Organization: USC Canada http://usc-canada.org
Location: Kamloops – Kelowna – Aldergrove – Vancouver – Victoria –
Nanaimo, British Columbia
Description of Volunteer Role:
USC Canada is looking for volunteers to help facilitate and document a
farmer-to-farmer exchange between small-scale farmers from British
Columbia and visiting farmers from Cuba.
The volunteer’s role will be to support the USC Canada staff person by
translating conversations between participants (English-Spanish), and
documenting the visit (photos, videos and notes) to produce a written
report at the end of each day. Upon return, the volunteer will also be
expected to work with the USC C
anada communications team to write a
USC Canada blog article about the farm exchange and their experience
as a volunteer reporter. This article must be finalized by the end of
August.
Locations and Dates:
There are three volunteer commitment periods available, each lasting 2
or 3 days (full-time).
• Kelowna and Kamloops on Sunday July 27th and Monday July 28th.
(Pick-up in Kelowna, drop-off in Kamloops)
• Aldergrove and Vancouver on Tuesday July 29th and Wednesday July
30th. (Pick-up in Aldergrove, drop-off in Vancouver)
• Nanaimo and Victoria from Friday August 1st to Sunday August 3rd
inclusively. (Pick up in Nanaimo, drop-off in Victoria).
Required Skills and Experience:
• You must be fluent in Spanish and English, both spoken and written,
and able to translate conversations as they take place.
• You must have experience writing articles for print or online.
Journalism training will be considered a strong asset.
• You must have good photography skills and your own digital camera.
Videography skills and equipment will be considered an asset.
• You must have a strong interest in food and farming issues, some
experience with cross-cultural exchanges, and be a curious individual
interested in learning more about small-scale farming in Canada and
Cuba!
• You must be 19 years of age or older.
Logistical requirements:
• The volunteer must be able to attend the entire duration of his or
her volunteer commitment period, full-time. In some cases, overnight
stays will be necessary. If this is the case for your volunteer
commitment, your accommodation costs will be covered by USC Canada.
• The volunteer must be capable of following the group through a
demanding schedule of outdoor activities and travel by shuttle bus, in
any weather condition, for the entire commitment period. Meals will be
provided by USC Canada.
• The volunteer must arrange their own travel from their home to the
pick-up location, and from the drop-off location back home.
Transportation costs (car mileage or bus tickets) will be reimbursed
up to 250 km per direction.
• The volunteer must also make themselves available for a one-hour
orientation session via phone with the USC Canada staff person
responsible for this project during the week of July 21st.
How to apply?
Please apply by email to Elodie Mantha, Constituencies and Engagement
Manager, at:
emantha@usc-canada.org . Your email should:
• Explain how you meet the skills and experience criteria, and confirm
that you can meet the logistical requirements.
• Specify which volunteer commitment period you are applying for
(dates/location).
• Include your resume, two articles you have written (any topic), and
3-5 samples of your best photos.
The deadline to apply is Monday July 21st at 11:59 PM.
Background information:
USC Canada is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting vibrant
family farms, strong rural communities, and healthy ecosystems around
the world. We work to support small-scale farmers in 11 countries
around the world, including Canada. Our approach relies on the
principles of ecological agriculture, respect for farmers’ knowledge,
and enhancing agrobiodiversity.
USC Canada organizes occasional visits between farmers of the various
countries in which we work to promote collaboration and knowledge
exchanges at the grassroots level. This summer, farmers from British
Columbia will be welcoming 8 Cuban farmers to discuss ecological
agriculture methods and challenges the production and conservation of
regionally adapted and ecologically grown seeds.
