All AmeriCorps Food Educators and School Farmers lead garden and cooking based education in our partner schools. Each member of the team also takes a lead role in some aspect of our programming (garden/agricultural specialist, social media specialist, cooking with kids specialist, after school program specialist, etc.)
For full job description and application, please see our website: https://commonthreadsfarm.org/get-involved/americorps/
Service Activities
Each AmeriCorps Food Educator will serve as the lead educator at one or more of Common Threads’ partner school sites, leading school-based garden lessons during spring and fall and cooking lessons during winter.
Additionally, each service member may collaborate with the full team (staff and Food Educator teammates) to:
Lead or support after school gardening and/or cooking clubs (school-based and affordable housing complexes)
Lead camp-style programs during spring and summer breaks
Support emergency food production and distribution efforts
Recruit and manage volunteers to help maintain/improve school garden(s) and support lessons at assigned school(s)
Manage administrative tasks, including email communications, data collection, and project prep time
Develop and/or facilitate live or recorded virtual content related to gardening and cooking
Support school district food service programs, including but not limited to meal production, packing, distribution, and lunch support
Support other relevant food education and food resiliency opportunities as they arise
Develop and use an equity lens during all aspects of service
Specialized Roles: Though all of our AmeriCorps service members will be selected as Food Educators, you can additionally apply and be selected for the following specialized roles:
Farm Team will be selected based largely on agricultural skills and experience in growing food. Responsibilities may include:
Support Food Educators in managing assigned school and community garden(s)
Develop and lead trainings for Food Educators on a variety of farming and gardening topics
Assist Food Educators in developing crop plans for school gardens and greenhouses
Manage greenhouse propagation in collaboration with the Food Education team (staff and AmeriCorps members)
Communications Team will be selected based largely on interest and previous experience with one or more of the following: social media, photography or videography, graphic design, and writing in a nonprofit/business environment. Responsibilities may include:
Capturing and telling stories of impact
Collaboratively creating content including photos, videos, blog posts, and print material
Scheduling and posting regularly to Facebook and Instagram
Supporting other projects depending on interest. Past examples have included grant application support, website improvement, community outreach.
Curriculum Team will be selected based largely on interest and past experience in writing curriculum and teaching children. Responsibilities may include:
Training Food Educators in leading garden and cooking lessons
Leading lesson debriefs
Improving curriculum based on Food Educator and teacher reflections and needs
Writing new curriculum as needed
Volunteer Coordinator(s) will be selected based largely on previous volunteer management experience. Responsibilities may include:
Train and support food educators in the recruitment, supervision, and appreciation of volunteers
Manage the application and background check process in collaboration with school district volunteer coordinators
Coordinate and assign volunteers to different school sites and work parties
Update volunteer database and track volunteer hours
Community Need Addressed
When kids eat better, they learn better, act better, and feel better. Empowering young people to make healthy food choices is one of the simplest and most effective ways that we can help all youth – particularly those living in high-risk circumstances – to be more successful in their lives physically, emotionally, and academically.
When kids feel competent, trusted, and meaningfully engaged, they are less likely to be disruptive. Many kids who do not thrive in traditional learning settings come to life when offered a chance to grow, cook, and eat healthy food.
Most of our gardening, cooking, and eating programs take place on public school grounds, during the school day, in collaboration with classroom teachers and food service staff. Additionally, Common Threads offers after-school and summertime programs.
Our vision is of a world where:
All children are given the resources, information, and experiences they need to make healthy food choices every day.
The food that kids are exposed to - particularly at school - sets them up for a life of healthy eating.
Healthy food and healthy food education becomes an expected norm, understood as an integral part of a good basic education.
Every year, Common Threads gardens and cooks with children and connects kids with healthy food in schools. We currently garden, cook, and eat with close to 7000 children annually and collaborate with teaching and food service staff in 20+ schools across four Whatcom County school districts (Bellingham, Mt. Baker, Ferndale, Lynden.) Many of our partner schools are Title 1 (more than 50% of the student population is eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.)
In addition to our school-based programming, Common Threads has identified a need and opportunity to better meet the nutritional and recreational needs of our community’s most vulnerable youth through after-school supper clubs in low-income apartment complexes as well as an opportunity to build a broader community of best practices in food education through partnership with similarly missioned nonprofits across Western Washington.
Position Outcomes
We want kids to grow up making food choices that are good for their bodies, their communities, and the environment. We also want to support them in feeling joyfully engaged in learning.
Benefits
Childcare assistance if eligible, Education award upon successful completion of service, Health coverage, Stipend, Student loan forbearance, Training
Basic Food Benefits eligibility
Opportunity to learn and grow in the company of other passionate service members
Federal Holidays excluding Martin Luther King Jr Day (additional time off approved on a case-by-case basis)
Professional development including but not limited to:
Education – teaching and adapting lessons based on Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), outdoor classroom management, culturally relevant and trauma-informed teaching practices, mindfulness for resilient educators
Farming & Gardening– winterization, crop succession and rotation, drip irrigation, soil and compost stewardship, pruning, seeding and starts
Equity – brave spaces, “racial equity deep dive,” food justice
Professional skills – communication styles, conflict resolution, constructivist listening, resume and cover letter writing, meeting facilitation, story-telling and virtual content creation
Education Benefits
Adult and Child CPR/AED & First Aid
WA Food Worker Card
Skills you will gain
Teaching, gardening, cooking, grant seeking, community organizing, communications, teamwork
Competencies You Will Develop
Communication
Demonstrate sensitivity and empathy, Lead group discussion, Listen to and consider others' viewpoints, Maintain open lines of communication with others, Speak clearly, in precise language and in a logical, organized and coherent manner, Turn taking, Write cleary and effectively
Creativity & Problem Solving
Able to identify and define the problem, Capable of generating possible solutions, Communicate the problem to appropriate personnel, Improvise, Provide relevant expertise, Select and implement well-considered solution
Teamwork
Derive consensus, Develop constructive working relationships and maintain them over time, Establish a high degree of trust and credibility with others, Interact professionally and respectfully with supervisors and co-workers, Stay positive and outcome oriented, Use appropriate strategies and solutions for dealing with conflicts and differences to maintain a smooth workflow
Decisions
Accepts responsibility, Anticipate the consequences of decisions, Identify and prioritize the key issues involved to facilitate the decision making process, Involve people appropriately in decisions that may impact them, Quickly respond with a back-up plan if a decision goes amiss
Tools
Carefully consider which tools or technological solutions are appropriate for a given job, Consistently choose the best tool or technological solution for the problem at hand, Operate tools and equipment in accordance with established operating procedures, safety standards, and ethical guidelines, Seek opportunities to improve knowledge of tools and technologies that may assist in streamlining work and improving productivity
Planning
Able to prioritize various competing tasks, Create environment of contribution, Create plan of action, schedule tasks so that work is completed on time, Demonstrate the effective allocation of time and resources efficiently, Drive decision making, Effectively delegate tasks, Facilitate group planning, Set goals
Service
Be pleasant, courteous, professional and respectful when dealing with internal and external customers or clients, Evaluate customer or client satisfaction, Honor the privilege of being able to work with and for those being served, Provide personalized, prompt, and efficient service to meet the requirements, requests and needs of customers, Recognize the importance of maintaining privacy and confidentiality of those being served, Understand and anticipate the needs of others, Understand the importance of one's role in the functioning of the organization, Understand the significance of maintaining a healthful and safe environment