Calling all community-minded students who are looking for a summer job. Time is running out to apply for a position with the Golden Town Outreach program as a Summer Youth Gardener, a position that would allow you to work out-of-doors for the summer, learn to design, grow, and maintain gardens, to harvest the fruit of your labour, and share it with the community.
Golden Town Outreach is accepting applications for one Summer Youth Gardener until Friday, June 21. The position is open to any full-time student ages 15-30. The successful applicant will work as part of a team alongside the Meaford Community Gardens coordinators, learning all aspects of coordinating and maintaining a community garden, according to Simona Freibergova, Co-ordinator Community Gardens & Second Harvests programs.
The position will provide a host learning opportunities and an opportunity to apply a set of skills that the successful applicant must have.”The summer youth gardener will learn about and help with crop planning; transplanting and seeding; organic weed and pest control; general garden maintenance; harvest and post-harvest handling; composting systems and organic material collection from local restaurants/cafes; and building soil fertility,” Freibergova says. “The gardener will be asked to help facilitate with youth/kids garden programming, promote Meaford Community Gardens and its activities through social media; co-ordinate and run the Meaford Community Gardens Market; deliver produce to the Golden Town Outreach Food Bank; help with the community kitchen at the Victoria Village Family Resource Centre.
The Meaford Community Gardens and Second Harvests, a program of the Golden Town Outreach, has established three major gardens in Meaford over the last six to eight years. The gardens have been dedicated much of its gardening space to grow fresh vegetables for the Golden Town Outreach Food Bank, as well as for the residents of Victoria Village in Meaford. There are also numerous gardens plots available for rent for the season.
“The purpose of our Outreach program is to provide individual, compassionate assistance to people in need, in the form of emergency food, clothing and/or shelter, in a dignified setting, and to build health and community within the Municipality of Meaford catchment area.”
The position requires an individual with a desire to explore career development around sustainable food systems, food literacy and food skill-building; a passion for growing healthy food for a healthy community; and enthusiasm and self-motivation.
Experience with agriculture, food security and educational programming would be an asset. So too would be experience working with youth, knowledge of program development, a valid ‘G’ driver’s licence; communication, organizational, public relations, and time management skills; conflict resolution skills; and ability to work most weekdays, some evenings and weekends.
Applicants are invited to forward their cover letter and resume no later than Friday, June 21, to Golden Town Outreach at P.O. Box 3245, N4L 1A5, or 34 Trowbridge St. or meafordcommunitygardens@gmail.com.
Visit Golden Town Outreach Facebook posts for full details or send an inquiry to the email address above.
