The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) is looking for motivated individuals interested in learning how to be a community organizer with our Ottawa office. No experience is required, just a passion for social justice and an eagerness to work directly with people in communities that want change!

About the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN):

Since 2004, ACORN community organizers have been helping organize communities and secure important victories for low-to-moderate income households at the local, provincial and national levels. Victories like new municipal bylaws on managing rental housing, regulating payday loan companies, $15 million in the 2019, 2020 & 2021 city budgets for affordable housing, $10/month internet for low income families, winning millions of dollars worth of repairs for dilapidated apartment buildings, and many more.

ACORN makes change through people power. We believe that social and economic justice can best be achieved with a national active membership who are invested in their organization and focused on building power for change!

ACORN is a union in the community. Like any union or association, membership decides the drives the of the organization, while determining that the vast majority of our resources go towards organizing door to door, block to block, and city to city.

About community organizing:

Community organizers manage campaigns on priority issues determined by our membership. As an ACORN organizer you can work on hyper-local issues like fighting for repairs in a bad apartment building or organizing tenants against a rent increase! At the same time that we're organizing on immediate issues to improve the daily lives of our membership, we are also running campaigns demanding structural and systemic change to address the root causes of many of our members' key issues.

In order to run a successful campaign you need to build your group (there's power in numbers!). Field work is an important part of organizers' schedule so we can engage more people into the organization to fight for change. Organizing also includes cultivating new community leaders, phone outreach, fundraising, organizing virtual meetings, organizing social distance actions/protests, communications/public relations, developing campaigns, and most of all listening to the people in the communities we organize in.

Six month paid, full-time placement with potential for permanent employment

This work experience placement is part of the CreateAction Inclusive Social Innovation program. The ACORN Community Organizer will be part of a network of 25 CreateAction participants and will join in regular peer learning and training sessions delivered by the program partners: the Canadian CED Network and the National Association of Friendship Centres.

Full-time permanent employment is available after completion of 6 month placement.

Candidates must meet the following criteria:

(a) be between 15 and 30 years of age (inclusive) at start of placement;
(b) be a Canadian citizen, or permanent resident or a protected person as defined by the
Immigration and Refugee Protection Act;
(c) be legally entitled to work in Canada;
(d) be legally entitled to work according to the relevant provincial/territorial legislation and
regulations; and
(e) be experiencing one or more barriers to employment; and/or
(f) be not in education, employment, or training (NEET).

Ideal Candidates are:

• Fully bilingual in English/French
• Leaders who are willing to work independently in a grassroots setting
• Willing to handle challenging and rewarding work to help our membership grow to be strong and active leaders
• Must be willing to work field hours between 12PM and 9PM as we organize predominately when many people are at home
• Passionate about social justice and eager to participate in direct action on issues decided by ACORN’s current community leaders

How to Apply
Email cover letter and resume to ottawa@acorncanada.org

To better prepare yourself for the interview process, if you are selected, visit our website and social media at:

www.acorncanada.org Twitter: @OttawaACORN Facebook: Ottawa ACORN