Short Description of your organization and mission: The overall goal of the Program in Sustainable Communities (SUS) is to educate undergraduate and graduate students in social aspects of sustainability, with the aim of training leaders who will help make social and environmental change happen.
Position Title: Climate Resilient Seed Systems: Impact Evaluation and Expansion
Slot Type: 900 total hours, 26 hours/week for 34 weeks.
Reports To: Alder Keleman Saxena
Location: Based in Tucson, AZ (with remote coordination and occasional visits to NAU in Flagstaff)
Primary Function/Purpose: This AmeriCorps member will play a key role in maintaining and expanding access to Native Seeds/SEARCH Free Seed Programs. The AmeriCorps member will also support community outreach and education efforts to include tabling, workshops, and educational material development in support of climate adapted agriculture and seed saving. Lastly, the member will support research and impact evaluations to better understand the role of community seed banks in seed and food security.
Major Responsibilities and Duties: The member’s time will be split 50/50 between work supporting Free Seed Program facilitation/outreach and community seed bank evaluation. Work will include fulfilling Community Seed Grant and Native American Free Seed requests, developing educational curriculum, supporting community outreach events, educational efforts, and site visits to community gardens. The member will play a key role in documenting community experiences with seed previously distributed, in accordance with methods/guidelines developed by site mentors. The AmeriCorps member may also occasionally support other related functions of NS/S, including distribution, cleaning and processing seed, and garden tasks as needed (sowing and/or harvesting seed, weeding gardens).
Member Benefits:
- Bi-weekly pre-tax living stipend while in service: $1,100.00
- Segal AmeriCorps Education award after successfully completing service: $3,697.50
- Student loan forbearance and interest repayment for qualifying federal student loans
- Professional development opportunities and training
Qualifications:
- Preferred skills: Experience with farming/gardening and/or seed-saving in the Southwest; experience with social science research including evaluation skills; Self-motivated and reliable.
Qualified individuals with disabilities and those from diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply. We provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals upon request.
For more information, contact:
AmeriCorps@nau.edu | 928-523-6395
To Apply: https://in.nau.edu/center-for-service-and-volunteerism/apply-americorps/