Seasonal Garden Steward

About Us

The mission, duty, and purpose of the KCT is to utilize collective ownership to direct investments on the corridor that preserve culture and affordability while building neighborhood power and wealth in Kensington. Activities focus on restoring cleanliness and safety, attracting and accelerating businesses to provide goods and services that meet local needs, and increasing job opportunities. The Trust’s programming is underpinned by strategic property acquisition, development, and activation. The KCT’s vision is that Kensington Avenue is a safe, healthy, and socioeconomically diverse commercial corridor with accessible opportunities for Kensington's existing and future residents. The KCT fosters the equitable economic revitalization of a commercial corridor and its surrounding neighborhood through local partnerships, strategic programming, and an innovative approach to moving real estate assets out of the speculative private market. Leveraging patient, flexible capital, and a long-term trust vehicle, the KCT de-commodifies real estate assets and transitions them to neighborhood control. This pioneering model of neighborhood ownership, governance, and local economic development has the potential to keep control within the neighborhood and ensure long-term affordability. The KCT introduces neighborhood-based property control for long-term, equitable revitalization of a key commercial corridor.

Job Summary

The KCT seeks a Seasonal Garden Steward to join our small yet effective team. This role will help advance our efforts to maintain a safe and clean community garden for the Kensington neighborhood and our climate justice and resistance work. While extensive plant knowledge or maintenance is optional, an interest in learning these skills is necessary. The ideal candidate would have interests in greening, gardening, and community building. They will work alongside the Native Pollinator Specialist to maintain the biodiversity of the native plant species and general upkeep of the community garden space. The Seasonal Garden Steward must also be able to communicate with community members and residents who attend garden activities or open hours and direct them to events and opportunities for engagement in collaboration with the Community Organizer.

This seasonal position is 16 hours per week and requires schedule flexibility. Hours will differ from typical work hours and may change depending on weather conditions. The first few weeks will include 1:1 training sessions in garden stewardship, leading to more independent work as the season progresses. KCT will provide all the tools necessary to aid in the education process and the maintenance of the garden.

Duties and Responsibilities

Effective Communication

• Stay updated with community events at the garden to share information with residents and community members while in the space.
• Connect community members interested in environmental justice, greening, and gardening to the KCT team.
• Work with the Native Pollinator Specialist to arrange 1:1 plant management education time.

Cleaning and Greening

• Work alongside the Native Pollinator Specialist and Lead Community Organizer for planting initiatives in the garden. This includes helping to upkeep the native pollinator species and the vegetable garden beds.
• Maintaining and managing weeds/invasive plants by pulling them throughout the season.
• Mowing the lawn (weekly during peak season and bi-weekly in pre- and post-season) and weed-wacking edges that can't be pulled along fence lines.
• Ensuring the garden is clean by conducting weekly cleanups.

Qualifications and Requirements

The Seasonal Garden Steward will be thoroughly committed to the KCT’s mission. The KCT is a supportive work environment for those looking to grow personally and professionally. The steward will be required to work some evenings and weekends for events and meetings (extra hours).

Required:

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with colleagues and partners.
• Proven ability to solve problems creatively.
• Extremely resourceful.

Preferred:

• Special interest in collective ownership development and asset stewardship for collectively held assets.
• Special interest in environmental justice, greening, and/or gardening.
• A resident of Kensington, Philadelphia.
• English and Spanish verbal and writing skills preferred.

English and Spanish verbal and writing skills preferred.