INSTITUTE FOR HEALING OF MEMORIES
Position: Two Community Healing Project Organizer
Communities: Atlantis and Delft Western Cape
Part Time-3 days a week
Closing Date: 26 March 2014
Expected Starting Date: 03 April 2014
Organization background
The Institute for healing of Memories was founded in 1998. It grew of the Chaplaincy Project of the Trauma Centre for Victims of Violence and Torture where Fr. Michael Lapsley, SSM, was one of the founder members. The Institute for Healing of Memories seeks to accompany other people on their journeys to healing and wholeness. We offer Healing of Memories workshops in South Africa and many other countries where war, oppression and conflict have created suffering.
We provide a safe space where individuals can tell their stories in an atmosphere of deep listening and mutual respect. When pain and suffering are acknowledged, people are healed and empowered. For the past fifteen years, the Institute has been working with groups from diverse backgrounds in relation to these issues: advocating forgiveness, reconciliation and restorative justice, Hiv/Aids, prisons, ex-combatants, interfaith communities, farm workers, xenophobia, torture, youth development programs, community dialogues and any other form of traumatic experience.
Community healing project
The Institute for Healing of Memories work is grounded in the belief that we are all in need of healing, because of what we have done, what we have failed to do, and what has been done to us. The community healing project in an attempt to creatively respond to the various challenges that our communities are facing today including violence against women and children, political violence, incidents relating to xenophobia, violence in schools, torture in communities, etc. The community healing project is vital for the well-being of individuals and as a way of preventing future violence, rehabilitating reconciliation, understanding the intergenerational trauma, creating a space for speaking pains, hopes and dreams, and empowering community with various skills such as dealing with conflict, nonviolence methods, how to conduct the community dialogues, etc. Learning processes are including workshops, dialogues and trainings.
Job Description
The Community Healing Project requires someone with self-confidence, initiative, an open-minded outlook, and ease in varied social situations and community environments. S/he must engage well with community regardless of race, class and country of origin. S/he must be comfortable communicating with communities Leaders/Communities Structures on their terms, showing leadership, authority and support as well as understanding of challenges in communities. S/he must have the ability to break complicated projects down into discrete tasks on a timeline with projected outcomes as part of a larger strategy. He/she must have training and facilitation skills with communities or being involved in various community development trainings. Finally, s/he must demonstrate a passionate commitment to social justice, and to the notion that the community can play important leadership roles in community life.
Primary Responsibilities
· Organize and facilitate various trainings on different skills with the community leaders catered to specific community needs
· To facilitate relationship between the Institute and all relevant structures and to liase with other organizations with similar goals. This would include educational and religious establishments, government departments, etc.
· To liase and organize meetings with community leaders, attend networking meetings and promote the Healing of Memories workshops.
· To organize the community dialogues on different topics
· To organize transport for participants where necessary.
· The community healing project leader should be present at the beginning of each workshop to ensure that everybody and everything is in place.
· Monitoring and evaluation: Keeping track of evaluations and records, follow up where necessary.
Qualification
· Certificate or diploma in Community Development or Conflict Studies or Conflict Transformation
Experience
· Minimum of two years’ experience working with communities in South Africa/ community organizing experience preferred.
· Ability to work effectively with people from diverse backgrounds.
· Experience in training, curriculum design and delivery preferred.
· Community organizing experience is strongly preferred.
· Applicant must work well both collaboratively and independently.
· Organization, written and verbal communication skills and proficient in MS Office a must.
· Report writing skills
· Be proficient in both English and Xhosa or English and Afrikaans
· Flexible schedule with ability to travel and to work occasional evenings and weekends.
· SA Driver’s license.
· Must be a South Africa citizen
Skills/Qualities:
· Conceptual thinker and implementer
· Passionate about national healing and social cohesion
· Self-starter
· Junior management experience
· Team player
· Work under pressure
To apply:
Please email motivation letter and resume to Alphonse OR Fatima at
Fax: 021683 5747
Kindly note that if you have not received any correspondence from the Institute by the 28 of March 2014, your application would have been considered unsuccessful
For more about the Institute for Healing of Memories, refer to
www.healing-memories.org