Volunteer Opportunities: Outdoor Mentor to a Young Person & Board of Directors Positions

Urban Nature Partners PDX is thrilled to be adding an 11th cohort of outdoor-focused youth and mentor pairs to our program, building up our number of youth and families, especially in East Portland. Time spent outdoors provides crucial physical and mental well-being and healing for everyone, especially in the context of a trusted relationship-- and is so needed in the neighborhoods we serve. We are accepting new applications through May 15, 2023.

Donate an average of 10 hours of your time per month in your first year to start building a lasting relationship with a young person and their family, and the whole awesome community we've assembled together. Males, BIPOC folks, Spanish speakers, and anyone whose life experiences align with those of the youth we serve from marginalized, high poverty, and immigrant communities, are especially sought as mentor candidates.

**We are also recruiting new board members to join our team in spring 2023! If you're interested in contributing your talents behind the scenes instead to a grassroots, growing nonprofit that’s dedicated to youth empowerment and social and environmental justice, we'd love to hear from you.**

Find more information about both opportunities, and let us know your interest, here: http://urban-nature-partners.org/for-mentorssenior-partners

Grant Management Specialist, Upper Willamette Soil and Water Conservation District (Eugene, OR)

Outdoor School Field Instructors, YMCA Camp DeBoer (Ashland, OR)

POSITION SUMMARY: YMCA Camp DeBoer, located on the southeast shore of beautiful Lake of the Woods, is seeking applicants for our 5th and 6th grade residential spring Outdoor School. This engaging program enhances student’s connection to self, community, and nature through hands-on activities and explorations. All teaching materials and curriculum will be provided. Housing and meals are included as needed. Instructors must be on site by 8am and may return home after 5pm; however, you will be asked to stay one evening during each Outdoor School session (no additional compensation).

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

 Deliver prescribed lessons in an engaging manner that promotes learning and inquiry into the natural world.

 Supervise a group of students while creating an environment that fosters fun, safety, and our YMCA values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility.

 Facilitate, teach or support students to participate in discussions, activities, stories, games and/or songs.

 Cultivate positive relationships and maintain effective communication with teachers, students, and staff.

 Stay on schedule and keep teaching materials and facilities organized.

 Perform other duties as assigned.

JOB REQUIREMENTS:

 Must have a strong interest and experience in environmental education or related field.

 Demonstrate integrity, patience, adaptability, sense of humor, enthusiasm, and a commitment to serve youth.

 Communicate openly with supervisor, support and connect with students, behave as an appropriate positive role model in all outdoor school activities.

 Available daily from 8am-5pm, plus ONE evening per week until 9pm.

 Must successfully pass a criminal background check.

 Must maintain current CPR certification.

 Be able to lift or carry objects or children.

 Required to sit, stand, or maintain physical activity for extended periods of time. Including but not limited to balance or climbing, stooping, kneeling, crouching or crawling.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. • Ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing. • Physical ability to lift and carry 50 pounds. • Visual and auditory ability to identify and respond to environmental and other hazards of the site and facilities and camper and staff behavior. • Physical mobility and endurance to perform tasks while standing/walking for long periods of time (60 minutes or more). • Ability to provide first aid and to assist campers and staff in an emergency.

COMPENSATION  $200/day (3-4 days/week)  Flexible on-site housing available.

You may apply online at: https://ashlandymca.org/job-postings/

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Justice Graduate Assistant, Southern Oregon University (Ashland)

The Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Justice Graduate Assistant (EDIJ-GA) is a graduate assistant position within the Environmental Education Graduate Program at Southern Oregon University (SOU). This graduate student position is tasked with the administrative oversight of EDIJ and will be responsible for the coordination of projects directly related to the department’s EDIJ strategic directions centered on:
1. Ensuring the infrastructure to continuously and sustainably grow and improve in its capacity to offer safe, inclusive, diverse and successful learning experiences.
Increasing access to and engagement with our Environmental Education program, “Fall in the Field” (FITF), by historically underserved K-12 communities within Southern Oregon.
2. Increasing access to and representation within our graduate program for prospective graduate students of historically underrepresented communities within the field of Environmental Education.
3. Developing culturally responsive pedagogy and curriculum (how and what we teach) to enhance the success of its environmental education graduate students and FITF participants.
4. Reporting to the Environmental Education Graduate Program Coordinators and working closely with other graduate assistants, this position is empowered to facilitate the program’s graduate student-educators in the development of a K-12 Environmental Education program committed to fostering access, equity, inclusion and diversity in thought and practice.

Examples of tasks and potential projects by the EDIJ-GA may include:
• Support other graduate students as they apply an EDIJ lens to their respective work.
• Coordinate workshops in culturally responsive programming for graduate students.
• Support a Fall in the Field planning process rooted in EDIJ.
• Develop free family programs designed with the intent to build more trusting relationships with families of Fall in the Field.
• Build and maintain community relationships, such as with the Shasta Takelma Learning Garden.
• Update all EDIJ documents, such as the EDIJ Strategic Plan and EDIJ Program Handbook.
• Support equitable recruitment of prospective graduate students, such as through outreach, marketing, and graduate assistant interviews.

Job Category: Graduate Assistantship

Graduate Assistant Position Timeline: 16 hours/week over 3 academic terms: Fall-Spring, Annually (September 2023-June 2024) with possibility for extension (please inquire about extension if desired).

Graduate Program Timeline: July 2023-December 2024

Compensation: ~$936 monthly stipend + 80% tuition remission on all course credits for SOU MSEE program during terms employed (employed 3+ out of 6 total MSEE terms)*
*The GA must maintain 9 credit hours per term of employment.

Last Date to Apply: January 15 (priority), May 31 (rolling). Decisions made on a rolling basis.

Required Qualifications for the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Justice Graduate Assistant:
• Acceptance to and enrollment in the SOU MSEE Program.
• Expressed passion for equity, diversity, inclusion, justice and accessibility work.
• Ability to work creatively and independently, as well as collaborate and build relationships.

Preferred Qualifications for the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Justice Graduate Assistant:
• Experience living or working within communities that experience systemic barriers to access and representation within Environmental Education, STEM, and the outdoor recreation sector in general.

Don’t meet every requirement? Research shows that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. The SOU MSEE program is committed to our role in addressing barriers to engagement in EE as we work collectively toward a future of environmental wellbeing for all. If you are excited about this role, we encourage you to apply. You may be just the right candidate.

Learn more:
Full position description: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KaBU-prYNHNNjJLLsFlOtEMnTXRLyXQP/view?usp=sharing
To apply: https://sou.edu/academics/environmental-education/environmental-education-ms/

Questions?
Contact:
Hannah Calloway, EDIJ Coordinator: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Lyra Dalton, Office Manager: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.