Job Posting After School Travel Coordinator

This was sent to me and would be a real opportunity for anyone interested in expanding cycling in schools. Application deadline is September 1.

Job Posting

Active School Travel Coordinator

Green Communities Canada

The person who holds this position will be responsible for two projects to be completed between September 2011 and June 2012:

Wheeling to School
School Travel Planning, Toronto

1. The Wheeling to School Project is a collaboration between Green Communities Canada (www.greencommunitiescanada.org) and Share the Road (www.sharetheroad.ca). This partnership will bring together the cycling expertise of Share the Road, and Green Communities’ experience of delivering the Active & Safe Routes to School program (ASRTS) to Ontario schools for the past 15 years.

This intensive four school pilot that will assess barriers to cycling for elementary school children, teach bicycle safety skills, and reduce the risk of injury while increasing daily physical activity. The project will address the barriers faced by families who want their children to cycle to school, and by schools that wish to promote cycling as an active travel option. It will address the built environment as it relates to child- and family-friendly bicycle routes; create bicycle safety skills training for students and their adult “bike train” conductors; make cycling fun for students; and provide schools with physical infrastructure for bicycle storage.

The project will serve to enhance the positive image of cycling to school so as to broaden its appeal amongst educators, parents, law enforcement, and local politicians. It will manage communications and messaging in the community and beyond in order to position the project in the context of improving children’s health, mitigating congestion and minimizing emissions.

1. School Travel Planning, Toronto is part of the national dissemination of School Travel Planning (STP) across Canada. The project encompasses two Toronto Catholic schools who have agreed to a pilot test of (STP). The Facilitator will work with Green Communities Canada and the existing Toronto Active & Safe Routes to School (ASRTS) committee during the school year 2011/12. Following the process laid out in the STP Guide and toolkit, the Facilitator will work with the two schools and the Toronto ASRTS stakeholders to measure, document and establish the groundwork for the creation of a STP for each school.

Project Deliverables:

Wheeling to School:

· Engage cycling stakeholders and create steering committees in four communities in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

· Conduct and analyze parent/student surveys to assess cycling attitudes of families and identify key barriers.

· Conduct walkabouts/cycleabouts, document results and create maps of the best cycle routes for families.

· Develop and implement Wheeling to School training sessions at four schools for adult bike-train “conductors”.

· Implement cycle trains at four schools.

· Install, test and evaluate two different types of bicycle storage units at four schools.

· Assess the results of the pilot project at the four schools and share the findings through a comprehensive case study.

· Develop a communications strategy for stakeholder engagement and to ensure effective public relations

School Travel Planning:

· Coordinate three stakeholder meetings per year, and ensure regular communication with the Toronto stakeholder committee.

· Establish a school committee for both pilot schools.

· Prepare school profiles for both schools.

· Organize and oversee baseline data collection (Classroom Hands-up or Student Survey, Family Survey, Site Visit, Traffic/Pedestrian/Cyclist Count as applicable); ensure data entry and analysis in the provided tools is completed; forward completed data entry files to Green Communities for University of Toronto.

· Prepare summary reports on key issues identified.

· Organize a kick off event in the Fall of 2011 and a Spring celebration at each school.

· Compile information and draft a School Travel Plan document for review and approval by all stakeholders.

· Organize and oversee follow-up data collection entry and analysis; forward completed data entry files to Green Communities for University of Toronto. (Due to funding restrictions this task has to be completed by the end of February 2012, prior to the end of the actual STP Toronto project.)

· Solicit feedback (via survey or focus group) from school committee members on the STP experience.

· Prepare final reports for funders.

