Youth Program Associate

Gardening the Community () is a BIPOC-led urban agriculture project engaged in youth development and advancing racial justice to build healthy and equitable communities. We work with youth to grow food on reclaimed abandoned lots in the Mason Square community of Springfield. We partner with the Springfield Food Policy Council on advocacy campaigns for increased access to healthy food and greater food security for historically marginalized residents.

The impact of our work is far beyond growing vegetables. GTC contributes to the local and statewide food and racial justice movements that seek to change the root causes of the poor health and unjust food systems facing communities (especially low- income communities and communities of color across the State. We are creating locally controlled food resources that support our young people, build community and offer sustainable alternatives to Springfield families.

Gardening the Community (), a fiscal project of Third Sector New England, Inc (TSNE) ().

The Youth Program Associate under the direction of the Executive Director and Youth Program Manager supports young people engaged with GTC in becoming strong, confident leaders who think critically about the world around them, understand the importance of access to healthy and locally grown food for all families, and advocate for food and racial justice.

Essential Functions

• Support the process of youth enrolling into GTC’s program, including application
• materials, meeting with youth and their parents/guardians, and seasonal orientations;
• Supervise the daily on-site participation of youth involved in GTC, including all aspects of farming, Farm Store and market sales;
• Support GTC’s Farm Share program including supervising the bike delivery team, and
• helping to develop community engagement activities;
• Support the farm skill and leadership development of youth within GTC through coaching and mentoring and creating positive experiences that challenge youth to learn and grow;
• Implementation of a year-round youth learning and leadership development curriculum;
• Support monthly youth timesheet reporting, invoicing and distribution of youth stipend checks;
• Assist the Asst. Director of Youth Leadership in ensuring that parents and guardians are well informed about their child’s participation in GTC and are knowledgeable about the program and youth activities;
• Assist with other organizational activities including fundraising, events, and office management as appropriate;
• Leads and accompanies GTC’s youth community engagement team with efforts ranging from social media posts to neighborhood flyering, door knocking, tabling and representing at community events (following COVID safety protocols);
• Represent GTC with attending outreach events around the city and strengthening neighborhood connections;
• Staff the GTC Farm Store for at least one shift/week;
• Drive GTC refrigerated truck and passenger van, as needed;
• Work with the youth on the Farm Sites as determined by the farm manager and directed by the Asst. Director of Youth Leadership (hours vary depending on growing season).

Reporting and Supervision

This position reports to the Youth Program Manager and supervises 8-10 youth participants and sometimes volunteer crew.

We will consider exceptional candidates who demonstrate a strong combination of the specific qualifications and skills described below.

• Experience growing food;
• Experience supervising paid or volunteer staff and working with diverse communities;
• Demonstrated experience in project or program coordination;
• Demonstrated experience in community outreach or engagement work;
• Demonstrated commitment to racial justice and to the mission of GTC;
• Ability to relate easily to middle and high school aged youth and to support their growth and development as leaders;
• Interest and familiarity with issues relating to local food, food justice, and sustainable agriculture;
• Strong organizational skills;
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including comfort with public speaking;
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team;
• Knowledge of the Springfield community;
• Ability to build and sustain individual and community relationships;
• Su…