Opportunity: Food Access PLC Coordinator
Posted: September 5, 2014
Categories: GoodFoodBites / News from Sustain Ontario / Opportunities / Volunteer. Job and Writing Opportunities
Sustain Ontario is seeking a Coordinator for our Food Access Peer Learning Circle as part of the Healthy Food for All project. This short-term, part-time role is designed to get great conversations about advancing food access going across Ontario.
Broad Purpose of Healthy Food for All and the Peer Learning Circles
In October 2013, six organizations began Healthy Food for All: Healthy and Sustainable Food Systems in Ontario, a project intended to increase the capacity of local communities to work collaboratively, with diverse groups of stakeholders, to create and strengthen sustainable local food systems in Ontario.
A component of this project is to organize Peer Learning Circles (PLC), for which:
- Participants will learn collectively about particular aspects of the food system or food system planning processes.
- Each PLC will investigate, discuss, and share resources within their area of interest as a way of networking, sharing best practices, and supporting other initiatives across the food community. These resources will be included in the project’s Food Systems Planning Tool Kit.
About the Food Access Peer Learning Circle
Purpose:
To convene a multi-sector stakeholder group including rural and urban groups working in their regions and across the province to explore food access solutions that contribute to healthy food systems. Learning, collaboration, and policy development are integral to the process.
Proposed Activities between September 2014 and March 2015:
- Organize, schedule and host 6 teleconference / online discussions about specific themes relevant to the group
- Collect, organize and share discussion notes, tools, resources, best practices, and stories
- Develop policy ideas
Potential Themes for Discussions:
- Group Purchasing
- Healthy Corner Stores
- Good Food Boxes, Good Food Markets and Mobile Markets
- Farmers Market Vouchers
- Food Bank Forwarding Contracts
- Food Access and Employment
- Addressing the Underlying Issues of Food Insecurity
- Community Gardens as a Food Access Solution
- Increasing Accessibility of Healthy Food in the Far North
Qualifications Sought
- High level of facilitation and consensus building skills including experience with on-line and telephone facilitation
- Excellent communications abilities across mediums including listening and sensing, writing, speaking, and visual communications
- Very organized and experienced with scheduling and coordinating busy groups
- Previous experience working with collaborative groups
- Strong understanding of food systems in Ontario – passion a must!
- Strong understanding of food access challenges and opportunities, including social justice perspectives
- Computer literacy and openness to learning new technology skills
- Experience with policy development and government relations an asset
Budget and Timeline
The work will require only a part time commitment. Payment amount will be determined based on the candidates’ experience and the working arrangement; the budget available is approx. $600/mo.
The location of this work is flexible. Sustain Ontario can provide work space in our Toronto offices, or the candidate can supply their own work space.
The work must be completed between September 2014 and March 2015.
How to Apply
Please provide a resume and a cover letter indicating:
a) How your experience demonstrates your qualifications for this role and
b) A brief overview of your proposed work plan to achieve the activities by March 2015, considering that the role is part time and the budgeted compensation is approx. $600/mo.
Applications are due September 18th and should be sent by email to opportunities@sustainontario.ca with the title Food Access PLC Facilitator. Any questions can be directed to the same email address.
We welcome applications from employees working for an organization that does food access work. For such applications we request an additional letter from the employer indicating support for the applicant to take on additional the role of peer learning circle facilitator.
Download a PDF of this job posting.
For more information about Tides Canada Initiatives, please visit tidescanada.org/projects
As Sustain Ontario is a Project of Tides Canada Initiatives Society (TCI), the selected candidate will be employed by TCI.