Note: For a complete list of responsibilities related to the fulfillment of the above deliverables, see Appendix A, attached

Skills required:

Excellent communications skills: ability to bring together key stakeholders for the project and ensure a great working relationship to achieve the project’s overall objectives.
Knowledge and experience with active transportation: in particular, excellent bicycle skills; experience with bicycle training (e.g. CANBike certified) is a definite asset.
Ability to work with children and youth: any experience in teaching or child- and youth-engagement will be an asset.
Understanding of the school system in Ontario: knowledge of parent council make-up, familiarity with school board policies regarding transportation and physical activity will be helpful.
Excellent writing skills: ability to create background information, media releases, articles, web site descriptions, case study, reports, etc.
Knowledge of social media and how to leverage this communications tool.
Evaluation Skills and Experience to undertake creation of surveys and use of Survey Monkey; administering of surveys through schools and stakeholders; collection of all data; input to Excel for analysis and to create results and graphs for reports; interpretation of the data into articles, media releases, etc.
Financial Management: ability to maintain control over the project budget, ensuring tasks are completed on budget and on time.
Fundraising: skills in this area are an asset.
Skilled with Office: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.

Other requirements:

Access to a home computer and office space.
Access to a vehicle or other transportation means for travel to the Wheeling to School pilot schools, which may be in locations across the Golden Horseshoe.

Compensation:

This position is offered for 43 weeks at 4 days/week at $175/day.

How to apply:

Please submit a cover letter and resume by email to info@saferoutestoschool.ca.
Deadline 5:00 PM September 1, 2011

For more information:

School Travel Planning: www.saferoutestoschool.ca/schooltravel.asp
Green Communities Canada: www.greencommunitiescanada.org
Share the Road: www.sharetheroad.ca/

Appendix 1:

Detailed List of Responsibilities:

The successful candidate for this project will need to complete the following key tasks in order to ensure the completion of the above deliverables:

Assist with final school selection for a total of four Wheeling schools.
Act as the liaison with each school through regular visits – every two to three weeks throughout the school year for the Wheeling schools and the two Toronto STP schools.
Locate and negotiate additional partners to contribute in-kind and financially to the projects.
Coordinate with local ASRTS committees, providing regular updates and ensuring their support on both projects.
In partnership with the local ASRTS committee, coordinate a cycleabout/walkabout of the school property, school zone and the key active travel routes for each participating school.
Create student/parent surveys for Wheeling schools; administer surveys of students/parents for all schools.
Analyze completed surveys and prepare detailed results in a report.
Conduct research into successful “bike train” projects in the United States and other jurisdictions.
Assess school site re bike lanes, access points, etc.
Cyclepods is donating in-kind to this project through a discount on two cycle pods; liaise with them to coordinate their donation and the installation of the pods at two schools.
Ensure that Cyclepod’s contribution is recognized, where appropriate, through effective sponsorship recognition strategies
Assist with selection of the second bike parking structure for the remaining two schools.
Coordinate installation of bike parking structures at all schools.
Coordinate the mapping of best cycle routes to school, based on outcomes of data collection.
Coordinate the mapping of best walking routes to school, based on outcomes of data collection through School Travel Planning.
Map the potential best cycle train routes and develop and with Share the Road, develop web-based tools for disseminating and sharing information
Identify families to participate in bike trains at Wheeling schools; walking groups at the STP schools.
Establish project evaluation criteria and develop measurement tools, including for bicycle storage units.
Conduct evaluation; input data; analysis of data; prepare summary report; report results to schools and ASRTS committees.
Collect anecdotal feedback; photos; quotes for web site and articles.
Assist with selection of student incentives.
Establish and implement bicycle training events for all schools.
Create media releases; articles for newsletters; info for web site; background documents; key messages.
Develop a social media strategy utilizing effective social media networks for communications amongst key stakeholders
Develop presentation materials for communication with key local officials such as municipal officials, local public health officials, local ASRTS committee members
Create cycling events with each school and ASRTS committees; fit into Winter Walk Day (Walk in the Rain), Spring into Spring, and relate to other local/provincial/national biking events.
Create a comprehensive case study of the project; for web site distribution.
Provide input via a written report for the funder.

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Minaz Asani-Kanji

Associate Director
Toronto Green Community

416-781-7663

www.torontogreen.ca