Sara D Roosevelt Park Community Fellow

City Parks Foundation•New York, NY

8d•$25•Onsite

About The Position

As the SDR Community Fellow, you will work with Catalyst staff and community leaders to help fortify community efforts in building safe, positive, and engaging park programs and community culture and collaboration in Sara D. Roosevelt Park, where some of our city’s most intractable issues challenge community and park staff leadership. This position is not for the faint of heart. The challenges in this park are real and persistent. And yet, the community of NYC Parks staff, community park groups, and community leaders is truly exemplary. Please scan recent media pieces that highlight some of the challenges in this park. The Catalyst Organizing Fellow is expected to work as part of a team and will support the Catalyst Director, Operations Manager, and other PfP staff on occasion.

Requirements

Knowledgeable, committed to, and familiar with community organizing practices
Experienced in outreach, community event promotion and engagement, flyering, door-knocking
Experience with social initiatives/interventions where strategic consensus building around polarizing issues (public drug use, drug selling addiction, and support to unhoused people in public spaces) can be challenging
Ability to research, synthesize, and make recommendations as to best park practices where vulnerable populations of drug users, sellers, and unhoused community members’ needs are met while the social, community, and recreation needs of other park stakeholders and users are also met.
Ability to take direction from Catalyst team members and established park group and community leaders. Be an excellent, active listener and communicator, verbal and written communication are also both important
Demonstrable ability to work with diverse constituencies, including a comfort with vulnerable NYC community members
Willingness and ability to consistently engage with stakeholders through in-person and digital engagements, including frequent and regular, on-site work in Sara D. Roosevelt Park
Flexibility to work significant hours during evenings and weekends in addition to some regular business hours
Motivated, resourceful, and creative self-starter with a passion for sustainable community engagement
Confident working both individually and as part of a team
Effective public speaking and listening skills. People skills are important with this position
Responsible and detail-oriented
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
Catalyst is traditionally a place-based, on-the-ground engagement effort and requires:
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 plus a range of community and park events, including transporting, setup and breakdown of event materials

Nice To Haves

Driver’s license strongly preferred
Bi or multilingual strongly preferred

Responsibilities

Canvassing, Outreach, and Community Coordination (30%) Conduct onsite/neighborhood outreach, flyering, and survey distribution in the park and surrounding neighborhoods to galvanize community involvement in existing and new park efforts
Make phone calls and emails to group members and the public to promote attendance and / or participation for meetings, events, public forums
Promote park group events and Catalyst initiatives in the communities surrounding the park to increase engagement and attendance
Serve as a visible, in-community and park presence, acting as an effective liaison between community partners and NYC Parks, CPF and other organizations, mindful of the needs and interests all all parties
Event Support and Execution (25%) Provide day-of event support on weekends, evenings, and weekdays including managing sign-ins & attendance, supporting with table and chair set-up, picking up event materials & supplies, and other event logistics
Attend community events and other activations to connect community members to Catalyst and park group programs and services
Document events via photos, video, surveys, and other measures
Research and best practice finding (25%) Survey New York and other cities’ practices to find promising models that promote community revitalizing efforts in parks and public spaces, especially in public spaces where there are vulnerable populations of drug users, sellers, and unhoused community members’ needs are met while the social, community, and recreation needs of other park stakeholders and users are also met.
Synthesize and report on these best practices to help make recommendations on promising initiatives that can take place in SDR Park.
Reporting, Data & Metrics Tracking (15%) Conduct qualitative and quantitative assessments to measure community and Partnerships for Parks impacts
Track & report outreach, engagement, and attendance metrics
Support Catalyst Director, Operations Manager and Catalyst team with tracking organizing work in database - maintain individual and organizational records, input outcomes and other data sets
Miscellaneous (5%) Support ongoing Partnerships for Parks/City Parks Foundation/NYC Parks initiatives as needed, working collaboratively and effectively as needed. Tasks and assignments will come from all three areas of our organization. Catalyst team members are accountable to and receive direction/assignments from each area of our public/private program
Connect and leverage local and regional resources to support and amplify community partner efforts