Hybrid Youth Fellow - Special Appointment (Grant Funded) chez City of Santa Cruz, CA

About the Department

Youth Fellow - Special Appointment (Grant Funded)

*Note: This is a grant-funded position.  Continued employment is contingent upon ongoing grant funding. 

Employment Type:  Full-Time Special Appointment.  These are benefitted and full-time positions for a duration of up to 18 months, contingent upon ongoing grant funding.  

This is a Grant-Funded position. 

About this position

The City of Santa Cruz is seeking two motivated and community-driven Youth Fellow to join our Parks and Recreation Department and City Manager’s Office Climate Action Program. These positions offer hands-on experiences in food security programs and local environmental initiatives offering the opportunity to foster connections among diverse community groups.  These are fully benefitted, full-time positions for a duration of up to 18 months, contingent upon ongoing grant funding. 

For the Parks and Recreation Department Youth Fellow 

The Youth Fellow will participate in programs focused on food security, sustainability, and community engagement by working across five (5) community gardens, including the Beach Flats neighborhood, assisting with garden maintenance, organic planting, and harvesting. The incumbent will explore food rescue and zero-waste initiatives with local community groups and organizations. The Youth Fellow will assist in implementing water conservation, organic soil management, and zero-waste composting techniques to enhance garden sustainability.  They will collaborate with the UCSC Agroecology Department, UCSC Farm and Garden, and local gardening groups on building community awareness to issues of food insecurity and access to community gardens.

For the City Manager’s Office Climate Action Program Youth Fellow

The Youth Fellow will support planning, coordinating and conducting trainings and community events (e.g., neighborhood workshops, tabling at events, and presentation at community groups) to promote climate actions and resilience building. The fellow will assist with developing education materials, presentations, and digital content to raise climate literacy, empower climate action, and support city-led climate campaigns.

APPLICATION AND SELECTION PROCESS:

The following process may be changed as deemed necessary by the Human Resources Director. The information contained within this announcement may be modified or revoked without notice and does not constitute either an expressed or implied contract. 

• The deadline to submit an application for priority review is Wednesday, 08/27/2025 at 5 pm PST.  Applicants are encouraged to apply early. If sufficient applications have been received, application submission will close at 5 pm on this date or may close at any time without notice after this date. To apply:
  • Click the Apply button to begin the online application process.  
  • Answer the required supplemental questions. 
• The selection process may include, but is not limited to, phone screening and/or interview. 
• Meeting the eligibility requirements does not guarantee advancement in the selection process. 
• Selected candidates will undergo fingerprint screening and background check as part of the pre-employment process.
• Any selected candidates who are under 18 years of age and still in high school will be given a "Statement of Intent to Employ a Minor and Request for a Work Permit" form in accordance with the State of California Department of Education. 

Position Duties

Key Responsibilities

• Assist in design and implement projects, program materials, and community engagement activities within the assigned focus areas (Food Security or Climate Action)
• Participate in professional development workshops and training.
•  Develop partnerships with community groups including UCSC Farms and Gardens, FoodWhat?, the senior garden at the London Nelson Community Center, and local gardening groups, environmental nonprofits, and civic organizations to foster positive community impact. 
• Facilitate diverse group activities to ensure equitable engagement and access across neighborhoods and age groups.
• Support public presentations, resource management, education materials, presentations and community outreach.
• Coordinate closely with City staff to ensure effective program implementation.
• Assist in the development and maintenance of marketing and communications tools, such as press kits, social media campaigns, flyers, and managing website content.

Minimum Qualifications

Eligibility Requirement

• Applicants must be between 16 and 30 years of age.
• Demonstrate interest in food security and sustainability or climate action and resilience building. 
• Strong teamwork, communication and organizational skills
• Ability to work collaboratively with community partners.