Sustainability Trainee- Education

Kopila Valley Sewa Samaj

Job Description: Sustainability Trainee-Education

With a vision of “a world where every child is safe, educated, loved”, Kopila Valley Sewa Samaj (KVSS) established in 2007, is a non-governmental, apolitical, and not for profit organization. Our mission is to change the world by empowering Nepal's children. We do this by providing quality education, a safe environment, and through inspiring others while putting the children first, strengthening families and local communities. Most at-risk and disadvantaged children are provided with inclusive quality education at Kopila Valley School (KVS), one of the greenest schools in Nepal, made from the rammed earth and nestled on a campus with a commitment to building sustainable programs. Along with lifelong gift education to the disadvantaged children, we support their family members to improve their living standards and make it sustainable through holistic programs ranging from children’s home, health and wellness through women empowerment to career guidance/counseling, and scholarships for further studies.

Environmental sustainability is one of the guiding principles and a way of life whatever we do! We nurture children and adults to appreciate, preserve and restore our environment so future generations may continue to flourish. The Sustainability program works on  Education for Sustainability (EfS) initiative which starts from operating an environmentally friendly school campus that itself can be a  daily teaching tool for our students, to strengthening cross-curricular approach to integrating sustainability and place-based pedagogy in core subject areas. Various EfS integrated sessions with outdoor activities, gardening classes, club activities like Sustainability Ambassadors Club, Bird Watching club are some of the examples.

We also work on creating sustainable food systems by localizing the process where establishment and  promotion of the Participatory Guarantee System and various community training through vocational farms are important areas of work.  Partnerships and collaborations are an integral part of our work as we inspire others by offering KVS as an open learning platform. We do this with our funding partner BlinkNow Foundation and in close ties with the local government and communities.

About the Role

The Trainee will be responsible for supporting the sustainability team to strengthen various sustainability initiatives. Under the supervision of the Associate Manager-Sustainability program, Trainee will provide support to the sustainability team, on strengthening the Education for Sustainability (EfS) initiative at Kopila Valley School through support on operating environmentally friendly school campus and strengthening of EfS integrated session, gardening class and club activities along with support on various community outreach initiatives and partnerships and collaboration events.

Must Have:

Education: Diploma in Environmental Science or relevant disciplines

Experience:

• Fresh graduates are encouraged to apply
• Must have a passion to work on a environmental sustainability and school setting with children and diverse stakeholders
• Language: A good communicator, and fluent in English and Nepali languages

Skills and Abilities:

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Excellent presentation skills
• Good on using Microsoft Office tools and email, internet

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Core Responsibilities:

1. Assist Sustainability team to execute Education for Sustainability sessions for Kopila Valley School Students
2. Support the Sustainability team in various community outreach activities including trainings and events to strengthen sustainability initiatives in the community
3. Assist sustainability team to execute gardening class and agriculture development works at campus farm and strengthen regenerative farming in the community.

Detailed Responsibilities

1. Assist Sustainability team to execute Education for Sustainability sessions for Kopila Valley School Students.

• Assist  EFS teacher on planning, resource and materials  arrangement, execution and learning assessment of students for EfS sessions.
• Execute student orientation sessions on various themes of Sustainability.
• Support the team to execute club sessions and keep track of the details of session execution and the learning achievement as defined in the session plan
• Support team in operating an environmentally friendly school campus.

1. Support the Sustainability team to organize various  events and community outreach activities.

• Assist Sustainability team to execute various events on various themes of Sustainability.
• Assist Sustainability team on executing community training and on doing follow ups.
• Execute awareness related sessions and activities for Kopila staff and the community people.
• Support team to prepare communication materials

1. Assist sustainability team to execute gardening class and agriculture development works at campus farm and strengthen regenerative farming in the community.

• Support gardening teacher on executing the gardening class on a need basis.
• Assist on Farmers Market execution
• Support on data tracking and PGS support program on need basis.

Additional Expectations:

• Respond promptly to communications and foster a positive working environment by addressing challenges collaboratively.
• Demonstrate professionalism and confidentiality in alignment with organizational protocols.
• Support sustainability initiatives and community training sessions as needed, including outside standard working hours with advanced notice.
• Build positive working relationships and environment in the organization by bringing solutions to the discussion table.
• Demonstrate professionalism in all interactions and execution of duties including ensuring confidentiality as per the organization’s protocols.
• Report to the manager on a weekly basis, and as needed in case of urgent activities.
• Build and maintain a strong relationship with the team members.

Key Characteristics

• You believe that we can change the world, in the blink of an eye
• You believe in making decisions that put children first
• You are self-motivated, organized, and approachable
• You enjoy creating systems, keeping records, and increasing efficiency
• You are always looking for new ways for our team to work smarter instead of harder
• You are detail-oriented and conscientious. You make sure nothing slips through the cracks
• You have a strong work ethic and a willingness to pick up new skills. You are comfortable multi-tasking
• You are positive, patient, and a clear communicator who is comfortable working with both Kopila Valley staff in Nepal and the BlinkNow staff in Nepal
• You are an empathetic person, with a knack for putting out fires before they start and soothing conflicts brewing beneath the surface
• You require little supervision and are flexible. You understand that you will be wearing many hats in this role, many of which are not explicitly included in this job description.

SDG Impact