About the Depot Community Food Centre
Founded in 1986, the Depot Community Food Centre is a community-based non-profit organization that works collaboratively with its community to address the root causes of hunger and poverty in NDG and the surrounding areas in a manner that ensures dignity, community engagement and the development of human potential.
At the Depot Community Food Centre, we offer a variety of food-related activities to support the food security and healthy eating habits of youth, families and individuals. Our activities are classified in three streams: Food Procurement and Distribution, Food Skills and Urban Agriculture.
We are currently looking to hire one passionate and qualified Collective Garden Facilitator to run weekly garden sessions in our collective gardens. The position is for 28 hours/week, for a 32 week contract.
Key Responsibilities & Tasks
Collective garden facilitator
• Lead collective garden sessions:
• Facilitate the social dynamic of garden sessions. This includes ensuring the physical, mental, and emotional safety of garden members, supporting democratic processes, encouraging knowledge and social exchanges between participants;
• Understand and be willing to develop your knowledge about the technical aspects of ecological horticulture and vegetable production, and ensure the ecological production of produce in the gardens;
• Share knowledge and promote our values of urban agriculture and ecological gardening methods, food security and food sovereignty, healthy living habits, and environmental stewardship;
• Create and reinforce links between gardeners of diverse backgrounds and abilities, the Depot Community Food Centre, and the community;
• Assist in the logistical and planning aspects of gardens
• Maintain communication with community partners, the team and the supervisor as needed
• Participate in team meetings, workshops, and other organizational events
• Collect information related to the collective garden program, including comments and testimonials from members, and write end-of-season reports.
Qualifications & Experience
• Experience in animation and group facilitation (including conflict resolution, non-violent communication, balancing diverse needs of participants);
• Experience in ecological fruit and vegetable production and interest in learning new techniques;
• Possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills in spoken English and French;
• Have a valid driver’s licence and be comfortable driving a truck;
• Have a cellphone to be used during working hours;
• Be available for the entire duration of the contract (April 1nd to November 9th, 2019).
Other Assets
• Is in good physical condition to do outdoor and physical labour;
• Able to work independently and in collaboration with colleagues;
• Knows how to problem solve and prioritize tasks;
• Good written communication skills in either French or English;
• Speaks another language;
• Comfortable using office computer programs, including Word, Excel, and Google Drive;
• Any experience with simple building and fixing;
• Has a strong interest in community work, and be comfortable in multi-cultural and intergenerational environments;
• Is passionate about urban agriculture and the food security movement;
• Has a bicycle and is comfortable riding in the city.
Schedule
• From April 1st to April 15th the schedule will be from Monday to Friday;
• From April 16th through the end of the contract, the work schedule will change. Garden sessions are held during the daytime and the evening. Please be prepared to work evenings and weekends as part of your regular hours.
• 1 position at 28 hours per week, for 32 weeks:
• 4 Working days: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday
Contract Conditions
• $15/hour, salaried;
• Contract start: April 1nd, 2019;
• Contract end: November 9th, 2019;
• The employee receives paid vacation (4%), sick days and personal days, during contract;
• The employee will receive regular organic produce from the gardens;
• The employee will participate in CPR training and receive a certification.
Questions about the jobs or the application process?
Please contact Philippe Teixeira St-Cyr at philippe@depotmtl.org or 514-483-4680 x223
To apply, please send your CV and cover letter by email to:
Marguerite Kinfack at office@depotndg.org
Application & hiring process:
• Deadline to apply: Friday, February 22th, 2019 at 5pm.
• Period to contact candidates: As of Februrary 25, 2019
• Interview period: As of March 4th, 2019
• Contract start : April 1st, 2019
• Only selected candidates will be contacted for interviews.
TIPS FOR APPLYING! In your cover letter, we want to hear:
• Who you are and what your background is. The Depot Community Food Centre is committed to creating a workplace as diverse as the communities we serve and thus strongly encourages applicants from our diverse communities and people who experience marginalization to self-identify in their cover letter.
• What you like about the Depot Community Food Centre and why you want to work in this job. We want to make sure you understand our mission and our values. Tell us why you think this job is interesting and important.
• What your experience is. Have you worked in similar jobs or have you volunteered in similar programs before? Tell us what skills you gained and how your experience would help you in this job. If there’s experience you don’t have, be honest and tell us how you hope to grow and learn.
Be yourself! We want to hear your voice and enthusiasm!
