Community Development Consultant - Toronto, Canada - Yonge Street Mission

Yonge Street Mission

Verified Company

Toronto, Canada

2 weeks ago

Posted by:

Sophia Lee

beBee Recruiter

Description

PROJECT OVERVIEW:

As a local development agency, the Yonge Street Mission believes that each and every one of the 500,000 people experiencing poverty in Toronto has immense value.

All our resources and energy at Yonge Street Mission (YSM) are focused on working to respond to immediate needs and help people move from surviving to thriving.

YSM is committed to ending chronic poverty in Toronto in a single generation by partnering with others who share our goal.

One of the ways we are helping people rise out of poverty and realize their full potential is by engaging communities through a systematic and intentional approach to Community Development.

Our Community Development department operates through a team of Community Development Specialists working directly with neighbourhood residents to support and empower them to design and implement their own ideas for change in the community.

We practice trauma-informed, asset-based community development and believe that the community holds the knowledge and skills required to create the changes needed in their neighbourhoods.

We also work to create and support collaboration and partnership opportunities with other groups, such as partner organizations and grassroots groups.

OVERVIEW OF THE ROLE:

Dedicated to overseeing the creation of a Community Development Plan (CDP) Framework for the City of Toronto, working with YSM's Community Development Team in partnership with internal and external stakeholders including the City of Toronto project team
Identify and gather input from project partners and stakeholders
Lead the development of a CDP framework that includes implementation, interproject learning and evaluation/monitoring, working in partnership with internal and external project team from the City of Toronto
Integrate City policies and priorities, especially those related to equity and reconciliation
Identify costs of CDP implementation
Identify relationship to City secondary plans and urban planning
Create monitoring and evaluation framework of the CDP
Identify capacity building opportunities for various internal and external stakeholders involved in the CDP
Convene and facilitate conversations with external stakeholders including project team, and local stakeholders from various communities across the City to contribute to the project
Initiate and cultivate strong relationships with an atmosphere for active collaboration and synergy among key supporters, partners, and other community stakeholders

The anticipated length of time to complete the project is expected to be from
March to July 2023.

Project Deliverables:

1.

Deliverable 1:

Literature Search and Review

The literature search will begin with a review of existing documents, strategies and action plans (secondary data) identified by the City of Toronto.

Research areas include but are not limited to local, provincial, national and international strategies; social and community development frameworks; and implementation, evaluation, monitoring and improvement mechanisms.

Gathered research will need to be reviewed and all learnings will be synthesized for interim and final reporting needs.

2.

Deliverable 2
:

External Stakeholder Research
Stakeholders relevant to community development will be identified by both the consultant and the City of Toronto.

The consultant will reach out to individuals of interest to gather their input through interviews, focus groups and other means.

Data collected from these stakeholders will then be synthesized for interim and final reporting needs.

3.

Deliverable 3:

Report Development and Presentation**Based on the above deliverables, reports will be developed to guide the City of Toronto's future Community Development Plan, particularly in relation to neighbourhood revitalizations.

The findings of the literature review and stakeholder interviews will guide the consultant's creation of a number of reports, including:

first drafts of the community development framework, implementation, evaluation, monitoring and improvement mechanism; interim and final reports on project status; and final report, summary and frameworks.

A summary will be presented to the City of Toronto to summarize our findings and finalized reports.

SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS INCLUDE:

Postsecondary education combined with 5 years' experience or equivalent academic training in Asset Based Community/International Development, Partnership Brokering, Social Work, or Urban Studies
3+ years of experience conducting and analyzing and synthesizing qualitative research projects
Good understanding of the City of Toronto structures and policies, namely in the areas of Community Development and Community Infrastructure
Experience and proven ability to create reports, and project plans with clear recommendations, evaluation, and next steps
Ability to and experience working with complex materials, translating them into communityfriendly form