Hiring is now complete for the East Kootenay Youth Climate Corps 2024 season. Thank you for your interest. Follow along on Instagram for program updates.
Role: Climate Action Technician, East Kootenay Crew / Wildsight Youth Climate Corps
Contract Dates: May 6th to August 23th, 2024, with the potential for an extension (pending funding and project opportunities).
Location: Kimberley is our hub location, with the majority of our work taking place within a 50km radius of town. There is the possibility of occasional travel to other communities in the Columbia Basin.
Hours: 35–40 hours per week, typically Monday–Friday (though there may be occasional requirements to work evenings or weekends)
Compensation: $20 per hour (with an additional 4% vacation pay) + certifications and training
Certifications provided:
- OFA Level 1
- S100 / 185 (basic fire suppression and entrapment avoidance)
- Bear Awareness
- Firesmart 101
Training provided:
- Introduction to fire ecology and wildfire fuel sampling methods
- Basic chainsaw operation and maintenance
- Introduction to local food systems
- Introduction to stream and wetland restoration practices
- Gardening design basics
- Exposure to Ktunaxa perspectives on the land
- Leadership and communication skills
- Social media strategy
- Knowledge of local ecosystems and how climate change is impacting this area both presently and in the future
- Introduction to levels of government, community partners and methods for community engagement
Opportunity Description:
As climate change places increasing pressure on our global, regional and local ecosystems and communities, the need to respond with meaningful action could not be more pressing. Harnessing the energy and ambition of young adults, Wildsight’s Youth Climate Corps empowers you to inspire and implement solutions to the climate crisis through employment, training and leadership development.
This position will primarily include hands-on work and skill-building. There may also be some remote online programming. The online components will include some training, plus regular communication and public outreach about your experiences throughout the program.
2024 Kimberley YCC Projects:
- Theory and Practice of Food Sustainability
- Local food recovery and sustainability initiatives that will deepen your understanding of local food systems, food waste and burgeoning solutions.
- Wildfire Risk Reduction
- A wildfire fuel mitigation and monitoring project developed to spread awareness and increase local wildfire resilience.
- Lois Creek Stream and Wetland Enhancement
- A small-scale, community-oriented stream and wetland restoration project located in the Lois Creek trail system of Kimberley.
- Community Engagement
- Each cohort has the opportunity to focus on a small-scale, local passion project where the crew is responsible for organization and implementation. The Kimberley crew will host its third Fix-it-Fair!
- Several other small projects including Whitebark Pine Recovery, Native Wildflower Seed Collection, Pollinator Meadow Restoration, wildfire fuel data collection, and potentially more.
Your role:
We are seeking 2-4 passionate, motivated and empathetic individuals, driven to take meaningful climate action in the local community. Engaging with local professionals, Wildsight staff and deeply involved community members, you will gain the knowledge, skills and training necessary to advance climate-resilient communities.
With support and direction from Wildsight’s Youth Climate Corps Program Manager, crew will:
- Participate enthusiastically and professionally in introductory and ongoing training and learning activities (both general and project-specific)
- Work collaboratively with fellow team members and external partners to complete YCC projects at a high standard of safety and quality. Project activities may include:
- Use of chainsaws and other hand tools to implement wildfire risk reduction prescriptions
- Receiving, sorting and distribution of recovered food items
- Sourcing and collecting native wildflower seeds
- Planting of native plants and removal of invasive plants
- Creation and maintenance of community garden areas
- Water quality monitoring
- Use of GPS and other applications to collected and record data
- Communicating with the general public
- Serve as an ambassador between YCC projects and community members
- Support the YCC team in producing and sharing communications content to tell the story of our work through multiple channels
Requirements:
- Motivation to be part of solutions to climate change
- Passion for community building
- Willingness to engage others in climate action
- Adaptable and adventurous attitude
- Ability to respond to scheduling changes on short notice
- Experience working independently
- Capable of working remotely
- Love for the outdoors, with the ability to work in inclement and mountainous weather conditions and terrain
- Previous familiarity or experience with climate action or in climate-related fields is an asset but not a requirement
Applicant Eligibility:
As a condition of funding partnerships, applicants must:
- Be between 17–30 years of age at the start of the contract
- Be legally entitled to work in Canada
- Applicants who are unemployed or precariously employed (defined as employed seasonally, casually, part time, or at risk of losing your employment) may be preferred
How to Apply:
Wildsight is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion in our hiring processes and work environment and actively recruits for diversity within our crews. We encourage women, people of colour, people of Indigenous ancestry and 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals to apply for this position. Wildsight recognizes climate justice as essential for climate action and we actively recruit for diversity.
Please fill out our application form. Email any questions to kcycc@wildsight.ca. While resumes, cover letters or other materials (such as art, videos, or information on events/initiatives that you have been involved in) are in no way mandatory, you can email these optional items.
Application Deadline: Applications will be accepted until all positions are filled; Don’t wait to apply!
For more information, please visit our home page.
Youth Climate Corps
