TORONTO JOBS & SUMMER JOBS

Noojimo’iwewin Gitigaan National Healing Forest Project is hiring!

2 Positions: Community Development Worker and Child and Youth Worker
Type: age 30 & under / summer
Organization: Noojimo’iwewin Gitigaan National Healing Forest Project
Location: 729 St. Clair Ave. W., Toronto, at Rushton Road, Toronto ON

Canada Summer Jobs Contracts with Bonuses for Community Development Worker and Child and Youth Worker to lead Land-based learning programs

• Start Date: June 19, 2023, with Orientation to include Park People National Conference, June 20th & 21st
• End Date: Aug 11, 2023
• Hours and Days: 35 hours/week, with some evenings and weekends required
• Hourly Rate: $15.50/hour, plus $1000 end-of-contract bonus

To apply, please send cover letter and resume to Noojimo’iwewin Gitigaan/Healing Garden Co-Leads, Robin Buyers at buyersrobine@gmail.com and Ella Lightstone at ellalightstone@gmail.com by Monday, June 5th, 2023. Please indicate you saw this posting at GoodWork.

Due to Canada Summer Jobs funding requirements, all applicants must be between 15 and 30 years of age. All within this age group are welcome to apply; Indigenous applicants will be prioritized.

We thank all applicants for their interest, but only those invited to an interview will be contacted.

Project Background:

Noojimo’iwewin Gitigaan/Healing Garden, created in 2019 by members of the Indigenous Peoples Solidarity Group (IPSG) with the guidance of Elders and Traditional Teachers, began as a response to the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. In 2020, we became the first Land-based project in Toronto to join the coast-to-coast-to-coast National Healing Forests Initiative, now supported by The David Suzuki Foundation.

The Noojimo’iwewin Gitigaan Crew, as part of the Indigenous Peoples Solidarity Group, is made up of volunteers with diverse roots in the Four Directions who live in the neighbourhood or attend St. Matthew’s United Church. The church serves as the project Trustee. We work with newer Healing Forest Projects in Toronto’s west end, as well as with a range of organizations in the community and environmental sectors.

Relevant websites:

• https://www.stmattsunited.com/noojimo-iwewin-gitigaan-healing-gar
• https://www.facebook.com/groups/366906128698072
• https://www.nationalhealingforests.com/

Summer Program, 2023:

As part of the Noojimo'iwewin Gitigaan Crew, the Community Development Worker and Child and Youth Worker will collaborate on creating and implementing the 2023 workplan. They will gain Indigenous wisdom and scientific knowledge about land and water stewardship, and develop basic science communication skills. Together, they will design, facilitate, and evaluate participatory Garden activities and other programs as well as create public education materials, including contributing content to e-newsletters and other online platforms used by the project and our partners.

Working with the Indigenous Peoples Solidarity Group as led by our Elder-in-Residence and guest Elders, they will support programming for day camp and other garden visits in July and early August. They will cultivate relationship-building, cooperative problem-solving, and consensus decision-making skills in order to complete tasks, resolve tensions, and celebrate accomplishments. Throughout, they will demonstrate flexible, authentic communication skills when working with people of all races, ethnicities, spiritualities, sexualities, gender expressions, abilities, and socio-economic circumstances, from the very young to the very old.

Both positions require:

• Interest in land-based program development, Indigenous and sustainable growing practices, and food justice
• Creative program ideas, with an interest in basic science communication, lesson planning for Land-based education, and other forms of content creation
• Ability to self-organize—including managing schedule, timelines, and deadlines--to complete workplan together with teammates, including comfort with use of technology for communications and supervisory purposes
• Respect for faith and spiritual practices
• Openness to people of diverse ages, races, ethnicities, gender expressions, sexualities, abilities, incomes, and life experiences
• Some work or volunteer experience and/or post-secondary education in a related field such as Community Work, Child and Youth Work, Indigenous Studies, or Environmental Studies is desirable
• Interest in photography an asset

Community Development Worker Additional Qualifications:

• Understanding of place-based community organizing and development
• Confidence to share information orally with individuals and small groups, including starting conversations with strangers
• Strong written English, with an interest in learning lesson plan documentation and print content creation
• Ability to engage with partner organizations and volunteers

Child and Youth Worker Additional Qualifications

• Enthusiasm for introducing children and youth of diverse ages, developmental stages, and backgrounds to hands-on garden and outdoor activities
• Creative ideas for easy-to-engage outreach activities for children and families
• Patient, flexible, and positive

Successful applicants will receive guidance and mentoring from Elder-in-Residence, Dr. Catherine Brooks, and will be supervised by experienced community workers, Robin Buyers and Ella Lightstone.

The Noojimo’iwewin Gitigaan National Healing Forest Project at St. Matthew’s United Church is committed to equity and social justice. It endeavors to remove barriers to employment that are faced by equity-seeking groups, particularly Indigenous persons, persons of color, LGBTQ2SIA+ persons, and persons with disabilities. We encourage (but do not require) members of these groups to self-identify as such in their cover ??letters. We will strive to provide reasonable accommodations to persons with disabilities upon request. If you are selected for an interview, please notify the hiring committee in advance to your requirement for accommodation.

The Noojimo’iwewin Gitigaan National Healing Forest Project at St. Matthew’s United Church requires all employees, contractors, and volunteers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, absent of a valid medical exemption or other reasonable consideration pursuant to the Human Rights Code of Ontario.