Organic & sustainable gardening/ farming/ horticulture

Contract position: Britannia šxʷqʷeləwən ct Indigenous Gardener
Organization: Grandview Woodland Food Connection at Britannia Community Centre
Location: Grandview Woodland Neighbourhood, Vancouver BC

The Grandview Woodland Food Connection at Britannia Community Centre is cultivating a connection to the land, food-growing knowledge, and skills throughout our garden programs. We work with students and community members in our 10,000+ sq. ft. garden areas where folks can gain hands-on food-growing experience and ecological knowledge, while providing freshly grown veggies and fruits for various school and community food programs. The šxʷqʷeləwən ct (One heart, one mind) garden surrounding the Carving Pavilion, is a garden full of Indiogenous plants that have cultural, medicinal, household, and food uses. The close-by Nexway̓s wa lh7áy̓nexw (Transformed Life) Garden provides learning and growing space for students and community members as well as rentable community plots where we can grow food with our neighbours. We also steward the ¿uuqinak’uuh Grandview Elementary School Garden, where we use land-based education to help students grow and flourish.

The Grandview Woodland Food Connection at Britannia is looking for a dedicated gardener to help care for our gardens and engage meaningfully with our community. With support from a team, the Britannia šxʷqʷeləwən ct Indigenous Gardener is responsible for the overall care, maintenance, and development of Britannia’s Indigenous Food Gardens, which are learning gardens and community gathering spaces. The successful candidate will also be responsible for the development and delivery of school garden lessons and community garden sessions. The Britannia šxʷqʷeləwən ct Indigenous Gardener will be working collaboratively with our Garden Educator to connect students and community members to Indigenous ways of knowing; this ensures that Indigenous cultural learning is embedded in all activities and celebrations.

Candidates who feel they have limited experience are encouraged to apply! The successful candidate is someone who brings with them a passion for learning, and eagerness to grow, an interest in supporting food dignity, and a commitment to realizing their vision though creativity and determination. We are happy to support the right candidate grow into this role. We are committed to recruiting a diverse workforce that represents the community we so proudly serve. Indigenous applicants, people of colour, all genders, LGBT2Q+ and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Accommodations will be provided upon request during the selection process.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

The successful candidate will:

• Be responsible for a variety of garden horticultural tasks including digging, planting, weeding, pruning, cultivating, fertilizing, sweeping, and clearing pathways; waste management such as composting.
• Work collaboratively with Grandview Elementary teachers to develop and deliver interactive, land-based learning curriculum, with a focus on Indigenous plants and cultural knowledge.
• Engage and build relationships with students of all ages through creative and adaptable methods to accommodate for different learning styles and needs.
• Be the point-person to answer a variety of horticultural and recreational questions from community members.
• Organize and coordinate volunteer work parties and events, including Garden Skillshares, drop-in volunteer garden work parties, workshops, and other engagement activities.
• Conduct community outreach to draw volunteers and foster a welcoming environment.
• Facilitate and sometimes co-facilitate student-led salad bar sessions and hands-on garden lessons for Grandview Elementary students and work with Britannia Secondary & StreetFront students in the garden. Class sizes vary from 10 – 25 students.
• Communicate with teachers, partners, and community members by email.
• Report to/be supervised by the Community Food Security Coordinator.
• Be responsible for additional duties as required.

Desired Knowledge and Experience:

• Some work experience in basic labour.
• Some training and/or experience in horticulture.
• Sound knowledge of safe work procedures and the tools, materials and equipment used in urban and Indigenous agriculture work.
• Some knowledge of organic and sustainable gardening and farming practices and Indigenous plant care, with a desire to learn more.
• Knowledge of local Indigenous Nations (xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh)) and Coast Salish protocols.
• Knowledge and understanding of current and historical Indigenous issues, cultures, practices, Indigenous cultural safety, cultural humility, Indigenous-specific racism, anti-racism, equity, diversity, inclusion, and Indigenous worldview is required.

Desired Skills and Abilities:

• Ability to perform heavy manual tasks throughout the year in all weather conditions.
• Ability to lift, push and pull heavy objects; ability to walk or stand continuously with frequent bending or twisting; ability to work close to moving machinery and in high traffic areas; ability to work on ladders, and on uneven surfaces; ability to use a variety of tools and equipment.

• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively with a team.
• Ability to creatively adapt activities and respond to emerging needs of students and community members.
• Strong communication skills, both oral and written.
• Ability to collaborate with diverse groups, including marginalized and vulnerable community members (must pass a criminal record check).

Hours: Flexible work hours that will change depending on the needs of the garden and the community. The hours will vary with the season, with a maximum of 16 hours per week in the growing season (March-October), and a maximum of 8 hours per week in the off season (November-February). In spring 2025, community garden sessions are scheduled for Sundays, and school garden lessons are scheduled for Wednesdays (April, May, June) and Fridays (March).

Compensation: $32 per hour (contract position)

Term: March 3, 2025 – March 31, 2026, with the opportunity to extend based on pending funding.

Work Location: Britannia Community Centre & Grandview Elementary School Garden

To Apply:

Please email your resume and a cover letter by February 7th, 2025 to Ruth Elizabeth Briggs (she/her) at gwfcnetwork@gmail.com . Your cover letter should speak to your connection with community, relationship to the land, and garden knowledge, and can be in any format (formal, informal, point-form, graphic) you want.

Please mention you saw this at GoodWork.ca.

We will review all applications after the deadline and are planning to host interviews the week of February 17th, 2025.