Key Details 

• Position Location: East Vancouver and Coquitlam, BC.
• Application Deadline: Review of applications begins Jan 15, 2023.
• Position Dates: May 15-August 18, 2023. 4-day weekend August 5-8. No additional time off will be granted during July and August.
• Pay Rate: starting at $16.45/hr, DOE; if the BC minimum wage is increased, this wage will also increase.
• Hours of work: Full Time. Monday-Friday, 9am-5:00 pm (May- June), Monday-Friday, (8:30am-4:30pm) July-August. Average of 40 hours/week.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Position dependent on funding and may change in response public health directives on group activities related to COVID-19. This may affect employment contracts.

About SOYL

The SOYL (Sustainable Opportunities for Youth Leadership) program engages ~45 high school youth each summer. Youth receive a stipend for participation, which includes work on the farm and at markets, preparing food for shared meals, and engagement in workshops, field trips and activities. The program focuses on collaborative work, practical skills, food-systems thinking, and social-emotional development. SOYL runs for 6 weeks during the summer at two locations: Coquitlam & Vancouver. Each SOYL location is situated on a Fresh Root’s schoolyard farm, with two SOYL facilitators at each location, who work collaboratively on that site with the Farm Manager to lead youth.  If you would like to know more about SOYL please take a look at freshroots.ca/soyl.

The Position 

If you are passionate about working with teens (Grades 9 to 12) and cultivating personal growth and community leadership through food, this could be the job for you! As a SOYL Program Facilitator, you will work to inspire and engage SOYL youth at one of our schoolyard farms! You will work with a co-facilitator to inspire and engage youth by leading workshops, assisting with logistics and communications and delivering the program itself.  A key part of the SOYL program is getting youth participants involved in working on the farms. In this role, you will assist the Farm Manager in growing food on school grounds including leading youth in taking part in crop production (seeding, weeding, transplanting), harvesting and perennial/landscape care. 

From May to July, working hours will be Monday-Friday, 9 am to 5 pm with work locations including our program sites in Vancouver and Coquitlam, or home-based work. July through mid-August working hours will be 8:30 am to 4:30 pm at your program site.

Qualifications 

• High school diploma or equivalent 
  • Formal or informal education in teaching, social work, farming/food systems, environmental education, or related fields an asset
• Experience working with youth grades 9-12) as a tutor, teacher,  camp counsellor, or similar position
  
  • Experience working with youth from diverse backgrounds and complex learning and life challenges strongly preferred.
• Experience in farming, gardening and/or outdoor leadership. 
• Leadership capacity; able to work with a team and independently.
• Strong organizational capacity & with good attention to detail; able to prioritize and balance many different tasks.
• Confident in event planning and managing complex logistics.
• Outgoing, energetic, responsible, and mature.
• Ability to speak multiple languages a plus. Languages frequently spoken in our communities include Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish, Tagalog, Punjabi, Farsi, French, and Ukrainian.
• Willingness and excitement to work outdoors in ALL weather conditions for up to 8 hours a day, rain or shine!
• Able to follow and establish policies and procedures to ensure youth and staff health and safety.
• Current First Aid including Child and Infant CPR will be required before the position starts.
• Must have a valid driver’s license, with access to a personal vehicle an asset 
• Must pass a criminal record check to be able to work with children and vulnerable populations
• Must meet Canada Summer Jobs Requirements; Minimum age 19

Compensation Package 

• Pay: $16.45 starting rate, plus 4% in lieu of vacation
• Paid Sick Leave
• On the job training and professional development workshops
• Discount on produce and access to culls