Community Garden Classroom Education Specialist

Expected start date for this position is 03-01-2024.

HOW TO APPLY

For full consideration, applicants should attach their resume and cover letter when applying for a job opening. For guidance related to the application process or if you are experiencing difficulties when applying, please review the Applicant Resources on our Talent Acquisition website. 

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INITIAL REVIEW DATE (IRD)

Application materials submitted by 11:59 pm on the IRD will be routed to the hiring unit for consideration. Materials submitted after the IRD will ONLY be forwarded at the request of the hiring unit. To ensure your application is routed for consideration, submit your materials before 11:59 p.m. on the IRD.  Talent Acquisition cannot accept application materials outside of the jobs portal, and is unable to update submitted applications on an applicant's behalf, or forward communications to the hiring units. For more information about the IRD and the applicant review process, view this link .

The IRD for this job is: 01-02-2024

ABOUT UC SANTA CRUZ

UC Santa Cruz is a public university like no other in California, combining the experience of a small, liberal arts college with the depth and rigor of a major research university. It's known as an unconventional place where innovation and experimentation is part of the campus's DNA. That playful, bold spirit still thrives today, all on a campus renowned as among the most beautiful in the world.

DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW

College Nine's theme of International and Global Perspectives recognizes the importance of cultural competency in the 21st century. The College Nine community offers students a range of opportunities to explore these issues and to develop skills as dynamic leaders. One of the unique features of College Nine is its direct affiliation with the Division of Social Sciences. Through this affiliation we build strong alliances with faculty and research institutes concerned with the functioning of human society, and the enhancement of the human condition. Although the social sciences have a special connection to College Nine, our students come from all majors, including those in the humanities, arts, natural sciences and engineering. Our goal is to foster a common interest in becoming a global citizen.

Building food and farming systems that are equitable, just, and sustainable relies fundamentally on fostering a diverse agricultural workforce. UC Santa Cruz is excited to expand our training for historically underserved students who will be key future leaders in food system transformation. In our program activities, we will: (1) train students in food, agriculture, natural and human (FANH) sciences, community-engaged research, agricultural production, distribution, culinary arts, and agricultural technologies; (2) provide students financial support via employment, paid internships, fellowships, scholarships, housing, emergency support, culturally-relevant mentoring, and career coaching; and (3) foster opportunities for youth engagement, diverse learning communities, and career education. Through funding from the USDA's NEXTGEN Program, UC Santa Cruz will transform opportunities available to students, including FANH offerings, the quality and quantity of material resources, and career development and other services to support student belonging and success.

NEXTGEN serves to link cutting-edge culturally relevant agricultural education across various academic and experiential learning opportunities at UC Santa Cruz. One of the sites for this learning will be through the Apprenticeship in Community Engaged Research (H)ACER Program, which trains students in participatory research methodologies and creates opportunities for students to work in real world contexts. In collaboration with our community partners, students engage in projects that address pressing issues such as social, economic, educational, and environmental injustice through an approach that seeks to honor the knowledge and cultural and social strength of surrounding communities.

A local one-acre outdoor garden classroom at an elementary school is both a product of a community-university collaboration and has emerged as a site for community engaged research and learning through the (H)ACER Program. Currently the outdoor community garden classroom is a site where approximately 40 families from the community, classroom teachers, elementary school students and undergraduate students come together to learn through cross-institutional experiential learning. The (H)ACER Program coordinates outreach to undergraduate volunteers and community volunteers to support five main events held in the outdoor garden classroom annually. Additionally, the (H)ACER Program runs service learning programming for undergraduates to volunteer in the outdoor garden classroom and collaborate with community volunteers to maintain the space and learn with each other. The (H)ACER Program works closely with the CES to generate ongoing community volunteer support and community building to maintain the outdoor garden space as a thriving community of learners. Lastly, the (H)ACER Program runs an ongoing research project with gardeners and elementary school personnel that includes undergraduate research apprentices who work with both faculty and staff to conduct research with community garden volunteers.

