LUSH Valley Food Action Society is seeking a self-motivated, community-minded, garden coordinator to join our team.
LUSH Valley Food Action Society envisions a region where healthy local food is at the heart of community well being. We support the Comox Valley community in gaining food-systems skills and knowledge to increase food security, self-sufficiency, and local food production across the region.
The community gardens are meant to provide a safe and nurturing place where families and individuals who don’t have access to garden space can grow food for themselves, their family and/or their community. The program provides gardening education, mentorship and social activities with a focus on building community and encouraging healthy living. The gardens include both allotment and common gardens.
We seek a Community Garden Coordinator with experience and up-to-date knowledge and skills in ecological food growing on a small scale. The successful candidate will have experience facilitating and teaching in an experiential educational capacity and have the skills to connect and engage with a diversity of community members.
The Community Garden Coordinator’s main responsibility is to lead the maintenance, programming and community building at the Share the Harvest Community Garden located at 6th Street and Harmston Avenue, Courtenay.
The role also includes garden facilitation and mentoring on-site at other community gardens including, the Washington Inn, the Vanier Garden and other locations. The skills and abilities to lead the installation of new garden beds would be preferred. Experience working with marginalized people or a background in social work and/or community engagement is an asset.
This is a 30-week position (March 16th– October 16th), 25 hours per week. Remuneration is $20-22 per hour. There is a possible extension to a year-round position focused on community gardens and school programs – depending on funding.
Responsibilities:
- Lead the general maintenance of the demonstration and common gardens including planning, planting, weeding, watering, composting, harvesting. (This is often completed in part through organizing work-parties and engaging volunteers).
- Lead garden improvement projects (ie: building garden beds, etc.) including potential for installation of new gardens on new sites, with the support of volunteers and/or Public Works staff.
- Be a friendly point person for gardeners and community members.
- Respond to on-site questions and concerns.
- Oversee onsite safety.
- Facilitate community meetings and gatherings related to the gardens.
- Facilitate garden workshops and mentorship with community partners at various sites.
- Coordinate volunteer and gardener activities, organizing a series of 8 to 12 educational food growing and/or gardening workshops. (Facilitators for these workshops come from across the valley.)
- Provide 10 gardening workshops to tenants at the Washington Inn.
Plan regular on-site work-parties, potlucks and workshops for gardeners and volunteers. - Manage the Share the Harvest Facebook Page and communicate with gardeners and community members through the LUSH e-mail account and database.
- Track and evaluate programming and benefits to participants and the wider community in order to understand the impact of the program and strive for continual improvement.
- Collect good new stories, testimonials and photos that illustrate the programs and work with our Communications Manager to share these appropriately.
- Support the Executive Director in report writing and fundraising where applicable.
- Support the LUSH Valley Annual General Meeting and other organizational tasks/events as needed.
- If funding allows, manage a summer student to support the objectives of the community gardens.
Please email your cover letter and resume to Maurita Prato at Maurita@lushvalley.org by February 26th, 2020. Interviews will take place the first week of March.
