My MSA Team

We live our values to ensure we achieve our Student Driven Vision and Mission. In This Together, we collaborate in transformative ways within and beyond our departments, helping wherever we are needed. We Believe it’s Possible by focusing on outcomes rather than outputs. We prioritize Foster Belonging, where all staff members feel purposeful and supported as their authentic selves. And we share and learn through the power of Storytelling.

My Governance & Advocacy Team

As an integral part of the larger Student Experience Team (Programming, Communications, Services, and Governance & Advocacy), the Governance & Advocacy Team provides opportunities to support equity, diversity and inclusion – on-and-off-campus – for Mohawk College students. By ensuring we understand the needs of students, we can provide relevant supports, services, information and outlets for all students to meaningfully participate, be aware, and create change.

At the end of the day, watching students succeed and knowing that we played a part in that success, is the best part of our job.

What You Do

As the Governance & Advocacy Student Lead, you provide opportunities of engagement through awareness campaigns to connect and empower Mohawk College students. You act as a champion, collaborator, and connector, sharing relevant information that may directly or indirectly impact the overall experience of students at college with an emphasis on equity, diversity, and inclusive practices and activities. You listen to students’ questions and concerns, building a large data set of compiled feedback to create advocacy initiatives, campaigns, recommendations for potential proactive services, and/or projects. Because you are a student, you also contribute to the MSA’s area of focus around advocacy and leadership by providing your own lived experience as well as common issues and concerns amongst the larger student population, both on-and-off campus.

This role works collaboratively to ensure the success of all departments, because we are in this together.

What Success Looks Like in This Role: 

You thrive on helping your fellow students and building connections with others on campus that prioritize equity, diversity, and inclusion. You ensure that students have a platform and a safe space to tell us what they need and how they would like to see change. You play an active role within the Governance & Advocacy team to ensure that students at your campus are engaged, informed, empowered, represented and feel included at the MSA and Mohawk College.

Primary Accountabilities:  

• Build trust between the MSA and Mohawk College students.
• Create opportunities for dialogue and feedback gathering for and with Mohawk College students.
• Promote opportunities for increased awareness and engagement within the MSA.
• Look for opportunities to further advocacy efforts of the MSA for Mohawk College students.

How You Do It

Responsibilities 

• Create advocacy campaigns based around the MSA Board of Directors identified advocacy priorities, including but not limited to, EDI, municipal/provincial/federal policies or activities, student affairs, and more.
• Coordinate opportunities for student engagement around pressing/lived experiences that affect daily student life.
• Coordinate meetings with other student staff areas to collaborate and analyze congregate databases of student concerns/issues/feedback.
• Collect feedback from Mohawk College students for data analyzation through, but not limited to, townhalls, surveying, pop-ups, tabling, and more.
• Create reports with Governance & Advocacy Specialist through research endeavors combined with collected feedback and analytics for further discussion and action.
• Present reports with Governance & Advocacy Specialist for MSA staff and Board, Mohawk College departments, and the larger student population highlighting the collected feedback and analytics for further discussion and action.

What you Need in Education, Experience and Training for your Department:

• Currently enrolled in a Mohawk College program
• In good standing with the College (60% minimum grade average)
  • Second year or above student (Paralegal, Social Service Worker, Graduate Certificate Programs, Communications/Journalism, Community and Justice Services, GAS, Office Administration, Public Relations, or any interdisciplinary/human services related program)
• Legally eligible to work in Canada.
• Comfortable engaging with diverse groups of individuals with diverse needs.
• Understanding of equity, diversity, and inclusion and how those areas affect students.
• Understanding of underrepresented groups and the intersectionality at post-secondary institutions.
• Understanding of human rights and social justice movements as they relate to student populations.
• Understanding of political frameworks that intersect with students from a municipal, provincial or federal landscape.
• Preference, although not a requirement, is given to folks who identify as part of an underrepresented group(s).

What Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes that you require:

• Passion for working for and with post-secondary students.
• Empathy for underrepresented student groups.
• Proficient in a digital environment (e.g., Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Excel).
• Ability to adapt to an ever-changing environment.
• Ability to work collaboratively or independently.
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills.
• Good organizational, time management and multi-tasking skills.
• Ability to work with sensitive and confidential information.
• Ability to engage in research using digital and print resources.
• Ability to accurately report research findings through written and verbal methods.

Physical Demands/Work Environment

• Able to work in a variety of on-campus settings that may involve sitting, standing, lifting, and transporting
• Standard work hours are 0-15 hours per week. This may include evenings and weekends occasionally.
• Able to sit/ stand for prolonged periods of time.

How We Support You

This position is entitled to the following comprehensive compensation package:

• Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP).
• Option to enroll in the CAAT Defined Benefit Pension
• Staff Wellbeing Initiatives.
• Celebrate an Individual’s Authentic Self.
• Work Culture that prioritizes that staff have a voice, feel a sense of belonging, and have fun together.