Position Title: FortWhyte Farms Program Evaluator
Request for Proposals: For the period of July 9th 2018 - December 2019
Contract Employment: Approx. 20 hours / week

Summary:

FortWhyte Alive (FWA) is a non-profit, charitable organization dedicated to providing programming, natural settings, and facilities for environmental education, outdoor recreation, and social enterprise in Winnipeg, Manitoba. FortWhyte Alive believes that sustainable communities are built on three essential and interdependent cornerstones: a healthy natural environment; a vibrant economy, and a healthy and just social community. FortWhyte Alive is located on Treaty One Territory and the homeland of the Métis Nation.

Since 2003, FortWhyte Farms (FWF) at FortWhyte Alive has operated with the vision of serving as a catalytic, transformative force for youth and their families by providing a place of belonging, hope and purpose, new and improved sources of income, and enhanced access to high-quality locally produced food. FortWhyte Farms enhances the economic status and food security of under-served youth through the development of employment skills and financial literacy via three stage programming, The Road to Self-Reliance.

Goals of Evaluation:

FWF will grow its well established intellectual and physical resources to formalize and facilitate sharing of our knowledge across Canada while fully assessing the long term impacts on participants of our program. The end goals include:

1. Establish a formalized evaluation framework for current and future FortWhyte Farms Programs including as well as evaluation framework related to FWF’s youth social enterprise and employment program modules (Culinary + Nutrition, Farm Education, Horticulture, Woodworking, Aviculture, Beekeeping, etc):

• Stage 1: Fall and Spring Academic + Skills Building Program
• Stage 2: Summer Employment Program
• Stage 3 + 4: Leadership Program + Transition to Employment Programs

The establishment of intentional data collection will ensure valid, consistent impact measurement to help to establish the program’s individual and community development, in addition to leveraging further investments by demonstrating value to potential partners.

2. Capture and assess FWF’s historic data to quantify past successes, challenges and community impact measurements using attendance records, peer to peer interview recordings, Rosenberg’s self-esteem survey results, intro /exit interviews and teacher + staff surveys for past participants of all stages of FWF’s programming.
3. Identify gaps in FWF’s historic data and through one-on-one interviews capture further qualitative and quantitative evaluative information
4. In collaboration with FWF staff, guide the strategic plan to scale FWF social enterprise activities and increase program capacity, deepen community impact and further dissemination of FWF’s knowledge and expertise throughout Manitoba and nationally.

Principal Tasks:

• Research evaluation methods that best determine outline/work plan
• Find and interview past participants, their families, teachers, staff and volunteers as needed; collect and summarize data
• Develop best practices and methodology to evaluate expanding up to 20 farm program modules though the Circle of Courage® framework during the next phase of FortWhyte Farms’ expansion (for example, Woodworking, Greenhouse Management, Aviculture, Beekeeping, Rabbits, Catering, etc)
• Develop and train staff on evaluative frameworks for all FWF programs during the contract employment term

Timeline:

• Strategic Plan Outline due August 31st, 2018
• First Term Report due December 30th, 2018
• Mid Term Report due April 31st, 2018
• Final report on Summer Employment Program due August 31st, 2019
• Final report on all programs and activities due December 9th, 2019

Required Qualifications:

• Demonstrated leadership experience and related post-secondary education in data collection, research methods, program evaluation and reporting
• Proven initiative and problem-solving skills in project management
• Exceptional organizational and communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and within a team setting
• Ability to develop and facilitate interviews, evaluations and relations within large groups or individually with youth and adults
• An enthusiastic, genuine appreciation of FortWhyte Alive’s mission and mandate
• Satisfactory background checks of the child abuse registry and criminal records
• Independent transportation and office space

Considered an Asset:

• Training or equivalent experience in social enterprise, youth programming and a variety of evaluation models including Social Return On Investments
• Knowledge of the Circle of Courage® and positive youth development
• Experience in project evaluation
• Access to private transportation

Please submit a 2-page concept proposal with budget outline by midnight on Thursday June 28th, 2018 to farms at fortwhyte.org.

Only those selected for an interview will be contacted

Website: www.fortwhyte.org