Consultant contracts: Garden Education Facilitator

Our garden and environmental education program, Ça pousse!, is currently looking for a Garden Education Facilitator to be part of our team of consultants who give our garden education workshops at local public schools. Ça pousse! is part of The Depot CFC’s urban agriculture stream and brings engaging and inspiring garden and environmental education to elementary and secondary students enrolled in our partnering schools across CDN-NDG. We also build, install and maintain learning gardens in educational spaces. The urban agriculture consultant team is supported by the program coordinator as well as by The Depot's urban agriculture team.

Key Responsibilities :

• Facilitate urban agriculture workshops, both in the classroom and in parent-child garden sessions;
• Review, understand and provide feedback on Ça pousse! workshop content and materials;
• Pick-up and return workshop materials to and from the Depot each workshop day;
• Maintain good working relationships with partnering schools’ staff;
• Participate in two Ça pousse! orientation and reflection events per year;
• Occasionally support simple garden bed construction and installation projects for schools.

Required profile :

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with a strong sense of collaboration;
• Self-motivated and able to work both autonomously and within a team;
• Strong knowledge of and experience in urban agriculture or horticulture, with the ability to share this knowledge in gardens and school contexts;
• Demonstrated skills in group facilitation across age group, particularly with children and youth, as well as adults, seniors, and individuals experiencing food insecurity, etc.;
• Experience and/or strong interest in creating safe learning environments and collaborating for a just and ecological future;
• Fluent in French, both written and spoken;
• Experience in developing and maintaining good relationships with partners;
• Interest and/or experience in group dynamics, conflict resolution or nonviolent communication approaches;
• Must have a valid driver's license.

Other assets (useful but not required)

• Understanding of food systems and/or food security issues;
• Basic understanding of, or familiarity with, school / teacher / classroom contexts;
• Experience or familiarity with constructing simple installations in urban gardens;
• Experience or strong interest in effective community organizing, including engagement, popular education and participatory program design;
• Proficiency in English, written and oral, as we work with some schools in the English school board;
• Comfort driving a cube truck (regular driving license).