilst seeing first-hand the positive impact that meaningful activities can have. It also showed how occupational therapy can work alongside youth services to support young people to take part in activities that matter to them, by helping to build confidence, develop practical skills, and feel a sense of belonging as they transition into adulthood.

heartsThank you so much to the Amazing Futures team and all the young people for being so kind and welcoming during our time with you!

Baking, pottery and walkingTry the activities yourself

Nancy and Louise left ⬇️ step by step instructions [pdf 4mb] for the activities they ran, so you can do them yourself at home!

  • make a coaster from clay
  • bake your own soda bread rolls
  • go for a walk along Bexhill seafront

They also put together a handout with some ideas for ⬇️ activities to do in Heathfield and Bexhill [pdf 1mb]

Are you interested in youth work and working with young people? Do you have a disability or additional needs that would make you a great role model for our young people?

Amaze is offering two paid internships in our Amazing Futures youth team, one in Brighton & Hove and one in Eastbourne.

Amazing Futures paid internships

  • two roles available – one in Brighton & Hove, one in Eastbourne
  • 12 hours a week for 12 months until end of March 2027
  • £13.57 per hour (based on living wage guidelines)
  • starting mid-April 2026

Young people sat around a long table doing a creative activity with newspapers. One is wearing a Santa hat.About the role

If you are enthusiastic and committed to improving the lives of young people with additional needs through youth work, this is an opportunity to develop your skills and get work experience in a supportive, friendly team. The role involves helping to run our service for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) aged 14 to 25.

Amaze will be offering training and support. This is an opportunity to get experience in youth work and build workplace skills such as teamwork, office administration, planning and promoting events and training, finding and producing accessible information.

The full role description can be found at the bottom of this page.

questions and answersOnline Q&A session

To find out more about the role and meet the team, we are holding an online Q&A session on Wednesday 11 February 2 to 3 pm. Please email Sally B at SallyB@AmazeSussex.org.uk to get the link to join. If you can’t make that date, we can send you the recording afterwards.

About you

We are looking for two people who understand special educational needs and disability (SEND) through their personal experience. This is not a supported internship, so you will need to be able to work independently in an office and youth work environment. You will also need to able to travel independently to different areas in Brighton and East Sussex by public transport or your own car. We will make adaptations to make the internship inclusive and adapt to your needs.

You will need to be good at communicating with lots of different people, one-to-one and in groups. You will be working with young people with SEND who are facing challenges in their lives, so you need to be warm and non-judgemental. We need someone with writing skills who is confident about using computers and social media.

You are welcome to apply if you currently come to our Amazing Futures groups, but if you were successful in getting the role you wouldn’t be able to come to groups as a participant because you will be working for us and need to keep professional boundaries.

Equality and diversity

Amaze particularly welcomes applications from young people with SEND who are under-represented in our organisation. At the moment young men and people from the global majority are an identified gap in our team so are encouraged to apply.

How to apply

The closing date for applications is 11.59pm on Wednesday 25 February 2026

Please upload your CV and cover letter, or a document with a link to your video application here:

You are welcome to apply for both roles, and if so, you can use the same cover letter and CV but you will need to upload it twice.

Interviews for the Brighton post will be on Thursday 5 March in Brighton, and interviews for the Eastbourne post will be on Wednesday 11 March in Eastbourne

Learn more

To support your application, please read:

If you have other queries about the role, please get in touch:

Brighton: Call or text Sally Bourner, Amazing Futures Brighton Lead, on 07485 349 659 or email Sally (Brighton Lead) at SallyB@AmazeSussex.org.uk

Eastbourne: Call or text Charlie Ayres, Amazing Futures East Sussex Lead, on 07494 121 322 or email Charlie (East Sussex Lead) at Charlie@AmazeSussex.org.uk

Find out about Charlie and Hannah’s recent visit to Peacehaven Community School to tell the students about Amazing Futures

Last month, Charlie and Hannah from the Amazing Futures team visited Peacehaven Community School. They ran a badge making session for young people with special educational needs and disabilities in Year 9 and above. The session was a great chance for the students to meet up and chat. They also got to hear about our new Peacehaven Youth Group. The group takes place every other Wednesday at The Joff, opposite the school.

Charlie Ayres, our East Sussex lead, explains:

“Doing an activity is a fun and relaxed way of getting to know each other. The students made badges that expressed who they were or celebrated their interests. We had flag badges for dyslexia, ADHD and LGBTQ+ identities and badges for Formula One!

“It was great to start to build relationships with some of the young people in Peacehaven – better than just handing them a flyer. We told them about our Peacehaven group and we hope that some of them will come along on a Wednesday soon.”

The Peacehaven school session went so well that we hope to run more sessions in future, at this or other schools. The next one will be in Uckfield.

If your school would like to get a visit from Amazing Futures, please contact AFEastSussex@amazesussex.org.uk or AFBrighton@amazesussex.org.uk and we will contact you to discuss options.

Read more about our regular youth groups.

badges
school student in white polo top covered in badges
school blazer with badges
badge making session on tables
student in white polo shirt with badges holding small lizard figure
Charlie from Amazing Futures making badges

Lydia went to the University of Surrey and studied physics. She now studies at the University of Kent for an MSC in research. She is autistic, dyslexic, and has anxiety. Here are her tips for neurodivergent or disabled students who are planning to go to university:

Before starting

➡️ Research the university

Look at the support on offer at the university.

➡️ Go to open days

Talk to the disability team and ask what support they provide.

➡️ Apply for Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA)

This gave me access to assistive technology and a specialist autism mentor.

Learn more: Disabled Students’ Allowance | UCAS

➡️ Plan your accommodation

The disability team can support you to get preferred accommodation if you need a certain accommodation type because of your disability. They may decrease the cost for you.

Person using laptop
Young person in a library

When you start

➡️ Get familiar with the campus

➡️ Get to know the disability team, their location, and how to contact them

➡️ Set up your supports

➡️ Find safe spaces on campus

➡️ Join societies, they are a great place to get to know new people with similar interests

Other tips

Learn more:

We’re thrilled to announce we officially launched the Amazing Futures website on Saturday 20 September 2025 at our Youth Voice Day in Eastbourne!

phone showing Amazing Futures website, with large dark text on pale green background.Our Comms and Editorial Assistant, Rose, ran sessions showing what you can find and do on the website, and how to use it. She also ran activities supporting young people to make art and blog posts to share on the website.

Rose led the project to create the website over the past year and a half. She worked with young people at our groups in East Sussex and Brighton, who shared what they wanted and needed from the website, provided feedback as it was developed, and took part in decisions.

Learn more: How your choices and feedback shaped this website

Rose says, “Thank you so much to all the young people who took part in this process, sharing your opinions, ideas, and feedback. I hope enjoy using the website, and find it useful! I loved getting to work with you all.”

Many thanks to East Sussex School Health and Children’s Integrated Therapies Services and the Masonic Charitable Foundation for funding the website!