FILLED- Common Ground is Seeking a Food Justice Education Coordinator

Organization Overview

Common Ground is a center for environmental learning in New Haven, Connecticut. Farm meets forest meets city on Common Ground’s 20 acre campus at the base of West Rock Ridge. The site abuts the 1800 acre West Rock State Park, sharing hiking trails, wildlife, and diverse natural habitats with the surrounding forests. Common Ground’s urban farm produces sustainably grown food for programs and our community and is home to our friendly farm animals. Common Ground’s public charter high school engages students in rigorous, relevant learning, rooted in our site, that puts young people on pathways to college success, meaningful careers, powerful leadership for a just and sustainable world, and happy, whole, sustainable lives. Each year, more than 10,000 community members participate in after-school programs, summer camps, open farm days, and other educational opportunities on site. For more information visit www.commongroundct.org.

JOB DESCRIPTION

The Food Justice Education Coordinator works closely with Farm and High School Staff to plan and execute educational programs. They are responsible for engaging the Common Ground (CG) community in food justice by supporting experiential educational programs related to our farm and school. The Food Justice Education Coordinator plays an important role in supporting educational projects and curriculum involving the farm, requiring strong skills in leading groups of youth and adults in food justice, cooking and farm based activities. Their work will greatly contribute to an overall goal of building a collaborative organization.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Education and Youth Development 

• Work directly with High School (HS) teachers, staff and students to build their capacity to use the farm as a place for active, authentic learning, and to integrate food justice and agricultural themes into their courses. This includes developing and leading planning and professional development opportunities and partnering with individual teachers to deepen their courses related to these subjects.
• Work with our Core 9 and Core 10 teachers to integrate the farm and food justice into integrated units of study focused on Feeding Ourselves and Community Health. 
• Co-plan and co-teach food justice and farm related courses and opportunities for 11th and 12th grade students.
• Develop student leadership opportunities in the Fall and Spring Cooking Club.
• Lead the Summer Green Jobs Corps Crew (GJC) of 6-8 High School students, on work days with our animals, on the farm, and running food justice related experiences. Collaborate with the Farm Team around GJC works during other seasons. 
• Run general farm related youth opportunities, like 9th grade orientation and community service opportunities.
• Support adult education and farm activities through our annual Farm and Garden Conference activities.
• Build and steward relationships with partner organizations around Food Justice related programming.
• Co-lead a school based Farm an Internship, during the school day, that grants high school credit.

Growing and Eating Food

• Work with students to develop “Farm to Table” activities including cooking and tasting farm fresh, culturally celebratory foods in classes, high school Cooking Club and the cafeteria. 
• Participate in some basic farm tasks outside of education based responsibilities; these could include greenhouse work, irrigation, weeding, harvesting, animal chores and other special projects. 

General 

• Regularly communicate with the Farm Team and CGHS Administrative point person.
• Work with the Farm Team to set goals for school and community education and measure outcomes and success.
• Maintain records and resources related to education programs.
• Participate in relevant and overall organizational professional development, meetings, committees, fundraisers, events and activities.
• Attend monthly relevant statewide meetings including the CT Youth Food Justice Alliance and CT Farm to School Collaborative. 

You might be the right person if you:

• Know about, have experience with, and a passion for urban farming, food justice culinary arts, or cultural foodways.
• Are comfortable & experienced working in school settings. 
• Have experience developing curriculum for courses and other learning experiences.
• Are committed to developing leadership opportunities for young people.
• Understand that people learn all different ways and have creative ideas about teaching. 
• Are ready to work collaboratively with a team of dedicated people.
• Are responsible, flexible and self-motivated.
• Are committed to working against racism and other forms of discrimination.
• Are familiar with or willing to learn about New Haven, CT.
• Are willing to work in both office and outdoor/agricultural settings, including farm work. 
• Work well with other people and without supervision.
• Communicate well and often, even in times of conflict

Job Schedule

This is a full time, year-round position with some seasonal variation. The hours and days required by this job vary with the season and the cycles of work at the school, afterschool and on the farm. Some evenings and weekends may also be required.

• School Year: See above outlined school based Responsibilities September-June
• Summer: Responsible for running our Summer HS Green Jobs Corps program and collaborating on our Summer Adult Internship Program and Farm Responsibilities June-August

Compensation

• Starting Compensation for this role is between $43,000 and $48,000, based on prior relevant work experience.
• Common Ground offers full time employees a competitive benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision and life insurance, 25 days of Paid Time off Per Year and 13 paid holidays
• Staff Members at Common Ground are represented by UAW local 2110 with a collective bargaining agreement in progress.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Common Ground is particularly eager for candidates who can help us to fulfill our commitment to building a racially and culturally diverse faculty and staff. Common Ground has a commitment to examining the intersection of social, environmental, and food justice issues; how systems of oppression, including white privilege, impact the organization’s work; and how resistance to those systems can offer windows into a more sustainable society.

Common Ground is committed to the recruitment and retention of staff that is reflective of the communities we work with. We strongly encourage applicants from people of color, immigrants, women, people with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ community, people whose native language is something other than English, and other underrepresented and historically marginalized groups.

It has been the policy and will continue to be the strong commitment of the Common Ground and all contractors and subcontractors who do business with Common Ground to provide equal opportunities in employment to all qualified persons solely on the basis of job-related skills, ability and merit. Common Ground will continue to take Affirmative Action to ensure that applicants are employed and that employees are treated during employment without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, mental disorder (present or past history thereof) age, physical disability (but not limited to blindness), marital status, intellectual disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and criminal record. Such action includes, but is not limited to, employment, promotion, demotion or transfer; recruitment or recruitment advertising; layoff or termination; rates of pay or other forms of compensation, and selection for training, professional development, attendance at conferences or other opportunities for advancement. Common Ground, its contractors and subcontractors will continue to make good faith efforts to comply with all federal and state laws and policies which speak to equal employment opportunity. The principles of Affirmative Action are addressed in the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments of the United States Constitution, Civil Rights Act of 1866, 1870, 1871, Equal Pay Act of 1963, Title VI and VII of the 1964 United States Civil Rights Act, Presidential Executive Order 11246, amended by 11375, (Non-discrimination under federal contracts)

Discrimination against Criminal Offenders (46a-80), definition of Blind (46a-51(1)), definition of Physically Disabled (46a-51(15)), definition of Intellectual Disability (46a51(13)), cooperation with the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (46a-77), Sexual Harassment (46a-60(a)-8), Connecticut Credit Discrimination Law (360436 through 439), Title I of the State and Local Fiscal Assistance Act of 1972. This Affirmative Action Policy Statement re-affirms Common Ground’s commitment to equity in the workplace and the principles of Equal Employment Opportunity