Program Associate

University of Toronto • Toronto, ON

7d • Hybrid

About The Position

Hart House is a centre for experiential education outside the classroom at the University of Toronto. Since it opened in 1919, Hart House functions as a place where students, faculty, staff, alumni and members of the broader community connect with each other and the world. Through an array of co-curricular programming in the arts, dialogue and wellness, Hart House works with local and international partners to foster community and to create innovative learning opportunities for students. Hart House operates from a historic facility on the St. George campus, as well as a 150-acre farm in Caledon, Ontario, offering a wide range of services through a social enterprise model that generates revenue to support its student-focused programming on all three University of Toronto campuses.

The Integrated Arts Education team is a key contributor to an inclusive, curious, and welcoming campus environment. We work with others to create spaces and programming that invite the next generation of thinkers, doers and citizens to propel their ideas into action from the personal to the global. Integrated Arts Education programs directly engage U of T students in innovative and experiential learning opportunities. We are committed to the practices and principles of inclusivity and strive for representative and equitable diversity and in all that we do. We work from a social enterprise model in partnership with students and community in co-creating experiential learning opportunities as participants, planners, volunteers and in paid positions. Our team of professionals supports student growth, identity development, community connections and transferrable professional and leadership skills through hands-on activities and programs. These programs are designed to connect participants to their interests, build community on and off campus, and create a sense of belonging and engagement that extends beyond the classroom.

We support student-led groups which provide programs and activities for students and the wider community in the areas of dialogue, arts, culture, and well-being.

The Hart House Integrated Arts Education team works collaboratively with campus and community groups to bridge U of T and the wider community with a focus on including underrepresented voices and perspectives. We work with staff, faculty, students and community partners to co-create events, exhibitions and activities on all 3 campuses of the University of Toronto. As with all things Hart House, your role is to create equitable, supportive and respectful experiences for students and community, with a focus on underrepresented groups.

Under guidance of the Manager, and the Coordinator, IAE, the Program Associate for Integrated Arts Education will work with other departments within Hart House, across campus and our community partners to design and execute innovative experiential learning programs, arts-based engagements and programming that will support student interests and development, facilitate student ideas and enrich student experience. IAE creates innovative arts-infused and experiential learning initiatives that enrich experiences, spark connections, and encourage creative expression and play for the U of T student body and the wider Hart House community alike.

Through these and other initiatives, the incumbent will be responsible for coordinating tasks for projects and other strategic initiatives with partners and students, including working collaboratively with all departments of Hart House, campus and community partners.

The Program Associate will mentor students, facilitate community engagement, and nurture and expand upon existing program relationships with our other campuses. The incumbent will have the opportunity to work in an in-depth capacity with our rich suite of arts-based programs.

This role supports students and the HH community to have uniquely rich and transformative learning opportunities through the arts. The Program Associate should demonstrate a strong commitment to learning and teaching as a way to foster curiosity, connection, and kinder community spaces. The incumbent will employ a variety of arts-based and arts education methods to support participants to gain confidence in art-making, explore local and global art worlds, and foster skills for agency and creativity in individual and collective meaning-making. In collaboration with colleagues, the incumbent will carefully construct environments for participation, experimentation, dialogue and friendship. The incumbent will work collaboratively with the IAE team on initiatives that build community such as: Get Crafty, Talking Walls, field trips and walking tours with a focus on contemporary art, artist residencies, other arts-based workshops and more.

Further, the incumbent will be part of cross departmental engagement with Integrated Arts Education and Youth Access programming areas.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree or acceptable combination of education and experience
• Minimum two years of recent related experience guiding experiential learning initiatives with an emphasis on program management, implementation and assessment, preferably within a post-secondary institution or the non-profit sector in a social justice organization
• Demonstrated experience working with anti-racist and intercultural frameworks
• Demonstrated experience facilitating hands-on workshops and experiential learning opportunities around art-making, creativity; experience supporting art exhibitions
• Demonstrated experience facilitating meetings with multiple stakeholders - guiding discussions, managing group dynamics and alignment with program and service objectives
• Proven experience facilitating educational workshops and seminars using inclusive, learner centred, and participatory approaches to support engagement, knowledge exchange, and skill development among diverse audiences
• Demonstrated ability to develop instructional content for workshops including learning objectives, session plans, activities, and supporting materials aligned with experiential and/or arts based learning practices
• Experience overseeing the delivery of programs and/ or workshops including coordinating logistics, schedules, spaces, resources, and facilitators, while ensuring high quality implementation and responsiveness to changing needs
• Demonstrated experience working with exhibitions, arts programming and facilitation
• Experience thriving in a dynamic environment where flexibility and adaptability are essential
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to relate well with students, internal partners and external stakeholders
• Knowledge and experience supervising, engaging and mentoring student staff
• Experience using social media tools as a method of engagement for youth
• Proficiency with MS Office, including Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint, and web-based software
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a highly diverse University community and to organize, motivate and work constructively and cooperatively with a variety of campus and community groups

Nice To Haves

• Awareness of campus systems and organizations, and the University's policies and procedures as they relate to student life strongly preferred
• Engaged in contemporary art culture

Responsibilities

• Overseeing the delivery of programs and/ or workshops
• Facilitating educational workshops and seminars
• Developing content for instructional workshops
• Implementing plans and process improvements for program and service activities
• Keeping well-informed on theories related to equity, diversity and inclusion
• Coordinating tasks for projects and other strategic initiatives with partners and collaborators
• Advising and coaching students on co-curricular goal-setting
• Facilitating meetings

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level