Calabash Consultant:

​Learning Platform Content Curator (Contract/Temporary)

Salary:            $3,000 per contract
Start Date:     1/15/24, 2/15/24, or 3/15/24 
                         (Apply by 12/31/2023 for best consideration for 1/15/24 start date)
Type:               Temporary, 8-12 weeks of contract work
Location:        Remote. You must have stable high-speed internet access and phone access
Close Date:     2/29/24 (Apply by 2/29/2024 for best consideration for 3/15/24 start date)

Founded in 2011, OurSpace World, Inc. (OSW) is guided by the principle of Ujima, collective work and responsibility. Since late 2019, our work has been organized into two main areas, Teach 22 and Calabash. Teach 22 programming educates and trains 22nd-century ready Black folks in the areas of regenerative farming and natural building (targeting youth, families, and young adults). Calabash is a vehicle to partner with and support mission-aligned people and collectives, in particular farmers, builders, healers, and educators. OSW provides technical assistance and fiscal sponsorship to these projects, which address land and food sovereignty and collective wellbeing. 

OurSpace World, Inc. is continuing to build out its Calabash offering and seeking assistance with content curation for our forthcoming Calabash learning platform.

The Calabash Collective is a project under OurSpace World Inc. that aims to create a technical assistance (TA) provider network that provides educational opportunities to Black farmers, Ranchers, and Food Producers and the organizations that serve them across the country in a way that fosters substantive connections to USDA’s broad spectrum of programs and funding opportunities, especially those focused on education and cooperative development. 

OurSpace World Inc. is hiring short-term consultants to develop / curate curriculum content for an incoming training program which will skill up individuals on technical and socio-cultural knowledge and competencies to build a comprehensive TA network that provides a range of TA activities to support socially disadvantaged farmers/food producers seeking to establish or expand cooperative and/or educational efforts around land, farming, and food.

Potential Topic Categories (applicants will choose which content categories)

1. Socio-political and Cooperative Education Content Curation 

• Research/compile/create materials (e.g. curricula, workbooks, policies, articles, etc) on the following topics:
  • History of racial discrimination of Black farmers and its contribution to Black land loss
  • Industrialization of agriculture and the political economy 
  • Black agricultural cooperative examples and histories 
  • Black cooperation building and cultural practices within farming communities 

2. Technical Assistance (USDA grants) Content Curation

• Compile and create educational materials (e.g.,  grant proposals, workbooks, USDA materials, module outlines, curricula, presentations) on the following topics:
  • Grant matching
  • Grant-writing and review 
  • Select USDA grant requirements
  • USDA grant application process 
    • Strategic planning
    • Partnership development 
  • Technical assistance best practices (cultural competence) 
  • Post-award assistance 
    
    
    

3. "How we did it" Case Study Content Curation 

• Compile materials and content (e.g., past grant proposals, program applications, photos, videos, other exhibits) on the following topics: 
  • Real-world examples of success accessing USDA grants and services (especially if involving robust partnerships)
  • Real-world examples of successful organizing across several farmers/food producers
  • Real-world examples of the above that may not have been successful but present several lessons learned for others seeking to achieve similar results

Roles and Responsibilities: 

• Work with Calabash Teaching and Learning Lead & other Calabash team members to synthesize research/compilations and develop training module outlines, sequence, and instruction methods 
• Attend and contribute to Teaching and Learning meetings to update team and seek feedback on work in progress 
• Transfer training module outline content into comprehensive virtual presentations (google slides, Canva, etc) 
• Provide input on Graphic Design 
• Meet with content development team as needed and collaborate to complete tasks, assess needs and gaps 
  
  

Experience and Qualifications  
Minimum of 2 years experience in content development pertaining to USDA services and or food, economic, racial justice and cooperative development. 

Required Qualifications 

• Basic knowledge and or desire to learn about history of racial discrimination toward Black farmers and its economic implications 
• Research experience (on racial/economic/food justice topics preferred)
• Demonstrated experience in developing engaging content for diverse audiences  

Desired Qualifications 

• Have demonstrated experience with securing USDA loans/grants themselves and/or providing TA to other socially disadvantaged farmers/food producers
• Experience synthesizing varying information into concise outlines for presentations 
• Experience in cooperative development education and or familiarity with solidarity economy frameworks and complimentary cultural practices 
• An understanding of the political economy and its implications on our agricultural system 
• An understanding and or experience with indigenous/sustainable agricultural practices in a global context 
• Have knowledge of Black cooperative economics and concrete examples of Black agricultural cooperatives or collectives 
• A dedication to racial, economic, climate and food justice 
• Personal experience in urban or rural farming
• Graphic and learning design experience 
• Knowledge and experience with USDA grant-writing process 
• Strong organizational skills, problem solver, attention to detail, ability to multitask, and ability to follow projects through to completion
• Excellent writing and communication skills 
• Strong interpersonal skills and an ability to work independently as well as collaboratively with others including cross-departmentally as part of a team and be willing to contribute to organizational development

Compensation 
OurSpace World, Inc. expects to hire up to 4 consultants for this position for a total of 3 months at the contract rate of $3,000/contract. These positions have the potential to be renewed upon assessment of quality of work and the agreement of both parties. 

Location
This position is fully remote. OurSpace World, Inc. is an organization based in Prince George’s County, Maryland with many team members currently based in Wisconsin, New York, and California. The candidate can be based anywhere in the U.S. 

How to Apply
Please fill out this application form and attach or provide a link to a relevant work sample (this could be education materials, modules, curricula, or a program you created or were an integral part in developing). In the application, you will have an opportunity to select which type of content you would like to create out of the 3 choices. Specific details on the number of deliverables will be given upon hiring. For best consideration to start a contract on January 15th, 2024 please send in an application by December 31st at 11:59pm EST.

OurSpace’s work focuses on serving the needs of those of the Black Diaspora. OurSpace believes in creating equal opportunities for team members (whether employee, contractors or volunteers). Applicants will not be discriminated against because of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, citizenship status, disability, ancestry, marital status, veteran status, medical condition or any protected category prohibited by local, state or federal law.

Click Here to Apply!