Farm to School Specialist Members will serve as the main liaison between the schools and the community. Their goal is to build up the capacity of their local community to support farm to school programming through direct service and capacity building.
Service Activities
Member Duties
- Develop and implement nutrition education programs for 4k-12th grade students
- Assist with creating and implementing farm to school programming to improve school food environments through…
- Local procurement education and action plans
- School gardens and associated curriculum
- Menuing local foods in school meal programs
- Local food taste tests
- Farmer visits or field trips
- Recruit and mobilize community volunteers to increase the program’s capacity
- Coordinate and facilitate a farm to school task force/coalition/committee to promote program sustainability
- Plan or participate in several community events to promote farm to school programming
Additional Member Duties
- Collaborate with other Members to create a statewide network
- Administer program various program surveys
- Collect data and track program performance
- Attend training to support their roles
- Submit timesheets on a biweekly basis
- Participate in at least one National Service Day
Community Need Addressed
AmeriCorps Farm to School members will work to combat obesity in high need communities through farm to school activities such as nutrition and garden education, introduction of local fresh foods into schools, increasing knowledge of food sources, and encouraging orientation to a healthy food environment for Wisconsin youth.
Position Outcomes
Through the service of AmeriCorps members hosted at host sites around Wisconsin members will reach 6,000 students with nutrition and garden education, connect local farmers to schools, introduce at fresh local foods to schools, organize a local Farm to School task force to assist in carrying out farm to school activities, and build or maintain school garden.
Benefits
Childcare assistance if eligible, Education award upon successful completion of service, Health coverage, Living allowance, Student loan forbearance, Training
• Attendance to a professional conference
• Ongoing professional development opportunities and training
Skills you will gain
An understanding of developing curriculum, knowledge of farm to school activities and what it takes to deliver them, event planning, communicating with school staff, nutrition knowledge, garden/agricultural knowledge, classroom management, time management, media promotion, organizational skills, elevator speeches, networking techniques
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