More information can be found at: https://johnrlewis.ucsc.edu/hacer/index.html

JOB SUMMARY

Under the supervision of the (H)ACER Program Director, the Community Education Specialist (CES) will support the educational programming for a one-acre outdoor community garden classroom. The CES position will assist with designing, planning, and implementing programming in coordination with elementary school administration, teachers, students, university students (undergraduate and graduate), and community gardeners. The CES will assist with the infrastructural, community governance, and agricultural development of a one-acre community garden classroom to further efforts regarding environmental and cultural education, community food security and sovereignty, campus/community outreach, and experiential learning of diverse students.

Under supervision, the CES organizes and conducts existing community educational courses in the outdoor garden classroom, manages a volunteer education program with community members and undergraduates, assists in the development of new programs and course materials, manages the outdoor garden classroom, assists in developing strategic market plans to establish relationships with new partners, supports planning special events in collaboration with program leadership and community partners, serve as a work leader to lower level educators, professionals or volunteers and actively participates in long-range strategic planning for community educational programs and evaluation efforts of programming with the supervisor.

The CES will collaborate with approximately 40 families from the community, the teachers and staff of the adjacent elementary school, the principal, district personnel, and university personnel supporting the overall effort. The CES must have extensive knowledge in community outreach in the Pajaro Valley School District and Watsonville community, culturally sustaining leadership strategies for serving children and parents that work in the Pajaro Valley agricultural industry, diverse ethno-ecological practices, excellent communication skills, that reflect dynamic management and collaboration experiences. The CES must have excellent interpersonal skills, a working knowledge of community education programming, and an ability to collaborate across the university and community contexts. 

APPOINTMENT INFORMATION

Budgeted Salary: $26.67 - $31.57/hourly. Salary commensurate with skills, qualifications and experience.
Under California law, the University of California, Santa Cruz is required to post a reasonable estimate of the compensation for this role. The salary shown above is the budgeted amount the University reasonably expects to pay and the salary extended should not exceed this posted amount.

Benefits Level Eligibility: Full benefits

Schedule Information:

• Full-time, Fixed
• Percentage of Time: 50%, 20 Hours per Week
• Days of the Week: Mon-Fri
• Shift Includes: Day

Employee Classification: Contract appointment 

Job End Date: 06-14-2028

Work Location: UC Santa Cruz Main Campus

Union Representation: Non-Represented

Job Code Classification: 005839 (CMTY EDUC SPEC 2)

Travel: Never or Rarely

JOB DUTIES

55% - Program Management

• Assists in organizing and conducting existing community educational courses, manages a volunteer education program, and assists in the development of new programs and course materials.
• Supervises courses in the outdoor garden classroom.
  Collaborates with university and community volunteers to support outdoor garden classroom events.
• Maintains community enrollment in the outdoor garden classroom and overall participation in the volunteer education program including preparing, presenting, and distributing garden contracts, and providing informational sessions and tours of the garden to potential gardeners.
• Maintains an overview of community gardener activities, and supports community gardeners when they are unable to manage their plot to either offer it to another family or to increase participation.
• Organizes community and student volunteers for outdoor garden classroom activities and tracks community volunteer work hours and tasks.
• Organizes ongoing community-based donations for outdoor garden classroom maintenance.
• Coordinates ongoing meetings, informal events, and collaborations with community volunteers to support an ongoing focus on community building and cultivating relationships.
• Maintains the outdoor classroom space; inventory and ongoing maintenance of garden classroom equipment; communicates with supervisor when new equipment is needed; coordinates the purchase of new equipment when needed.
• Serves as a work leader to lower-level educators, professionals, or volunteers. May provide training or mentoring to volunteers.
• Collaborates with undergraduate employees to facilitate specific programming in the outdoor garden classroom (after-school programming and workdays) including introducing the garden to the students, providing an overview of the educational materials available in the garden, and facilitating community volunteer’s participation in any open activities.
• Coordinates with the supervisor to support ongoing undergraduate and graduate student research efforts in the outdoor garden classroom.

20% - Outreach

• Assists in developing strategic market plans and target audiences.
• Creates and implements outreach strategies to attract community and student volunteer participation in the outdoor garden classroom.
• Works closely with the supervisor and undergraduate staff to bring undergraduate volunteers to the outdoor garden classroom for specific events.
• Fosters community volunteer and family volunteer engagement and participation in the outdoor garden classroom by community members about garden-related educational activities, and promoting participation in monthly governance community meetings, workdays, and events.

