Horticulturalist (Sarnia)

Mastermind Youth is launching the Sarnia Food Sovereignty Project, an initiative dedicated to preserving, revitalizing, and celebrating the cultural food heritage of Sarnia‑Lambton’s diverse communities — including Indigenous, Black, Francophone, newcomer, and rural families. We are hiring one student to help grow heritage crops, document cultural foodways, and build bilingual educational resources that connect food, culture, and community.This position offers hands‑on agricultural experience, cultural learning, community engagement, and digital content creation — all while contributing to a long‑term heritage archive that strengthens food sovereignty in our region. The Sarnia Food Sovereignty Project blends land‑based learning with cultural documentation. The candidate will help cultivate heritage and culturally significant crops, learn traditional growing methods, and work with community members to document recipes, food traditions, and the cultural significance of each plant.The candidate will support both sides of the heritage mandate: Culture agriculture (growing cultural crops, learning traditional methods) Culture documentation (recipes, stories, bilingual materials, digital archiving) Their work will help preserve agricultural knowledge tied to identity, food sovereignty, and community memory— including the food heritage of official‑language minority communities, especially Francophone families.Key Responsibilities

Heritage Crop Cultivation

Prepare growing beds and plant heritage and culturally significant crops Maintain crops through watering, weeding, and monitoring plant health Record weekly notes on planting dates, growth stages, and cultural significance

Cultural Foodways&Recipe Documentation

Collect and document traditional recipes connected to the crops grown Research cultural, historical, and dietary significance of heritage foods Support the creation of bilingual (English/French) educational materials

Community Engagement

Meet with cultural knowledge‑holders (elders, families, community leaders) Assist with workshops on cultural foods, traditional diets, and food sovereignty Support outreach to Indigenous, Black, newcomer, rural, and Francophone communities

Heritage Documentation&Digital Archiving

Help develop crop profiles, recipe summaries, and cultural notes Photograph crops, dishes, and cultural materials Organize digital files and ensure bilingual accessibility

Skills You Will Gain

Research&documentation (recipes, crop histories, cultural notes) Agricultural&land‑based skills (planting, maintenance, harvesting) Community engagement&communication Cultural interpretation&heritage preservation Digital literacy&content creation (photography, archiving, formatting) Project coordination&time management Workshop&event support Bilingual communication (English/French) Candidate Profile

Curious, community‑minded, and excited about cultural heritage, food systems, agriculture, or social sciences Interest or experience in environmental studies, agriculture, Indigenous studies Experience in food and nutrition, anthropology, community development Cultural knowledge, lived experience, or family foodtraditionsGardening, land‑based learning, or storytelling Photography, digital content creation, or bilingual communication No formal diploma required. Lived experience and cultural knowledge are valued Our Commitment to Inclusive Hiring

Indigenous youth Youth with disabilities Visible minority youth Newcomer youth Francophone youth Youth with lived cultural knowledge or community connection Benefits

Casual dress Discounted or free food On‑site parking Job Types: Part‑time, Seasonal Contract length: 14 weeks Pay: $18.00 per hour Work Location: In person This role is part time and seasonal, with hours based on the project’s needs during the growing season. Hours may increase at certain times depending on project activities.

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