Canadian Organic Growers ,Growing Up Organic Coordinator (SDG)Jobs in Canada

Position: Growing Up Organic Coordinator (SDG)
Organization: Canadian Organic Growers
Website: http://www.cog.ca/ottawa/growing-up-organic
Location: Cornwall, Stormont-Dundas-Glengarry, Eastern Ontario


Canadian Organic Growers’ Ottawa-St-Lawrence-Outaouais chapter, in
partnership with All Things Food, is seeking a coordinator to
implement the Growing Up Organic garden and farm-based education
program in the city of Cornwall and the surrounding counties of
Stromont-Dundas-Glengarry.

Growing Up Organic is a food education program targeting children and
youth. GUO partners with schools to establish edible garden programs
as experiential education tools for all grade levels. We provide
educators with core support and resources to start garden initiatives
with confidence, and a model for integrating hands-on food literacy
into their pedagogy. Our garden-based workshops are delivered on-site
at school gardens, as well as in collaboration with youth programs
outside of schools. GUO is focused on empowerment: through our
strategic focus on education, we hope to foster a generation of
children and youth with greater food literacy, life-long healthy
eating habits, increased food skills and an understanding of
environmental health issues.

The GUO Coordinator will lead the expansion and implementation of GUO
programming in Cornwall and the counties of SD&G. Once interested
schools are identified by the coordinator, he or she will provide core
support to teachers and students to establish edible gardens as
teaching tools and will lead GUO workshops on-site, adapting them to
site specific circumstances. Coordinators will also facilitate farm
field trips and farmer visits to the classroom in collaboration with
COG OSO’s Farmer Outreach Coordinator. Coordinators are the primary
line of contact between participating teachers and the GUO program. In
addition to coordinating school programming, the Coordinator will
strengthen a new relationship with Seaway Valley Community Health
Centre and Cornwall Social Housing to support educational children’s
activities in social housing community gardens.

The responsibilities of the Coordinator are to:
• Design and execute an outreach strategy to gain wider program participation
• Identify administrators, teachers, parent and volunteer groups
interested in creating or expanding school garden initiatives
• Provide core support and technical assistance to schools to
establish edible gardens, including supporting schools in their
fundraising efforts
• Secure financial and in-kind support for Growing Up Organic via
donations, sponsorships, grants and partnerships
• Identify and implement opportunities for enhancing youth
participation in social housing community gardens
• Supporting the creation and maintenance of community garden plots
designated for children and youth in Cornwall Social Housing locations
• Lead GUO workshops, on-site in schools and in social housing, to
children from grade 2 to 10, incorporating environmental science and
nutrition education as they relate to the garden
• Work with the Farmer Outreach Coordinator to schedule and facilitate
farm field trips and farmer visits to classrooms
• Pursue collaborative partnerships with organizations and identify
opportunities for greater impact through partnerships
• Attend meetings and events to promote the program and inform the
community of our services
• Contribute to the development of curriculum relating to organic food
systems, horticulture, urban agriculture, food justice, and food
security
• Coordinate GUO communications and outreach activities, including but
not limited to: making presentations on GUO programming, issuing local
media releases and regular newsletters, attending relevant community
events, and engaging with community partners and supporters via social
media

Skills and Qualifications:
• Experience working with children and youth, preferably in
environmental education
• Strong knowledge of organic gardening principles, food security
issues, and sustainable agriculture issues
• Personal creativity, strategic judgment and vision
• Ability to work with and supervise people of all ages, especially
children and youth
• Strong ability to identify challenges and opportunities, create
effective plans, and deliver results
• Self-directed, exceptional time management skills, and the ability
to work autonomously
• Grant writing and fundraising skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Police record check for working with vulnerable populations
• Oral and written French
• Knowledge of the Ontario curriculum is an asset
• Knowledge of MailChimp, WordPress, Dropbox is an asset

This position averages 15hours/weekly with greater hours in the spring
and summer seasons and fewer hours in the winter. This position is
remunerated at a wage of $20/hour. This position requires access to a
personal vehicle to travel from site to site; the employee will be
compensated for mileage. This position is an 18-month contract,
beginning January 19th, 2015.

To Apply:

Please submit your cover letter and resume no later than 5:00 PM on
January 2nd to:
guo-ottawa@cog.ca

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