Announcement

The Traditional Ecological Knowledge Workforce Development Project is a new five-year educational initiative that provides paid internships for Native American adults in the Salem area, including Marion County. This project has been developed to assist Native Americans and other underrepresented students of color who are interested in accomplishing meaningful career pathways into horticulture and/or agriculture career fields.

This project is being developed by the Native American nonprofit corporation, Elderberry Wisdom Farm, whose team has evolved culturally tailored multimedia curriculum since 2012 that is compatible with Native American learning styles. Classroom education along with experiential learning and mentoring activities will be provided in a setting tailored for Native American as well as Alaskan Native, Hawaiian Islander and Pacific Islander students. The class starts in Fall 2021.

Position Description

Elderberry Wisdom Farm is inviting qualified individuals to apply for the TEK Educator/Crew Leader position. The successful candidate will work part-time with the Project Director from April through December 2021 with an opportunity to expand their role through 2025. The successful candidate will work with the Project Director to:

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• Review and revise culturally-tailored multimedia curriculum that shares traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) of Native elders, cultural leaders and indigenous scientists. Our career pathway planning toolkit is being developed which integrates TEK lesson plans with workforce readiness, health and wellness resiliency and mentoring instruction in the classroom. When combined with experiential activities on the 2-acre farm in rural Marion County and in its greenhouse, this will prepare the cohort of eight interns to pursue culturally meaningful career pathways into horticultural or agricultural fields.
   

• Increase communications with tribes, native organizations, schools and government agencies that will ensure efficient outreach as we recruit Native American students (year 1) and underrepresented students of color (years 2-5)
   

• Help provide 64 hours of traditional ecological knowledge classroom education; and 64 hours of experiential learning activities at the farm over 12 weeks in the fall of 2021
   

• Mentor the cohort of 8 Native students in y-1 and strengthen their mentoring skills so they can serve as exemplary role models to interns in subsequent years (years 2-5)
   

• Document the impact of activities using pre-post surveys and other qualitative research; and support continuous improvement of the initiative through responsible project administration

Preferred Qualifications

• Past experience working with the Native American community (individuals who are members of Oregon tribes are especially encouraged to apply)

• Willingness to follow guidelines in Elderberry Farm Internship Policy Manual that support the organization’s adherence to traditional Native American cultural values; serve as a positive role model/mentor to interns; demonstrate respect for team while working as equal partners; and follow policies and procedures that will assure success of the project and accomplishments of the interns

• Experience teaching traditional ecological knowledge (TEK); teaching native plant id and propagation in the classroom and the field; understanding and sharing environmental science, habitat restoration, land stewardship and natural resource concepts from a Native perspective

• Experience providing experiential outdoor service learning activities as a crew leader; awareness of repopulating the local landscape with Native plant species, especially threatened and/or endangered traditional First Foods species while reducing populations of invasive species; ability to safely use and maintain a variety of greenhouse and horticulture equipment, tools and inventory (hand tools, shovels, rakes, loppers, hoses, irrigation equipment etc.)

• Ability to work indoors and outdoors standing, walking, climbing, lifting, and carrying objects; work in various weather conditions from hot, dry and dusty to cold and rainy; work around heavy equipment; and in areas with poison oak, stinging nettles, and other plant species

• Demonstrated experience using positive written and oral communications in a respectful and professional demeanor with co-workers, supervisor, board members, partners and volunteers; commitment to complete tasks while sometimes working independently with minimal supervision; experience writing reports with a team of staff, interns and partners

• Ability to train interns to become emerging researchers so they can develop basic research documents that will successfully communicate the impact of their work

• Basic computer skills (MS Word, MS Excel, MS PPt) are required

• High school diploma or higher education; valid driver’s license and a good driving record

Start Date:  April 1, 2021 - December 31, 2021 with an opportunity to continue through 2025

Compensation: $18,000 ($2,000 @ 9 months at .66 FTE plus percentage for a health plan)

Email a cover letter and resume, to rose@elderberrywisdom.org. If you have questions, feel free to go to our website:  www.elderberrywisdom.org.