3a97 Southwestern University: OCE Opportunity Board

Office of Civic Engagement

Job Posting: SU Garden Civic Engagement Learning Teaching Assistant

  • News Image
    Vanessa Toro harvesting some Swiss chard
    courtesy of Austin Statesman photographer

The Office of Civic Engagement (OCE) seeks to hire one new student worker to fill a position that will be vacated in the spring. The position involves strengthening current projects and developing new partnerships for the SU Community Garden.



CIVIC ENGAGEMENT LEARNING TEACHING ASSISTANT (CELTA)

 

Candidates must submit a resumé and answers to the following questions to Dr. Sarah Brackmann (brackmas@southwestern.edu) by December 25, 2012.

 

Through the Civic Engagement Learning Teaching Assistant position, the OCE hopes to assist the Southwestern Community Garden in developing collaborative food gardening, food sharing, and food education initiatives while promoting food autonomy within the community.

 

CELTAs support civic engagement pedagogy by supporting faculty involved in community-engaged learning. CELTA’s assist faculty members with the implementation of community-engaged learning and liaison with the community. CELTAs participate in ongoing training and reflection sessions, and develop skills in project management, communication, facilitation, and community-building.

 

The Garden CELTA’s key responsibilities will include:

  • Leading Thursday/Saturday SU Garden volunteer days
  • Developing and maintaining a network of community partners. Currently, the CELTAs work closely with the WBCO Meals on Wheels Program. Other community partnerships could also include:
  • Williamson County  Master Gardeners
  • Heritage Gardeners of the Williamson County & Cities Health District
  • Boys and Girls Club
  • the local school district
  • the Nest
  • Organizing initiatives to involve the campus community in garden programs.
  • Planning and promoting campus garden activities and programs.
  • Working with student organizations to develop plots or garden projects whose yield will be donated to the greater community

 

Other areas of focus may include: grant writing; harvesting and donating produce to Meals on Wheels senior center; organizing garden workshops on campus and for Boys and Girls Club; and coordinating with various campus organizations and partners to maintain the operation of the composting program. It is important to note that this is meant to be an outline of possible roles which a SU Garden CELTA can take with this position. Please contact Joey Kyle kylej@southwestern.edu if you have inquiries about the job position.

 

The Coordinator will report to Dr. Joshua Long and Dr. Sarah Brackmann, the Director of the Office of Civic Engagement, and will work collaboratively with a fellow CELTA. The CELTA must have the organizational skills, a strong commitment to the job responsibilities detailed above, and the ability to work autonomously and in a professional manner.  Ideal candidates for this position will have already displayed commitment to the SU community garden as a volunteer, possess excellent interpersonal, organizational and written communication skills, and must be able to provide concrete examples of successful, self-directed, project management work (through a previous job or leadership experience). It would be preferable for the prospective CELTA to be available on campus the weekend before school begins for job training purposes. Also, as a CELTA you will participate in biweekly training and reflection sessions throughout the semester.

 

The Coordinator will be compensated at the Tier II student worker rate ($7.65/hour) and can work an average of 10 hours per week (up to 150 hours throughout the semester).

 

The following questions will be used as a “preflection” for prospective CELTAs and should be typed on a separate sheet in no more than 3 pages:

 

  1. What skills, strengths and interests do you possess that will aid in the SU Community Garden CELTA position? What skills or interests would you like to develop through the CELTA position?
  2. What particular aspects of what the SU Community Garden is currently doing do you see yourself plugging into and continuing to develop?
  3. Describe your experience with community-engaged learning, community service, and/or work with nonprofit organizations and how you have been impacted personally, academically, and professionally.
  4. What do you hope to learn by serving as an SU Community Garden CELTA?

 

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