BC Food Systems Network
BCFSN Gathering Coordinator Job Posting
The BC Food Systems Network is looking for an energetic, detail-oriented person to coordinate our 2012 annual Gathering which will take place on Gambier Island on July 5-8, 2012. The successful candidate will have experience working within a non-profit organization, have some knowledge of the BC Food Systems Network and be an excellent communicator. An in-depth understanding of food security and the surrounding issues is essential for this position. This position requires a flexible personality. The successful applicant must be able to multi-task and prioritize. Experience fundraising and managing large projects and PR outreach is crucial to this position. Developing and implementing a communications plan that will help promote the Gathering and keep all stakeholders informed of gathering development. The Gathering this year is being held at Fircom on Gambier Island, and will require this coordinator to be strong in organisational performance to deal with food provision, thus the this position will be best filled with someone who lives local to the Lower Mainland.
The coordinator will work from a home office and must have regular access to the web, telephone, and be comfortable communicating via email.
Duties include:
- Fundraising for the Gathering. This includes researching to find suitable grants and other sources of support, and applying for funding from these various sources.
- Working with the Gathering Committee (composed of Network members and directors) to develop the Gathering. The committee meets via a monthly (and, closer to the Gathering, biweekly or weekly) conference calls to direct the coordinator.
- Communicating with the BCFSN Board via monthly teleconference calls. These reports include progress updates, tasks and areas that need support.
- Preparation of Gathering budget and program schedule Communicating and corresponding with the Network membership and beyond to develop the Gathering agenda. Craft final agenda for workshops and Gathering as a whole, in consultation with the Gathering Committee.
- Coordinating conference registration including: assembling packages for participants, receiving registration, coordinating sleeping arrangements, food, workshops, and facilities, schedule of events, daycare and volunteers.
- Developing and implementing a communications plan that will help promote the Gathering and keep all stakeholders informed of gathering developments.
- Coordinating volunteers assisting with the Gathering including delegation of tasks to volunteer and Gathering subcommittees and garden barter activities
- Overseeing the duties of coordinating meals and menu while ensuring that the food meets the criteria of the BCFSN in contributing to local food sustainability and local food security.
- Supporting the creation/development of the menu with the local chef, sourcing local ingredients and contributions from network members and acting as a local liaison.
- Ensuring that local details and facility details are finalized for the gathering.
- General administration related to the Gathering and other duties as they arise.
- Crafting a final report to be posted on the BCFSN website and an evaluation report to be submitted to the board by the end of July.
This is a contract position in the amount of $6000 that runs from February 1, 2012 to July 31, 2012. Hours per week increase from about 5-10 to 20-25 as the Gathering approaches. The contract will include an incentive (based on net profit) to produce a successful event.
A PDF of this job posting can be downloaded here.
To apply for this position please send a cover letter, CV, and references to cheryl.thomas24@gmail.com.
The closing date for application is January 23, 2012.
Getting to Camp Fircom
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Networking, our reality. The BC Food Systems Network was founded with a clear understanding of how important it is for us to work together and to support each other, each in our own communities. We came together in Sorrento in 1999 and realized that we both wanted and needed to perpetuate the connections formed at this first Gathering. Doing so in person was clearly not possible on a frequent basis and so we have used this website and a listserv to maintain those connections year round. Over the years we have expanded our roster of listservs, fostering conversations in bio-regions and on particular topics. Please visit our new Networking page to read about the many conversations we are supporting through our listservs.
The BC Food Systems Network was formed in September, 1999, to link people all over the province involved in community-level action related to food. In keeping with the holistic perspective of the local food security and food policy organizations, the Network emphasizes the way in which food issues cross cultures, sectors, and age groups. Through an email network and annual meetings, we share insights, initiatives, strategies and critical analysis of events in the food system and our own work. We have held an Annual Gathering in September of each year since 1999, during which the Network's Annual General Meetings are held.
The BC Food Systems Network became a registered B.C. Society in October, 2004. Membership (and access to our electronic list serve) is open to anyone who supports our mission and democratic, inclusive process. Download the Membership Form or, if you wish to join our listserve without becoming a Member, you can subscribe by clicking on this link and following the directions. Please note that you must be subscribed to post to our listserv.
The Network has operated successfully for over a decade based solely on the efforts of many volunteers and the money we raise through memberships and donations. Please consider donating to the BC Food Systems Network. Donations can be made by sending cash or cheque through the postal mail (see our Contact Us page for the address) or by using the Donation button here:
What is a food system?
A food system is the deliberate organization of the production, processing, distribution, selection and consumption of food. The dominant food system in North America is industrial: that is, it emphasizes mechanical over organic and a capital-intensive rather than labour-intensive production, processing and distribution methods. It is oriented toward global trade rather than the satisfaction of local needs, and is controlled by a handful of large transnational corporations.
What is Wrong With Our Food System?
We are outraged at the level of hunger and malnutrition in a society where food is plentiful. In a wealthy society, social welfare payments which do not assure personal food security are unacceptable. We cannot rely on overburdened and understocked food banks; nor can we continue to implement support programs which leave out critical constituencies (eg. babies between 6 months and 5 years old).
The contamination of breast milk is an appalling symbol of one of the major problems in a system which can be described as "abuse of the planet". Genetic engineering of food and seeds must be stopped.
The high level of corporate and external control of our food system, coupled with "free trade" agreements, is undermining local agriculture and food production. It also leaves us highly vulnerable to an emergency since we do not have control of our own food resources.
We are losing the essential arts of farming, gardening, foraging, identifying edible and medicinal plants, cooking, preserving and storing foods, and the cultures and community sharing that have accompanied them. The connection of food and food security to every sector and level of society is ignored as governments and ministries contradict or undermine one another's actions, and community groups are given no voice in policy-making. This must change!
We need an agri-food policy which crosses jurisdictions to provide the framework within which it is easier for individuals to make good choices. The motto should be partnership among Ministries, various levels of government, and the civil society organizations which are taking leadership in food security work.
