Community Outreach Coordinator
The Hangar Flight Museum
Deadline to apply: August 18, 2024
Salary: $20 – $21 per hour
Purpose of the Position
As a team player with initiative, the community outreach coordinator will provide a source of skilled support as The Hangar Flight Museum develops new multi-sensory community outreach projects. This position is five days a week, hours are primarily Monday to Friday 9am – 4:30pm, but could include a few weekend shifts as necessary for connecting with the community. This is a one-year contract position.
Two main types of outreach programming will be completed by this individual: Silver Darts and Sensory Hours. The Silver Darts will be a two-hour program that draws on the local and community history held within our historic building and is an opportunity to build upon individual stories. Seniors’ education programming encourages lifelong learning and promotes neuroplasticity. Silver Darts will support the health and social needs of older groups, as it has been documented that engaging with concepts of personal history, identity and creative expression in a communal environment helps with feelings of isolation, memory loss and a lack of self-expression.
Sensory Hours will provide access to The Hangar for many neurodivergent individuals or those vulnerable to overstimulation. The museum will designate specific dates and times when we will have noise and light reduction, additional tactile and sensory play, and opportunities for in-depth discussions related to the artifacts.
Reporting
This position reports directly to the collections director. Frequent collaboration will also occur with the visitor experience and operations director, social media and memberships coordinator and the full education team.
Organization
The Hangar Flight Museum is a museum in northeast Calgary that aims to inspire dreams of flight. The Hangar Flight Museum will be a premiere destination to explore, engage and experience the transformational power of flight. We are storytellers, stewarding and sharing the aviation history of Calgary and western Canada and its impact on our community. The collection holds rare and historically significant military and civilian aircraft.
Qualified Applicants
The Hangar Flight Museum is seeking qualified applicants with strongly developed public speaking and storytelling skills with experience facilitating learning with seniors. Post-secondary education (with preference given to education, museum studies, psychology or humanities) is required. A successful candidate will be able to work well independently and have good problem-solving skills, but also be able to work effectively as part of a team. The successful candidate will have strong research skills and be a strong communicator both verbally and in written form.
Key Responsibilities
Program Development and Research
- Learn the history of aviation in Canada, especially as it pertains to the artifacts in our collection.
- Learn tours and public interpretation methods to provide outstanding visitor experiences.
- Research, develop and prepare programs based on the museum themes in ways that assist a vulnerable demographic for whom social interaction and community activities are significantly harder, and who may face isolation and a decline in mental health.
- Assess what the public expects from museum programming.
- Inspire education staff and volunteers to learn new information and develop new interpretive activities in keeping with museum themes.
- Train volunteers how to effectively provide interpretation with seniors and neurodivergent individuals. (Assist with the recruitment of new volunteers for this programming)
- Create large-text format information to be utilized in all forms of community outreach programming.
Partnership Building and Marketing
- Be featured in on our social media channels with interpretive content.
- Reach out to established groups to aid in the creation of successful programming experiences and also to schedule programming.
- Establish new connections and partnerships and leverage previous partnerships.
- Increase awareness of the new outreach opportunities.
- Organize booking forms and ensure payment is received in a timely manner.
Program Delivery
- Have a full awareness of safety concerns and risks, following OH&S procedures and policies to ensure visitors and volunteers are in safe places.
- Ensure educational supplies are prepared and artifacts are safely handled and protected.
- Deliver the Silver Darts programming to senior visitors on site at The Hangar.
- Deliver seniors multi-sensory programming to seniors off-site, including artifact handling, with the goals of supporting the health and social needs of older adults. Seniors will be invited to engage in lectures and continue to work on active movements, such as hand and finger dexterity through the handling collection.
- Develop additional tactile and sensory play opportunities for Sensory Hours.
Reporting
- Complete monthly reporting on progress of the community outreach projects, keeping consistent records of the process.
- Develop surveys to evaluate the success of the programming.
- Ensure program participants fill out appropriate surveys to receive useful feedback.
- Summarize feedback, and turn it into future success and plans for how to develop the programming further.
- Complete required reporting to the funder(s) of this programming initiative.
- Create reporting on sustainability of the programming and the future of outreach with The Hangar.
Skills and Abilities
- Excellent time management skills.
- Excellent verbal communication, and experience communicating with seniors and understanding effective techniques for encouraging neuroplasticity would be considered an asset.
- Excellent written communication skills, developing manuals, writing simplified text and creating marketing materials would be considered an asset.
- Strong research skills, and experience completing research.
- Must be detail oriented with ability to multi-task.
- Ability to work within a small team environment and with minimal supervision.
- Ability to exercise good judgment, critical problem solving and initiative.
- Ability to adapt and thrive in an ever-changing environment.
- Knowledge of the museum industry and interpretation methods.
- Knowledge of the aviation industry and military history is considered an asset.
- Being able to answer visitor questions in a second language is considered an asset.
Minimum Standards
- Minimum 1 year of programming experience, preferably with seniors.
- Minimum 2 years post-secondary education with preference given to education, history, psychology, or museums studies. Equivalencies will be considered.
- Must have an average knowledge of computer software programs including Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Publisher etc. Knowledge of the Adobe Creative Suite is considered an asset.
- Criminal record check and Vulnerable Sector Search.
- Undergraduate degree in a relevant field.
- A valid class 5 license and regular access to a vehicle.
Physical Demands
- Standing on hard floors for long periods of time.
- Moving boxes and other support material (supplies, displays, etc.).
- Ability to lift up to 10 kilograms.
Salary: $20 – $21 per hour, plus health benefits after 90-day probationary period. The intended start date is in September or early October.
Position closes August 18, 2024.
To apply please send your resume and cover letter to info@thehangarmuseum.ca. Applications without a cover letter will not be considered.
