Forge Garden Program Coordinator

How to Apply

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https://www.sustainabilityservicecorps.org/

Title of Position: Forge Garden Program Coordinator

Location: The Forge Garden (Santa Clara, CA)

Work Environment: On Site

Term: March-August 2025; 900 hours, 6 months; 40 hours/week

Living Allowance Stipend: $2,838.91/month

Education Award: $3,697.50 upon program completion

Benefits: Free healthcare coverage (w/dental & mental health), Education Award, student loan forbearance, child care allowance, CalFresh, professional development budget, industry networking.

Personal Vehicle required? No

Working with minors? No

ABOUT THE HOST PARTNER

The Center for Sustainability's Forge Garden at Santa Clara University is a half-acre certified organic garden that serves as a hub for sustainable food system education and practice for university students, staff, and faculty, and the local community. The Forge Garden’s programs aim to build a just and sustainable food system through education, collaboration, and connectivity, using the garden as a living lab for interdisciplinary learning. Our goals are to educate the SCU and surrounding communities by using our gardens as a living lab for place-based, interdisciplinary learning, to build community resilience by produce donation, food education, farm stand operation, and neighborhood collaboration, and further a sustainable food system by utilizing ancestral and innovative, small-scale sustainable agriculture practices.

Position Overview & Description

Our mission is to model sustainable urban agriculture and serve as an educational community space to provide tools and knowledge equipping students, SCU employees, and neighbors to engage with their food system. We are currently growing our programs to focus on community resilience through events such as community seed exchanges and donation-based plant sales. The Fellow will play a key role in ensuring the expansion, success, and measurement of these programs through widening our engagement with our community. To be specific, the Fellow will engage our campus and community with sustainable food systems through garden production, food-focused events, and educational outreach. The Coordinator will have a hand in ensuring the success of our garden’s organic production activities and volunteer drop-in volunteer hours, food security programs (e.g., donation-based farmstand, Nourish Nights (free meals for students)), and educational outreach (e.g., developing educational content around sustainable food systems). Projects include:

1. Developing online educational content about sustainable food systems 
1. Create educational social media posts and information for our website, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Topics would include, but are not limited to, composting, sustainable agriculture, organic practices, food justice, community resilience, sustainable food systems, plant-based eating, and organic gardening. 
2. Work with the garden manager to create a content calendar with goals at the beginning of each quarter. 
3. Work with the garden manager, director of sustainability, and communications manager for the Center for Sustainability on ongoing projects. 
4. Track engagement through our social media platforms.

1. Support sustainable food systems programs.
1. Support programs including our Farm Stand (donation-based and open to the public), Nourish Nights (free-meal program for students to address food insecurity), educational Workshops (free workshops for the public to learn about sustainability practices like home gardening, plant-based cooking, and composting) as well as community events such as the Community Seed Swap and Plant Sale. 
2. Be trained on standard operating procedures for each program with mentorship from the garden manager through opportunities to shadow, and gain more independence with program implementation.
3. Collaborate with the garden manager and the student employees (apprentices) that work in the garden during the school year. 
4. Track attendance and engagement with these programs and plan to increase unique participants and recurring engagement over time.

Responsibilities

• Create an educational content calendar for the Forge garden
• Create educational content and post on Forge social media and LinkedIn
• Research topics such as composting, sustainable agriculture, organic practices, food justice, community resilience, sustainable food systems, plant-based eating, and organic gardening.
• Coordination of posting educational content aligning with the season and Forge happenings
• On-site support of programs like the Farm Stand, Nourish Nights, and volunteer hours
• Work alongside the garden manager and garden student team to complete daily garden tasks.
• Taking photos and videos of garden practices and programs
• Attend meetings with the Center for Sustainability staff
• Attend partnership meetings with other organizations (e.g. Urban Growers Network)
• Option for a special project based on fellow’s interest (examples: leading a workshop of their choice or research project)

Desired Qualifications

• Experience and knowledge of: Community Outreach, Environmental Education, Environmental Justice, Gardening Best Practices, Marketing/Social Media, Volunteer Management.
• Experience farming/gardening using organic practices. 
• Experience leading volunteers and community engagement preferred. 
• Knowledge of sustainable food systems, food justice and community engagement
• Ability to self-direct tasks/self-starter, good problem solving abilities. 
• Leadership experience is a plus. 
• Commitment to diversity and inclusion
• Must be able and willing to work evenings and/or weekends when needed (~1-3x per month)
• Ability to work independently on projects either on a computer or outside in the garden.

