Position posting: Ag & youth community navigator
Tapestry Farms, a nonprofit urban farm system that invests in refugees who live in the Quad Cities, is hiring a year-round community navigator to lead our seasonal vegetable urban farm system and mentor refugee youth and young adults.
This community navigator will:
Lead our seasonal vegetable-growing urban farm system
Manage a two- to three-person crew composed of refugee teens/young adults in a job training model
Host volunteer groups of 5-20 people to help prep, plant, weed, water, harvest, and dismantle plots
Be willing to learn about, or use current skills related to, regenerative agriculture, specifically tarping, cover crops, no till, and organic practices
Plan crops for the growing season across eight plots in Davenport, Bettendorf, Rock Island - includes seed purchase, growing starter plants, determination of crop placement
Serve as a liaison between property owners and Tapestry Farms
Manage prep, watering, weeding, and care of crops throughout season
Partner with Tapestry Farms colleagues on upgrades to improve efficiency and productivity, including drip irrigation and a pollinator/native plantings project in 2024
Learn and manage proper food safety practices for harvest, washing, packaging, storing, and delivery
Deliver produce to customers with refrigerated delivery van, including to food pantries and schools
Lead fall activities to prepare for winter
Mentor Tapestry Farms youth/young adults
Assist with school registration, as well as connecting school with home
Work with medical community navigator to ensure kids are up-to-date with medical and dental care
Organize and implement social activities
Connect students and families with school-based therapy
Gather youth together for tutoring with volunteers
Assist teens with getting their driver’s permits, completing driver’s education, and obtaining their driver’s license
Assist youth applying for their first jobs
Help youth transitioning to adulthood with determining the path ahead, and then finishing the steps necessary to make that happen
This is a 30-40-hour per week position, $18-$20 an hour paid every other week, with medical, dental, vision, life, short- and long-term disability insurance benefits after 30 days; 401(k) with up to 3 percent match after two months; $300 annual cell phone reimbursement; 160 hours of PTO per year; 12 paid holidays; a commitment to training and development; a casual attire environment; and mileage reimbursement at the current IRS rate. Hours are M-F, with the possibility of some weekends. We mean it when we say we are a flexible workplace, and that we care for staff as humans first. We are not in the office very much - we are out with our people.
Requirements
High school diploma
Previous experience working with youth and/or growing food
Ability to pass a background check, and have work privileges in the U.S.
Valid driver’s license and car insurance, with a car that can be used to transport clients and the occasional crate of tomatoes
Comfort driving our farm truck and refrigerated delivery van
Cultural humility and ability to work with people from a variety of backgrounds
Ability to use or learn specific job-related technology
Clear and concise oral and written communications skills, and understanding of how to advocate for clients
Capacity to work independently and interdependently
Organized
Flexibility, patience, grace, kindness, positive attitude, and persistence
Willingness to understand that we are not a typical organization, and the unexpected is the expected, every single day - adaptability is vital
Preferences
At least some college study in the areas including horticulture, agriculture, social work, counseling, education, human services, leisure studies, or other similar fields
Knowledge of trauma-informed care
Speak a language common in the Quad Cities refugee community, such as Swahili, Dari, Pashto, Spanish, Haitian Creole, and Arabic
To apply, please submit a cover letter, resume, and contact information for three professional references to Ann McGlynn, executive director, ann@tapestryfarms.org.