POSITION HAS BEEN FILLED
ARCD is looking for a curious, independent, and hard working person to be an AmeriCorps Service Member to serve as our Sustainable Agriculture Program Assistant. The AmeriCorps Member will help ARCD to advance local food and sustainable agriculture in our region by assisting in skills training for farmers, low-income community members, and youth. The position is a full-time, 1700 hour service position. To learn more about what it means to be an AmeriCorps Service Member, please visit https://www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps.
Main duties:
- In coordination with Project Director, organize workshops for farmers and gardeners: identify and book speakers; secure workshop locations–including on farms; prepare handouts and presentations; set up and break down the event location; recruit participants through print and online media; communicate clearly with participants and speakers via email and phone; ordering and distributing materials and supplies; and other duties as needed to keep our programs running smoothly. (30% of time)
- In coordination with Marketing Director and Project Director, create content for websites, social media, blogs and newsletters on a variety of topics but generally centered around sustainable agriculture and local food systems (25%)
- Oversee a gardening project in the community at a location of your choosing–options include at a school, community clinic, homeless shelter, etc. We have a wide network of contacts for you to choose from, but this will be your special project for your AmeriCorps. (25%)
- Create fun, educational projects for area children and youth centered around gardening, nutrition, and healthy exercise. (10%)
- Maintain the TNFarmLink website and help facilitate connections between farm landowners and land-seekers. (5%)
- Assist with the occasional ARCD event and fundraiser, including tabling at festivals; helping to organize Envirothon for high school FFA teams; and participating in Appalachian Fusion, our annual fundraiser dinner. (5%)
Skills needed:
- Familiarity with Microsoft products
- Familiarity with social media platforms, especially Facebook and Instagram
- Comfortability with public speaking
- Top notch writing and communication skills
- The ability to do independent research on topics you may not be familiar with currently (aka a lifelong learner)
Bonus Skills (not required but a plus to your application):
- Experience working in sustainable agriculture or a degree in an agricultural program
- Experience working with children and/or teenagers
- Familiarity with the following programs and websites: WordPress, Mailchimp, and Canva
- Experience with event planning
- Experience with grant writing
Other requirements:
- Must be able to pass a background check to work with children and youth, with no larceny or violent offenses.
- Must have a valid driver’s license
- Must have reliable transportation and be able to get to remote locations from Mountain City to Greeneville and sometimes beyond
- Must be able to walk and stand on uneven terrain such as pastureland, farms, gravel, etc. in possibly less than ideal weather conditions.
- Must be able to safely lift up to 50 lbs
- Must be able to work some evenings and weekends
Application Materials Required:
- Resume
- Cover letter
- One page writing sample (can be a blog post, press release, or other format, preferably on a topic related to local food or sustainable agriculture)
- Will request references only from top candidates
Compensation
- This is a full time AmeriCorps Position for 1700 hours of service. The living allowance for this position is $20,400.
- AmeriCorps education award of $6,095 upon completion of service (See details about this award here.)
How To Apply
- Please send application materials to Lexy at alexis@arcd.org with the subject line “AmeriCorps Position.”