Fellowship Experience 

The Forge Garden and its parent program, Santa Clara University’s Center for Sustainability, have almost two decades of experience supervising and mentoring emerging or transitioning sustainability leaders. Our mentorship approach is two-fold: 1) to train employees to develop the knowledge, skills, and abilities to be change agents for building a just, humane, and sustainable world through their roles and communities and 2) to set up our employees for success by scaffolding their work and increasing responsibility and autonomy throughout their employment. We offer ongoing professional development training which includes social and environmental justice. We expect our employees to take personal pride in their work and to be committed to ongoing learning. We are dedicated to providing a safe place to learn from mistakes.

The garden is one of the only places on campus that serves both the SCU and local community. The garden is a lush ecosystem and food-producing space with established facilities including a solar-powered office with a restroom, kitchen, and multiple workstations. The garden and our team create a special welcoming atmosphere. The garden is full of fruit trees, garden beds, native plants, flowers, and animal life. There’s plenty of seating and gathering spaces throughout the garden. The Fellow will also have access to organic produce, flowers, and eggs from the garden. As far as transportation, the garden site is 1 block away from the Santa Clara CalTrain station which is a major hub for VTA.

The Fellow will have networking opportunities through connecting with local organizations such as the Urban Growers Network and other collaborative events with South Bay Food Justice and environmental education organizations. The fellow will join summer interns on off-site field trips to learn from local farmers and other food justice organizations. The Garden Manager will work with this fellow to develop other opportunities for professional development and community connections based on their interest.

ABOUT US

Sustainability Service Corps (SSC) is a bridge-to-career AmeriCorps Fellowship program that delivers professional development to emerging climate protection leaders who implement projects related to sustainability, education, and community engagement for municipalities, nonprofits, schools, and disadvantaged communities across California. 

Upon completion of the term, SSC Fellows receive a Segal Education Award of up to $7,395.00 in return for your service. You can use the award to repay qualified student loans and to pay current educational expenses at eligible institutions of higher education and training programs. Fellows who complete a 1700-hour term also receive a California For All Award of $2,605.00 for educational expenses.

Eligibility

• AmeriCorps Requirements
• Be a citizen, national, or lawful permanent resident of the United States*
• Ability to pass FBI, CA Department of Justice, out-of-state (if applicable), and National Sex Offender Public Registry background checks prior to service

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• Sustainability Service Corps Requirements
• At least 18 years of age
• Test negatively for tuberculosis if working with minors
• Adhere to COVID-19 vaccination or testing requirements determined by host organization
• Live in the state of California
• Commitment to the full term of service
• Capability to work in a professional office or field setting 
• Strong verbal and written communication and teamwork skills

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• Preferred Qualifications
• Passion for community-oriented climate change solutions and interest in launching a career in sustainability
• Experience with, or training in, climate science, sustainability, environmental justice, education, community outreach, and project management
• Past service experience (e.g., volunteering, community service, etc.)
• Associates degree or above AND/OR relevant experience
• Being local to the community where you will serve

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Statement

Bay Area Community Resources, the administrator of Sustainability Service Corps, is an equal opportunity employer. We cultivate an environment that encourages fairness, teamwork, and respect among all employees and National Service members. We are firmly committed to maintaining an atmosphere in which people of diverse backgrounds and lifestyles may grow personally and professionally. Therefore, we enthusiastically accept our responsibility to make employment decisions without regard to race, religion or religious creed, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, marital status, medical condition, disability, military service, pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local laws or ordinances. Our management is dedicated to ensuring the fulfillment of this equal opportunity policy with respect to hiring, placement, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, recruitment advertising, pay, and other forms of compensation, training, and general treatment during employment.