Open Positions

And, much as I hate posting twice in one day (when I could be saving things up for days when I guiltily realize I have nothing to blog about) tomorrow is Coastal Cleanup Day, and I’d like to do my small bit in getting the word out about these open positions.

First, there are two open positions on the WPCP Community Advisory Group, one representing Saratoga and one Campbell. We’ve had some members move away, and so these two cities have lost their voice on the CAG. If you live in Saratoga or Campbell, and you’re interested in applying, contact Kristen Yasukawa. Kristen works for the Environmental Services department for the City of San José, and will coordinate the process of filling the vacancies, but the individual cities are responsible for nominating their own representatives.

And Veggielution has several paid positions through the large Health Trust grant we’re a part of. Along those lines, we’ve sold 16 tickets for the dinner so far (which helps pay for our share of these salaries,) and I’m starting to see the names of people on the list whom I haven’t personally asked, nice though it is to know that my friends are coming to the event. (In case you haven’t yet, here’s the link for tickets.)

About Silicon Valley Health Corps:

School and community gardens promote healthier eating and physical activity while enhancing civic engagement and our sense of community. They are a proven solution to the obesity epidemic, making nutritious food and physical activity more readily available to people of all ages. In an innovative new partnership, The Health Trust has joined together with AmeriCorps and ten local organizations to form theSilicon Valley HealthCorps. The goal of this collaboration is to use gardens, farm to school programs and the work of 46 AmeriCorps volunteers to bring fresh fruits, vegetables and education to residents of Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.
Click here to learn more.

Overview of Veggielution:

Veggielution operates a 1 acre farm at Emma Prusch Farm Park in San Jose. We empower youth and adults from diverse backgrounds to create a sustainable food system in San Jose. Our urban farm engages the community by providing access to healthy and local food, creating youth leadership opportunities, and developing creative solutions to social and environmental justice issues. The food we grow is donated, taken home by volunteers, and either sold at our Farmstand at an affordable cost or, to local restaurants. Most of the farm work gets done during our volunteer workdays which are held at least twice per week and are open to the community.
veggielution.org

Full Time Members

You will facilitate an afterschool and a summer program for high school youth, ensuring that participants have a positive experience as they learn about teamwork, diversity, agriculture, and social justice and environmental issues. You will help plan, set up, and facilitate open community workdays at least twice per week. You will also help with daily farm duties, especially things that we can’t do during workdays with a large group. This will require that you become familiar with the basic operations of the farm. In addition, you will help maintain a flock of egg laying hens. Other duties will include administrative record keeping and some community outreach.

Program Location: San Jose, CA
Program Type: AmeriCorps
Program Start/End Date: September 2009 to August 2010
Accepting Applications: Open until filled
Number of Open Positions: 2
Work Schedule: Sunday – Thursday (subject to change)
Service Area: Health
Length of Tour: 12 months
Skill Requirements: Experience with High School Students, strong leadership and initiative, organized
Education Req: High School Graduate
Language Req.: Bilingual a plus, but not required
Program Benefits: Free produce, Americorps living stipend and education award
Please direct inquiries to Katie Smith or (408) 961-9899

Community Education Quarter Time Members

This position is focused primarily on educating the community. You will schedule and help facilitate workshops for community members on various cooking and gardening topics. You will also help set up and run the weekly Farmstand on site. You will recruit and retain new volunteers through our website, email, facebook, flyer distribution, and tabling.

Program Location: San Jose, CA
Program Type: AmeriCorps
Program Start/End Date:
Accepting Applications: Open until filled
Number of Open Positions: 2
Work Schedule: Approx 14 hrs per week, Sundays required, other hours flexible
Service Area: Health
Length of Tour: Sep 2009 to June 2010
Skill Requirements: Strong verbal and written communication skills
Education Req: High School Graduate
Language Req.:Bilingual a plus, but not required
Program Benefits: Free produce, Americorps living stipend and education award
Please direct inquiries to Katie Smith or (408) 961-9899

Farming Quarter Time Members

This position is focused primarily on farm work. You will help plan, set up, and facilitate open community workdays at least twice per week. This includes scheduling volunteers that help lead workdays, becoming familiar with the basic workings of the farm, and researching materials needed. You will assist with some farm duties that must be done outside of the volunteer workdays. You will also help with record keeping and organizing the Farmstand.

Program Location: San Jose, CA
Program Type: AmeriCorps
Program Start/End Date:
Accepting Applications: Open until filled
Number of Open Positions: 2
Work Schedule: approx. 14 hrs per week, Sundays required, other hours flexible
Service Area: Health
Length of Tour: September 09 to June 09
Skill Requirements: leadership, creative problem solving
Education Req: High School Graduate
Language Req.: Bilingual a plus, but not required
Program Benefits: Free produce, Americorps living stipend and education award
Please direct inquiries to Katie Smith or (408) 961-9899

And finally, an excellent, inspiring article from Edible Manhattan about another chef who’s making a real difference in school lunches.