15% - Event Planning

• Assists with planning special events in collaboration with program leadership and community partners, and works to establish relationships with new partners.
• Collaborates, with supervisor, to coordinate speakers for events on campus that focus on environmental justice, food justice, community engagement, and racial justice and highlight the efforts in the outdoor garden classroom.
• Collaborates with undergraduate employees and UCSC staff to plan five annual events held in the outdoor garden classroom including facilitating outreach to undergraduate volunteers, and coordinating logistics with the principal, university staff, and community gardeners for a successful execution of each event.
• Maintains ongoing and open communication with the school principal where the outdoor garden classroom is located, and with the garden community.
• Supports supervisor in ongoing PK-6 classroom teacher outreach including maintaining good working relationships with the school personnel, educating the teachers on the vision and various purposes of the outdoor garden classroom, providing tours for teachers, facilitating classroom visits, and supporting ongoing professional development conversations and efforts related to the garden.

10% - Course Assessment, Planning, and Evaluation

• Assists in planning and scheduling course offerings and identifying course topics.
• Actively participates in long-range strategic planning for community educational programs and evaluation efforts of programming with the supervisor.
• Coordinates with the supervisor to assist in planning and scheduling community educational courses in the outdoor garden classroom.
• Assesses presentation and course results through student and participant evaluations and levels of interest shown and recommends appropriate changes.
• Partners with community volunteers, school personnel, and teachers on evaluating outcomes for student participants and program deliverables.
• Partners with UCSC faculty and staff in assessing undergraduate participation and revising programming based on learning outcomes.
• Utilizes evaluation tools for courses, instructors, and programs to evaluate and adjust course curriculum or presentation.
• Creates and reviews evaluations of tours, classroom visits, and professional development activities for community participants, school personnel, and teachers. Assists in analyzing program evaluation results.
• Under supervision, works with the UCSC faculty and staff to conduct a program-level evaluation of annual goals.
• Assists in developing annual work plans and annually revised operational plans.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Associate degree in related area and / or equivalent experience and / or training.
• Continuing education in related fields.
• Working knowledge of educational program content and objectives.
• Working knowledge of delivering community educational programs.
• Working knowledge of conducting needs assessment, developing work plans, and providing follow-up and coordination.
• Working knowledge of current community education programs and trends.
• Knowledge in community outreach in the Pajaro Valley School District and Watsonville community.
• Ability to organize volunteers and student staff.
• Ability to handle confidential matters in a sensitive and professional manner.
• Demonstrated organizational and record-keeping skills with the ability to prioritize work independently, under the pressure of multiple, competing due dates and with frequent interruptions.
• Interpersonal skills sufficient for interacting with students, staff, faculty, and community partners of various social, cultural, economic, and educational backgrounds.
• Excellent written communication skills.
• Excellent verbal communication skills.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience with computer programs and computer applications including Word, Excel, Calendar programs, graphics software, e-mail, and computer skills to develop publications and do desktop publishing.
• Bilingual (ability to speak, write and read) in Spanish & English with the ability to translate between English and Spanish.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

• Selected candidate will be required to pass a pre-employment criminal history background check.
• The selected candidate will be required to work all scheduled hours on-site.
• Ability to work a variable schedule including evenings and weekends.
• Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends as directed.
• Selected candidate will be required to take a TB test.
• Selected candidate will be required to provide proof of negative TB test.
• Selected candidate will be required to complete training within established time frames as directed including UC compliance training.
• Ability to travel to multiple work locations on and off campus.
• The University of California has implemented a Vaccination Policy covering all employees. Employees, including new hires, are required to comply with any applicable policies relating to the University of California vaccine program.
• Per the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act (CANRA), this position has been identified as a Mandated Reporter. The selected candidate will be required to report known or suspected child abuse or neglect as defined by CANRA and will be required to sign a Statement Acknowledging Requirement to Report Child Abuse prior to commencing employment. CANRA Penal Codes, and related definitions, requirements, and responsibilities may be obtained here .

SAFETY STATEMENT

All UCSC employees must understand and follow job safety procedures, attend required health and safety training, proactively promote safety at work, and promptly report actual and potential accidents and injuries.

EEO/AA

The University of California is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or protected veteran status. UC Santa Cruz is committed to excellence through diversity and strives to establish a climate that welcomes, celebrates, and promotes respect for the contributions of all students and employees.