Position Title: People’s History Project Researcher (Canada Summer Jobs)
Details:
- 35 hours/week (Full-time)
- 8 week contract position, no possibility of renewal
- Salary: $20.00/hour
Date Posting: May 24, 2023
Application Deadline: June 7, 2023 at 11:59 PM (midnight)
Position Effective: July 4 to August 25, 2023
People’s History Project Researcher
OPIRG Guelph works on a variety of environmental and social justice issues of public interest by conducting research, developing popular education materials, and engaging in activism. We help individuals to become active in their community by providing information through our Resource Library and opportunities for hands-on training and activism.
The People’s History Project (PHP) aims to recognize and preserve the important roles that Guelphites and UofG students have played in social movements throughout the years. The stories of people who participated in activism and engagement in social and environmental justice—queer, indigenous, black, anti-racist, feminist, among many others—are often left out of narratives of our local and broader history.
The People’s History Project Researcher will continue the development of The People’s History Project (PHP) Action Archives Series and:
- Utilize campus and local archives to research and investigate stories and histories of local social movements
- Conduct interviews, examine personal documents and explore other unconventional sources as they may relate to each entry
- Write the full-length and poster exerts narrating the context, history, impact and legacies of these movements and struggles and share the histories through written and audio materials such as posters, radio shows / podcasts, articles, and social media posts that include context, impact and legacies of these histories
- Gather materials used for each entry to be prepared for use and storage in the People’s History Archive
- Support OPIRG staff by assisting with regular OPIRG communications, holding office hours, etc.
- Other duties as required
The ideal candidate is someone with:
- Passion for the Guelph community and their history of activism and struggles for justice
- Research skills with the ability to explore stories and histories found in all sorts of places
- A desire to gain experience working with archival materials, oral history interviews.
- Strong interpersonal and active listening skills for conducting interviews
- An ability to communicate stories and histories into engaging narratives
- Knowledge of, and excited by the prospect of working on social and environmental justice issues
- An understanding of the principles of anti-oppression
- Strong organizational and time-management skills
- The ability to take initiative and work independently with minimal supervision
- Regular access to a computer and a reliable internet connection
Through this position, we hope to further develop the following skills:
- Teamwork
- Communication
- Digital Skills
- Leadership
- Research Skills
- Program Development
Working hours will mostly be during the day, during the week, with some flexibility.
OPIRG welcomes the contributions that individuals from marginalized communities bring to our organization. We invite Black, Indigenous and other racialized youth; poor and working class people and those on social assistance, women; gay, lesbian, bisexual, queer people; transgender, non-binary, gender non-conforming intersex and two-spirit people; single parents, members of ethnic minorities, immigrants, people from non-academic backgrounds and people with disabilities to apply. We encourage applicants to describe the contributions and experiences they would bring to OPIRG in their cover letter. We regret that the OPIRG office is not currently wheelchair accessible.
This job is 35 hours per week for 8 weeks (4 July – 25 August) and the pay is $20.00 per hour.
This position is made possible through Canada Summer Jobs, a federal initiative providing funding to small organizations to create summer job opportunities for young people aged 15-30 years.
To apply, please submit the following three things in pdf format to organizational@opirgguelph.org:
- Cover Letter (approx. one page)
- Statement on Power and Oppression (approx. one page)
- Your Resume
If you have any questions about the position, qualifications, or the application process, please email Mandy at organizational@opirgguelph.org.