Environmental Justice Organizer, Catalyst Urban Forest Program - City Parks Foundation

POSITION SUMMARY  

As a Catalyst Environmental Justice Organizer, you will (1) be creating and leading opportunities for  community stakeholders to inform the vision, strategy, and goals of NYC’s first Urban Forest Plan. This includes contributing strategy, tactics, and direct implementation in our city-wide campaign. Our efforts will center and engage key Environmental Justice communities where urban tree canopy improvements will yield vital community benefits, and it will also have a wide reach, enabling citywide to engage with and participate in the Plan’s formation.  Beyond engaging input for the Plan (2), our Catalyst EJ Organizers will build constituencies for the Plan, bringing in key new stakeholders into the growing community of stewards and advocates whose efforts have set the stage for this Plan and the community building efforts you will join. Connecting community members into local next steps for growing, caring for, and protecting our Urban Forest is one key objective. Building pathways and connections into citywide stewardship, monitoring, and advocacy efforts are also key for success. 

The work of each Catalyst EJ Organizer will be a mixture of in-person, office, home, and hybrid work. Key to the success is significant in-person, place-based organizing, programming, and Plan input facilitation events, followed by consistent, reporting and communication to Plan writers and implementers, including the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice, City Parks Foundation and Natural Areas Conservancy team members, and certain leadership members within the Forest For All NYC coalition. Substantial in-person work in parks, natural areas and community settings, and NYC Parks offices and locations will be required.  

Catalyst EJ Organizers are expected to work as part of a team and report to the Catalyst Program Urban Forest Program Manager.

This grant-funded position for one year, with a prioritized opportunity to be considered for future work based in-part on your successful performance and outcomes in this role.  

RESPONSIBILITIES 

Outreach, Engagement, & Facilitation of Community Input for the PLAN

• Organize workshops, place-based teaching and learning opportunities, community conversations and presentations, nature walks, and stewardship events that support engagement with the UFP.
• Capacity to be primary facilitator/workshop leader, or serve in a supportive role as needed
• Ability to create and disseminate outreach and engagement materials in coordination with citywide efforts to maximize community participation
• Provide efficient and responsive reporting that accurately reflects community input and priorities regarding the Plan. 
• Assess and synthesize our ongoing body of community input and reporting to elevate key stakeholder generated themes, opportunities, challenges, concerns and best practices for incorporation into the Plan. Includes qualitative and quantitative needs and reporting.
• Build and increase the growing community of active stakeholders and participants in the NYC Urban Forest constituency. Help engaged community members and groups respond to calls-to-action with next steps that lead to sustained involvement.
• Facilitate communication and collaboration among interested partners
• Connect and leverage local and regional resources to support and amplify community partner efforts
• Work nights and weekends as needed and support these and other priority initiatives as directed

Overall Context, Collaboration, and Relationship Building

• Build consistent, effective, and collaborative relationships with key campaign leaders, including: Partnerships for Parks; City Parks Foundation; NYC Parks; Natural Areas Conservancy; Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice; and Forest For All NYC Coalition members.
• Support projects and initiatives that may come from any of the campaign leading bodies listed above, always working collaboratively and effectively.
• Build community connections to Partnerships for Parks and other hands-on projects, events, skill building, and engagement opportunities
• Participate in work plan development and strategic planning
• Work closely with Catalyst Urban Forest Program Manager and Director

QUALIFICATIONS

• Motivated, resourceful, and creative self-starter with a passion for sustainable community engagement who is confident working both individually and as part of a team
• Minimum of 2 years experience with community organizing, coalition-building, public service/administration, and/or programming - degree in related field helpful and preferred, but not required
• Experienced in outreach, flyering, and / or door knocking
• Experienced in planning community-led events and/or collaborative projects that feature multiple stakeholders and interests
• Experienced with qualitative and quantitative data collection
• Demonstrable ability to work with diverse constituencies and Environmental Justice communities
• Strong public speaking, writing, and listening skills
• Comfort and facility with office software and Google apps
• Responsible, detail-oriented, and organized project management skills
• Understanding and ability to effectively represent and advance NYC government programs and policies. Clarity at all times we are working with and at the behest of NYC Parks and NYC government leaders
• Catalyst is a place-based, on-the-ground, engagement effort and requires:
  • Willingness and ability to consistently engage with stakeholders through in-person and digital engagements, including frequent travel around NYC and regular, on-site work.
  • Flexibility to work significant hours during evenings and weekends in addition to regular business hours 
• Physical ability to lift up to 40lbs and participate in physical activities required in the job. This includes the ability to provide direct support in leading stewardship, landscaping and beautification projects in parks and natural areas, and a broader range of community, park, and natural areas events, including transporting, setup and breakdown of event materials
• Driver’s license strongly preferred, and will become required within 1 year of start date
• Bi or multilingual strongly preferred, Spanish is a priority

ABOUT CITY PARKS FOUNDATION

At City Parks Foundation (CPF), we are dedicated to invigorating and transforming New York City parks into dynamic, vibrant centers of urban life through arts, environmental education, sports, and community building programs for all New Yorkers. Our ethos is simple: we believe thriving parks mean thriving communities.

Community engagement includes Partnerships for Parks, a public-private program of City Parks Foundation and NYC Parks, which supports and champions a growing network of community leaders who care and advocate for the transformation of our neighborhood parks and the Parks and Open Space Partners-NYC coalition of conservancies and alliances. We also administer the NYC Green Fund, a regranting program for parks and open space nonprofits and grassroots organizations.

We produce SummerStage, the iconic free, outdoor performing arts festival in NYC, presenting world-class artists from across the globe and our own neighborhoods on our mainstage in Central Park and in local parks in all five boroughs, and our Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre and roving PuppetMobile present marionette puppet theater throughout New York City.

We connect youngsters to nature in the urban environment through progressive, experiential teaching. Using parks as classrooms, we provide learning experiences and hands-on activities in urban forests, coastal areas, and gardens.

Free golf, tennis, track & field, soccer, and fitness programs bring high-quality instruction and equipment into areas where few organized athletic opportunities exist. We offer leveled training, year-round scholarship coaching, and special pro events.

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