Garden Operations Coordinator, Methodist Community Garden

Position Description 

The Coordinator of the University United Methodist (UUMe) Church Community Garden is responsible for stewarding the garden and guiding the direction and intention of the space in partnership with the communities served by the garden. This will include working closely with members of the church congregation, volunteers and participants of the garden, the community of people who are experiencing houselessness, other neighbors and long term residents of Isla Vista, other interns, IV Community Services District, the Edible Campus Program, and other partners. We are looking for someone who is collaborative, a good listener, and who is skillful at empowering and engaging this diverse group of partners in envisioning and implementing the garden. 

The Garden Coordinator’s primary responsibilities are to oversee all aspects of vegetable growing, garden maintenance, harvesting, litter pick up around the garden, identifying volunteer needs, Identifying infrastructure and maintenance needs, and overall ensuring that the garden runs smoothly and continues to thrive. 

There will be a Garden Outreach Intern who will work with this position to host volunteer events. The Coordinator will need to identify tasks and help train volunteers. The outreach intern will help recruit volunteers and support the Garden Coordinator in running volunteer activities.  

The Garden Coordinator will also support the Outreach Intern in the planning of workshops and educational programs. This will require helping the outreach intern to identify what will be growing at the time of different outreach events. Assessing if the garden can support the types of lesson plans being suggested by the Outreach Intern, etc. 

Lastly the Garden Coordinator will be expected to attend meetings of the Edible Campus Program and engage in interfaith collaborations on gardening. The Coordinator will meet weekly with their advisor(s) for review of tasks and mentorship. The Garden Coordinator will also be expected to be responsive to email requests for information and coordination.

The Garden Coordinator will have mentorship and advising on a weekly basis from professional staff.

Minimum Requirements

-Basic knowledge of gardening and/or farming
-A passion for the wellbeing of people and the environment
-An interest in local food production and food security issues
-An ethic of thrift and creative eye for repurposing materials
-A comfortability with working both independently and in groups
-Good communication skills and a willingness to engage with strangers
-Willingness to ask questions and get help from mentors in the community 
-Comfortable working closely with people who are without a permanent house
-Respectful when working with people who may have different political, cultural, or religious practices than your own.
-Must be a current UCSB student and also enrolled for the 2024-2025 academic year. 
-Not graduating before June 2025 or planning to go abroad in the 24-25 academic year.  
-Committed to the internship until at least June 2025.
-Must be able to work physically onsite from Spring 2024 through early June 2025.
-Must be available to work in Isla Vista in Summer 2024.
-Must take safety precautions seriously and be dedicated to both following safe practices and also ensuring other garden members use safe practices.
-Must be able to lift and carry an object up to 40 lbs.

Preferred (but not Required) Qualifications

Multi-lingual (please let us know in your cover letter what languages you speak). 
Notes on availability/schedule: 

Expectation is 12-15hrs a week 
Students will need to attend weekly meetings with their advisor and with other interns in the Edible Campus Program. These will be scheduled each quarter based on everyone’s class schedules and balancing the needs of everyone involved.
Student should be available on Sunday late morning/early afternoons as that is the time we tend to get the most volunteers from the congregation.
Most other shifts can be set by the student themselves, but will mostly need to be day light hours.