Campus Crops Coordinator (Communication and Events)

  • Contract

Company Description

The Student's Society of McGill University (SSMU) is currently hiring. With over 20,000 members, SSMU's role is to represent students and to offer services since 1908.

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Comptant plus de 20,000 membres, le rôle de l’AÉUM a été de représenter les étudiants de premier cycle et de leur offrir des services depuis l’année 1908. 

Job Description

Campus Crops is a group of students who maintain the CampusCrops garden (behind the McGill School of Environment), the ECOLE gardens (in front of ECOLE and behind), and the SSMU Daycare gardens. 

The group functions as a community group where McGill community members of any role from student to staff to alumni come and partake in each growing season. It also serves as an educational group that teaches the community how to garden themselves and the importance of urban agriculture in our rapidly warming world.

This work includes planning and running all related aspects of the garden during the gardening season, organising community events and workshops to encourage students to participate and to educate the community, and lastly working closely with the McGill daycare by providing weekly lessons to a group of ~20 children (3-5).

  • Logistics & Planning

    1. Develop a timeline and plan for desired crops and spatially map out all garden beds (creating a map of the gardens - digital or physical);
    2. Devise a rough schedule from start to end of your contract for the entire growing season;
    3. Collect all necessary supplies, and source funding or donations where needed, such as seeds and seedlings as well as additional soil and fertiliser when applicable;
    4. Germinate and/or purchase seedlings;
    5. Be in touch with stakeholders involved to ensure agreement and understanding of seasonal plans (e.g. ECOLE Coordinator & Daycare Director);
    6. Recruit Volunteer Gardeners from the community (McGill students, staff, faculty, alumni, and members of the greater Milton Parc community);
    7. Make sure all plans, meeting minutes, etc. are in the community Google Drive folder for access by Volunteers;
    8. Create a winter plan for after your contract’s end and ensure to leave relevant documentation for continuity for the next year’s Coordinators ;
    9. Assist with the hiring process for the new coordinators.
  • Ensure the gardens are tended throughout all stages of the season

    1. Facilitate bed preparation and planting;

    2. Work with volunteers to make maintenance schedules;

      1. This could include plans for second crop planting where applicable;

      2. Ensure gardens are maintained (watered, de-weeded, pruned, etc.) on a weekly basis;

    3. Ensure produce is harvested when ripe and not wasted and that food is distributed equitably amongst coordinators volunteers and general stakeholders;

      1. Where applicable, surplus food can be donated to community groups;

    4. Coordinate winterisation of beds.

  • Create a Sense of Community Around the Gardens

    1. Foster community within the season’s Campus Crops Volunteers making the group open and inviting to anyone interested;

      1. Manage CampusCrops Facebook group with regular updates and photos of the garden;

    2. Manage all communications from the Campus Crops email account;

      1. Communicate with other grassroots food and agriculture-related group on campus;

      2. Communicate with suppliers, vendors, grounds (for soil, fertiliser etc.), your supervisors, volunteers, and any other emails that may come in;

    3. Participate in quarterly meeting with other sustainability groups on campus; 

    4. Utilize stakeholder relationships to help advertise and bring in new faces (e.g. McGill School of Environment, SSMU Environment Commissioners, Mcgill Office of Sustainability, McGill Food Coalition, and more);

    5. Participate in all panels, events, conferences, workshops etc. that invite CampusCrops as a speaker, panellist, workshop facilitator etc..

  • Provide Community Education on gardening and food

    1. Encourage McGill members to partake in the gardening process from start to finish;

    2. On-board volunteers as soon as you start so that they help devise the garden plan;

    3. Create publicised events for skills such as but not limited to starting seedlings, planting the garden, how to water, how to weed, and harvest signals for different species, etc.;

    4. Events can be used to increase volunteers and to educate participants on the importance of urban agriculture;

    5. Create and lead workshops or bring in other experts where/when desired;

    6. Offer yourself as a resource to students with urban agriculture-related questions.

Qualifications

  1. 1-2 years minimum of experience in growing produce (could be homegrown produce);

  2. Experiential knowledge in how to plan timing, spacing, soil maintenance, plant maintenance, end of season care etc.;

  3. Ability to carry bags of soil, buckets of water, etc.;

  4. Ability to prioritise tasks based on importance and seasonal change;

  5. Ability to plan time efficiently on a daily, weekly, monthly, and seasonal basis;

  6. Ability to work in a pair and support your fellow Coordinator;

  7. Aptitude to foster a sense of community and belonging amongst the season’s volunteer gardeners;

  8. Desire to help people learn gardening skills and insights;

  9. Experience organising events for a club, group or organisation;

  10. Ability to liaise with partners, stakeholders, suppliers and/or relevant groups;

  11. Excellent and timely communications skills;

  12. Experience offering workshops to adults;

  13. Demonstrated interest in creating community over the garden or similar projects;

  14. Experience with advertising or poster design an asset.

Additional Information

  • Paid position: $15.00 per hour;
  • Contract dates: April 1, 2021 to April 1, 2022
  • Hours: an average of 10 hours per week from April - October and a limited number during winter to plan for the following year;
  • Application closes March 8, 2021

At the SSMU, we are committed to fostering an inclusive, accessible environment, where everyone feels valued, respected and supported. We are dedicated to building a workforce that reflects the diversity of our community. If you require accommodation(s) for the recruitment/interview process, please let us know and we will work with you to meet your needs.

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A l’AÉUM, nous sommes engagés à promouvoir un environnement inclusif et accessible où
tout le monde se sent estimé, respecté et supporté. Nous sommes attachés à construire une
équipe dont les effectifs témoignent de la diversité de notre communauté. Si vous avez
besoin d’aménagements au cours du processus de recrutement ou d’entrevue, s’il vous plait,
faites-le nous savoir et nous travaillerons avec vous afin de répondre à vos besoins.