Vacancy: Social Researcher Vacancy – ‘From East to West’ Project
Faith Matters is a not-for-profit organisation that works on social cohesion, monitoring hate crimes and countering extremism. As part of the organisation’s core values, which involves promoting pluralism, Faith Matters is looking to capture the history of the arrival of Ugandan Asians after their expulsion from Uganda in 1972.
The ‘East to West’ project will mark the 50th anniversary of the arrival of Ugandan Asians and their settlement in the U.K. and it will seek to capture their experiences of settlement between 1972-1974. It will also seek to capture the impacts of the expulsion and resettlement on their mental and emotional well-being.
The purpose of the role of the Social Researcher is to assist Faith Matters and the management team in finding interviewees and collecting 25 oral history accounts from people who landed in August 1972. Alongside managing the interview process, the social researcher will also be expected to collate relevant written material and photographs provided by interviewees and other members of the Ugandan Asian community, to digitise them and prepare them for archiving.
Where possible, the Social Researcher will also assist the media team of Faith Matters in the filming of individuals and their personal experiences.
The role is a part-time role for 4 days a week for 12 months .
Responsibilities
As an experienced oral historian with a background in community-driven projects, supported by the wider team and an external consultant, you will central to the delivery of this Heritage Lottery Funded project. Responsibilities include:
– Assisting in the formulation and design of the methodology to deliver the project,
– Assisting in devising the questions that interviewees will respond to,
– Designing and undertaking oral interviews with individuals of Ugandan Asian heritage who arrived in 1972,
– Ensuring the detailed recording of information and materials from interviewees, including oral, written and pictorial histories,
– Ensuring that proper ethical and consent procedures are followed,
– Liaising with academic partner agencies around the archiving of material,
– Supporting the training and development of individuals of Ugandan Asian heritage in the collection of oral histories from their relatives or others of this heritage,
– Maintaining strong internal and external relationships.
– Assisting in the co-ordination of training days for individuals looking to undertake interviews within communities who have a Ugandan Asian heritage.
– Preparing, presenting and disseminating results in the form of reports, briefings, research papers and presentations,
– Advising external agencies and partners on social policy and working with partners or organisations who have an interest in areas that include migration, integration and identity
To Apply: To apply for this role, please send a full and updated CV and a supporting statement of no more than 1500 words, setting out how you meet the essential responsibilities of the role outlined above. Please address each point so that we are able to fully consider how your experience, skills and abilities meet the needs of this post.
Applications should be sent to the Director of Faith Matters, Iman Atta OBE on info@faith-matters.co.uk.
Applications should also include a possible start date.
The closing date for applications is Monday the 21st of June at 6pm.
We are looking to fill this post quickly, and therefore we will be interviewing on a rolling basis as applications come in and we reserve the right to make an appointment before the closing date. Applications should therefore be submitted as soon as is possible.