ABOUT PROJECT EATS

Growing Urban Food Networks to Create Livable Futures

 
Social inequalities lead to health inequalities and ill-being in our communities.  They affect our access to fresh food, life expectancy, physical and mental well-being, quality of education, employment opportunities, income and share of public resources.  Our vision is a fair society where everyone is able to live healthy lives and thrive, regardless of income.

Project EATS occupies a unique space in the urban agricultural landscape of New York City. Our mission is to create community-based food systems that situate small-plot, high-yield urban farms in low-wealth communities and complements them with programs that support residents to help develop and sustain food systems that can enhance their lives and transform their communities.  Since 2009, we have developed and operated 20 farms in low-wealth communities throughout New York City. Currently we operate 5 ground-level and 2 rooftop soil-based farms that range in size from 3,000 square feet to approximately 2 acres.

Our farms and food production enterprise support a holistic programmatic ecosystem that advances our mission by improving access to economic opportunity, community cohesion and support, and wellness.

Our education and training pipeline cultivate a resident workforce capable of taking over the operation of the farms with minimal ongoing support from Project EATS.  Our after-school programming and classroom curricula deliver experiential learning projects and hands-on farm training for students at ‘low-resource’ schools with which we partner. Our workforce development training provides experience and skills for youth and adult community residents in farming, farm stand operations and sales, product production and procurement, and nutrition. 

Our Art, Food, Life Community Health program collaborates with community-based health providers through PE Farmacies which fill food prescriptions providers write as part of the treatment plans for their patients. Our Farmacies also provide workshops and coaching sessions that support patients’ efforts to achieve their health goals.

We also host community dinners and breakfasts, dialogues, workshops and other community-building work that support the vitalization of low-wealth communities into epicenters for art, food, and culture, experimentation and innovation that lead to more fair and equitable conditions in our communities and society.
 

PROJECT EATS VALUES

• Resourcefulness: A belief that people can use whatever resources they have to create the resources they need, and thus shape the social, economic, and cultural conditions that support their well-being;
• Understanding: A belief that consideration, thoughtfulness, and tolerance are essential to catalyzing and supporting the process of change;
• Creativity: A belief that imagination, new ways of seeing, and fresh ideas lead to new possibilities, strategies, and opportunities that turn “can’t” into “can”; and
• Determination: A belief that tenacity and willpower are necessary to create change that improves the way we live.

Project EATS seeks an experienced educator with knowledge in health and health science to join its dynamic and growing team as Community Health Instructor responsible for creating and implementing hands-on, skill-based in-school, in-community, and remote learning content and activities for public middle- through high school students, families with children, and older adults.  

The learning program should engage, motivate, and inspire learners to increase their understanding of what it means to be healthy; the why, how, and what it takes to be healthy; and how our individual health affects the health of others.  Learners should develop effective skills and tools to reduce the challenges they face and increase the opportunities they have to be healthy.

 
The Community Health Instructor reports to the Chief Operating Officer (COO) or the President, in lieu of a COO.  This position is a thought partner with our Farmer Trainer, Community Health Advisor and the Community Catalyst who provides input and assistance in their adaptation and incorporation of learning content, skills and tools into their program content and activities.

The Community Health Instructor coordinates with the Farmer Trainer, Community Health Advisory and Community Catalyst to plan, schedule, and implement our Project EATS After-School (PEAS) programs and school-wide projects in our partner high schools during the school year.  During the summer, fall, and spring the Instructor will assist the Community Health Advisor and the Community Catalyst in co-facilitating and leading a select number of community and Farmacy health workshops.  The Instructor will develop school and at-home self-directed learning activities for children and youth. They will also assist the Community Health Advisor and Community Catalyst developing remote learning activities for Farmacy and for community residents.

It is expected that the Community Health Instructor will immediately:

• Get to know Project EATS learning program(s) – its history, culture, structure, and operations;
• Establish a strong partnership with our Community Health Advisor, Community Catalyst, and Farmer Trainer built on trust in their skills and experience and a shared vision for providing school students and community residents with learning activities that provide them with the skills, knowledge, and experience to live healthy lives;
• Assume day-to-day responsibility for the development, implementation, and evaluation of our learning programs and their impact on individual and overall community health.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Additionally, the Community Health Instructor will have ongoing responsibility to:

Leadership

• Develop and model learning activities that value and reward high performance, continuous learning, integrity, quality and impact;
• Facilitate learning activities in which learners achieve and exceed goals and levels of skill, responsibility, and performance;
• Work with the COO to ensure our learning program reflects Project EATS core values and beliefs;
• Lead planning and scheduling support for PEAS, Farmacy, and Community Programs with those program leads;
• Identify and develop effective relationships with school principals, administrators, counselors, and teachers who help promote and recruit students to participate in our school and remote learning programs;
• Develop a learning program that supports Project EATS’ ability to scale and expand its learning activities with maximum impact and efficiency as it expands its network of community-based food systems;
• Work as a thought partner with our Community Catalyst to create joint opportunities to promote and recruit resident youth, families, and older adults to participate in our school, community, and remote learning activities;
• Provide learning components and assistance to Special Projects.

People Management

• Develop informed, skilled and dedicated learners who know the fundamentals of how to be healthy and experience the benefits of living healthier lives;
• Set clear expectations and delegate responsibilities to learners using learning activities;
• Schedule meetings and engage school Principals, Department Chairs and Teachers to keep them and their students actively involved and supportive of PEAS and school-wide projects;
• Advance a learning culture at Project EATS that supports highly productive learners, PE staff, and our partners to seek and develop meaningful  ways for people to learn;
• Provide learners with the information, skills, and tools to achieve their learning goals and outcomes;
• Encourage and support learner ideas and creativity through their learning experience.

Learning Operations & Management

• Develop learning content and activities focused on health and the science of health for PEAS; 
• Develop and conduct participant-, teacher-, and partner evaluations of learning activities that determine the goals and impact that have been achieved or exceeded by the program;
• Provide our Community Health Advisor and Community Catalyst with assistance in incorporating learning content and activities you develop in their Farmacy and Community Programs;
• Co- and guest facilitate PEAS learning content and activities in Farmacy and Community programs when appropriate and possible;
• Maintain all learning activity equipment, materials, supplies, and other resources in good working condition;
• Maintain timely and accurate data on learning program and its participants as required;
• Make remote learning activities available and updated year-round.
• Conduct performance reviews of staff, consultants, trainees and volunteers on your team, as required.

Finances & Administration

• Prepare preliminary annual budget for learning program;
• Prepare and submit purchase orders for the learning program to the Chief Operating Officer for processing;
• Keep and submit all financial receipts and records for the program as required.

Equal employment opportunity and having a diverse staff are fundamental principles at Project EATS where employment and promotional opportunities are based upon individual capabilities and qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation/preference, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status or any other protected characteristic as established under law.