Position Description
Urban Tilth has an immediate opening for multiple positions within the 2024 Summer Youth Apprentice Program. Each position either assists and or leads in the management and facilitation of our 2024 Summer Apprentice Program. The persons who will hold these positions will lead or support the development and delivery of an intensive six-week summer training program for 6-8 youths at each program site.
This program hosts 40 West County youth at community garden, creek restoration, and farming sites across Richmond, CA where the youth will spend 6-weeks (100 hrs) learning about environmental justice, food justice, and food sovereignty and working alongside our staff to steward land and cultivate resources for our community!
The program includes workshops, field trips, guest speakers from people working in various environmental, farming, social justice and land management fields, hands-on learning work days, and a 4-day/3-night camping trip to Jug Handle Creek Nature Center!
These Staff positions are responsible for planning, preparing, and coordinating the Summer Apprentice Program’s day-to-day activities including staff training and orientation all the way through to development of weekly curriculum for apprentices, pre and post-evaluation surveys, a 4 day 3-night camping trip, and the graduation ceremony at the end of the program. Each 2-3 person staff team will work together to track and record data required by our funders for their specific site.
Open Positions
● Staff Lead (1 Opening)
○ Full time Hourly $26.00/ hr
○ Temporary Position: May 28, 2024 – August 15th 2024
○ This position is responsible for leading the planning and implementation of the summer apprentice program at a particular project site. Some of the activities that this person will take lead on include: creation of weekly activities and weekly lesson plans, organizing local field trips, site improvement projects. In addition, this position is responsible for procuring program supplies, completing weekly site reports, weekly documentation of site activities, maintaining the site budget and prompt submission of expense reports.
○ This position will take lead on delivering clear and impactful educational and experiential programming, modelling effective worksite behavior and acting as a mentor to the staff second and staff apprentice. This position requires strong organizational skills, a background rooted in youth education, tenacity, self-directed follow-through on tasks, attention to detail, strong time management, experience with project and personnel management skills and a warm heart.
○ Valid driver’s license in good standing is required for these positions
● Staff Second (4 Openings)
○ Full Time Hourly $23.00/ hr
○ Temporary Position: May 28, 2024 – August 15th 2024
○ Responsible for supporting the crew lead in the planning and implementation of site improvement projects, organizing local field trips, garden bike tours and attending a mandatory three weeks of staff training and program preparation. Assist with procuring program supplies, completing weekly site reports, weekly documentation of site activities, maintaining the site budget and prompt submission of expense reports. Supporting youth through creating and delivering clear and impactful educational and experiential programming, modelling effective worksite behavior and acting as a mentor to the staff apprentice.
● Staff Apprentice (4 Openings) ● Full Time Hourly $19.00/ hr
● Temporary Position: June 10th, 2024 – August 13th 2024
● This position is available to individuals who have recently completed a Summer Youth Apprentice Program (1-2 years ago). This individual will be responsible for assisting the crew second and crew lead in the development and delivery of Urban Tilth’s six week summer training program. The Staff Apprentice will be responsible for supporting and assisting with the design, preparation, and organization of the Summer Apprentice Program’s day-to-day activities from training and orientation all the way through graduation and end-of-program reporting for the site crew. This position requires organization skills, tenacity, self-directed follow-through on tasks, attention to detail, time management skills, and a warm heart.
Other responsibilities:
- Attend all program events: June 10th, 2024 – August 13th 2024 including
- (Leads and 2nds Only) Interviewing Youth Applicants (Zoom): Tuesday, May 28th – Friday, June 14th
- Staff Training and Prep Week 1 – 6/10/24 – 6/14/24
- Staff Training and Prep Week 2 – 6/17/24 – 6/21/24
- Program Materials Prep Week: Monday 6/24/24 – Friday 6/28/24
- SYAP Overnight Camping Trip – Blue Oak Ranch Reserve: Monday 7/29/24 – Thursday 8/01/24
- SYAP Graduation Ceremony: Friday, August 9, 2024
- Maintain a photo diary of all program work and regularly upload photos to DropBox, Facebook, and Instagram.
- Attend ALL weekly staff meetings
Required Skills:
● Excellent communication and organizational skills
● Reliable, punctual and able to meet deadlines
● Proficiency in food safety, food handling, food sanitation, organic farming, and food systems. ● Experience in conflict resolution
● Experience working with youth of color.
● Proficiency in online social media, communications and Google Suite (Excel/Sheets, Docs)
● Strong verbal and written communication skills
● Collaborative yet self-driven work style
● Comfortable assisting in the completion of multiple tasks and picking up new tasks as needed ● Experience working in Richmond, or San Pablo
● Comfortable moving around in North Richmond
● Confidence in one’s ability to lead and make decisions on behalf of the whole group
*People of color, and Richmond / San Pablo residents are strongly encouraged to apply
2024 SYAP Program Sites and Available Slots
1. Ujima – Black Land and Liberation Cohort: Crew Second, and Staff Apprentice Positions available
The scope of this project will include creating and /or adapting and delivering a garden education experience that is rooted in the African and African American experience in agriculture. This will include introducing and training youth in: African and African American historical relationships to land and agriculture, including the role of Black farmers in the founding of the US cooperative movement and in the civil rights movement, and the role of land ownership and stewardship in the Black experience, as well as urban food systems, community organic gardening, basic biological concepts: Carbon Cycle, Water Cycle, Photosynthesis, Climate change, social and climate justice, and Community Engagement.
2. Oral History Film Crew – Crew Lead, Crew Second, and Staff Apprentice Position Available
This team will celebrate and document the depth and richness of the North Richmond community through the lens of North Richmond’s senior citizens. As an apprentice, you will capture stories through creating interview questions, filming and conducting interviews, editing videos, and finally presenting the film to the public.
3. North Richmond Farm – Crew Second, and Staff Apprentice Position available
The scope of this project includes training 6-8 youth in the cultivation, harvesting, and distribution of organically grown produce out of our North Richmond Farm Site. Staff members will be charged with teaching apprentices organic farming practices including: propagation, transplanting, no-till farming, composting, sheet mulching, Integrative Pest Management and basic biological concepts including: Carbon Cycle, Water Cycle, Photosynthesis, Climate Change and Community Engagement.
4. Greenway Gardens: 6th Street Community Garden & 16th Street Edible Forest – Staff Apprentice Position Available.
The scope of this project includes training 6-8 youth in the cultivation, harvesting, and distribution of organically grown produce out of our Richmond Greenway Sites. Staff members will be charged with teaching apprentices organic farming practices including: propagation, transplanting, no-till farming, composting, sheet mulching, Integrative Pest Management and basic biological concepts including: Carbon Cycle, Water Cycle, Photosynthesis, Climate Change and Community Engagement.
5. The Watersheds Project – Staff Apprentice Position Available
Urban Tilth’s Watersheds team specializes in land stewardship and ecosystem restoration. This crew of apprentices will travel to different sites like Wildcat Creek, Cerrito Creek, and Alvarado Park for restoration and maintenance of sensitive waterways within our community. As a crew member, you will learn about creek habitat restoration, native and invasive plant management, landscaping techniques, and how to grow your own plants from seed.
How To Apply:
Please send your resume and cover letter indicating 1) which site you are interested in applying for, 2) which open position you are applying for and why you would be a good candidate for that site and that position. Send resume, references and cover letter via mail or email to: SYAP@urbantilth.org