New Roots Education and Outreach Specialist

Founded in 1933, The IRC is a leading nonsectarian, voluntary organization providing relief, protection and resettlement services for refugees and victims of oppression or violent conflict. One aspect of the IRC is to provide assistance to refugees resettling in the US. The IRC has been resettling refugees in Sacramento, California, for over 30 years, providing reception and placement services to newly arrived refugees. The office resettles over 700 refugees per year and provides numerous supplemental programs to assist refugees and IRC clients from their arrival and beyond.

IRC’s New Roots program in Sacramento is designed to assist refugees in reestablishing their ties to the land, celebrate their heritage, and nourish themselves and their neighbors by planting strong roots in their new communities. Through community gardening, nutrition education, and small-business farming, New Roots provides refugee families with the tools and training they need to grow healthy and affordable food and become food secure and self-sufficient. Across a network stretching from New York to Oakland, refugees are revitalizing urban spaces, sharing their farming know-how with their new neighbors and providing healthy, fresh food to their families and communities.

Job Overview/Summary:

Through the New Roots Program, the IRC provides refugees and their families with access to resources and training to build and maintain food security. The New Roots program is currently implementing three projects that are focused on food security through nutrition education and outreach with adults and with school aged children, community and school gardening, and food safety training for farmers. These activities will be based both in communities and in elementary schools. The Education and Outreach Specialist is responsible for developing curriculum to be used as part of nutrition education activities for both adults and elementary school children and for delivering this curriculum directly to clients. The position is also responsible for conducting outreach to refugee and immigrant populations participating in the New Roots activities and will assist with the development of surveys, evaluations, and the coordination of partners and stakeholders.

This is a full time (40 hours per week, year round) position located in the Sacramento, CA office, with frequent travel to community gardens, local schools, IRC’s farm and community partner sites.

Major Responsibilities:

1. Nutrition Education

- Develop curricula for adults on healthy foods and food preparation, healthy recipes, food access in the communities, and food literacy (reading nutrition labels) - Develop curricula for school aged children together with partners at local food bank on nutrition and healthy foods - Deliver nutrition education to the following groups: IRC clients as part of Cultural Orientation; school aged children at participating schools; adult refugees participating in the New Roots program and other IRC programs.

2. New Roots Program Outreach

- Develop social media content for program promotion, newsletter updates, and outreach to new clients & partner organizations. - Assist with outreach to immigrant and refugee communities on topics including food security, nutrition, food safety, markets, gardening, and general well-being and enroll new eligible participants in New Roots programming. - Support the Program Manager and Garden Coordinator to build and maintain relationships with various university, government, and community partners. - Get to know local coalitions and service providers working in nutrition and food security; participate in coalition events and trainings.

3. Community Garden Programming

- Oversee development of new gardens and expansion of existing gardens, including coordinating with stakeholders, planning build-outs, and supporting ongoing garden activities; - Enroll new clients at garden sites; regularly meet with gardeners and provide support and services; - Maintain up to date case files including client information forms and case logs; Regularly document services provided to participants in case files; - Coordinate and lead training and workshops held at garden sites; Engage participants at community garden sites and plan activities to equip clients with technical skills;

4. OTHER DUTIES

- Participate in staff development, meetings, and fully engage as a member of the New Roots team and the IRC Sacramento office; - Other duties as assigned.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: New Roots Program Manager Position directly supervises: Will supervise interns and volunteers assigned to this position

Indirect Reporting: N/A Other Internal and/or external contacts:.

Internal: Reception and Placement team for Cultural Orientation trainings, Safety and Wellness team for coordinating social programming to be provided in community gardens

External: Local food banks, local schools providing ESL classes to adults

Job Requirements:.

- - Bachelor’s Degree in Nutrition, Public Health, Agriculture/Horticulture or Environmental Sciences, Community Development, Communications, or related field; - Demonstrated experience developing curricula for programming including nutrition education, healthy food preparation, community gardening, food safety or other similar trainings - Demonstrated experience delivering trainings to participants from diverse cultural backgrounds and for whom English may not be their primary language - Understanding and experience in gardening skills , community garden operations and food safety on the farm and in the garden; - Strong organizational skills including: multi-tasking, prioritizing, planning, and effective time management - Strong interpersonal skills; ability to get along with a team and supervise volunteers; ability to teach, train, and engage wide audiences; Public speaking experience; - Strong communication skills, ability to communicate with limited-English speakers and community partners; - Fluency in written and spoken English, with bilingual ability preferred - Ability to safely lift light loads (35 lbs.) and physically demonstrate use of gardening/farming techniques and tools

Working Environment:

This position is based in the Sacramento, CA office and will work frequently in the community at local schools, with local food banks and at community gardens and the farm.

Salary Range: $25.51 - $26.30 / hr.

COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement****: In accordance with IRC’s duty to provide and maintain a workplace that is free of known hazards and our commitment to safeguard the health of our employees, clients, and communities, IRC requires new hires to furnish proof of vaccination against COVID-19 in order to be considered for any in-office or hybrid positions. All IRC US offices require full vaccination to attend any in-office functions (e.g., meetings, trainings).

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusivity****: IRC is committed to building a diverse organization and a climate of inclusivity. We strongly encourage applications from candidates who can demonstrate that they can contribute to this goal.

Equal Opportunity Employer****: We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

US Benefits: We offer a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits. In the US, these include: 10 sick days, 10 US holidays, 20-25 paid time off days depending on role and tenure, medical insurance starting at $120 per month, dental starting at $7 per month, and vision starting at $5 per month, FSA for healthcare and commuter costs, a 403b retirement savings plans with immediately vested matching, disability & life insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support counseling and care in times of crisis and mental health struggles.

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