Join Our Board — Front Street Community Oven

Wolfville / Mi’kma’ki

The Front Street Community Oven is seeking new Board Directors — including a Chair, Co-Chair/Secretary, Sociocracy Facilitator, Treasurer, and Members-At-Large in specific areas (see below) — to help guide our growing organization through an exciting period of expansion, innovation, and strengthening of our governance systems.

Our Commitment to Equity, Belonging & Justice

Belonging without othering is the heart of our mission. We are intentionally building a board that reflects the diversity, lived experience, and leadership of our communities.

We welcome applications from African Nova Scotians, Mi’kmaw and other Indigenous Peoples, racialized community members, 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals, disabled and neurodivergent people, newcomers, younger adults, elders, and people with lived or living experience of poverty or housing insecurity.

Accommodations are available at any stage. (see contact information below)

About the Organization

The Front Street Community Oven re-imagines public space as a place of connection, healing, and co-creation. Our mission is to build a world where everyone belongs—where food and fire bridge differences, rebuild community, and cultivate belonging.

Through weekly community cookouts, we’ve brought over 25,000 people together from diverse backgrounds—Mi’kmaq, immigrant, African Nova Scotian, people of colour, 2SLGBTQIA+, low-income residents, and people of all ages, races, and classes—to cook together as equals, building a happier and healthier community. These gatherings reduce isolation, strengthen mental health, and model inclusive, participatory community life.

In 2026-2027, we plan to expand our seasonal practice circles and trainings through a Belonging Together Lab initiative, offering trauma-informed facilitation, empathetic listening, inclusive hosting, starting a community oven, and co-design training for volunteers, municipalities, and partner organizations.

Our consulting and partnerships help towns and institutions embed community cooking, belonging, inclusion, and co-design into their community engagement processes. We document and share our methods so other communities can create their own public hearths—places where difference becomes connection and everybody has a role to play.

At its heart, the Oven is both a practice and a movement: rebuilding the village through food, fire, and fellowship, reminding us that there is no “them and us,  there is only us.” 

We invite you to watch our video to get a feel for the space.

Our Next Chapter (2025–2027)

We are entering a phase of significant evolution:

• Deepening and strengthening dynamic governance
• Developing the revenue-generating Belonging Together Lab training arm
• Securing stable multi-year funding
• Scaling to additional community ovens
• Strengthening trauma-informed safety systems for volunteers
• Expanding our partner ecosystem
• Building HR systems and expanding our staff team beyond one position

Board Roles Available

• Chair
• Co-Chair / Secretary
• Treasurer
• Dynamic Governance / Sociocracy Facilitator
• Members-at-Large with experience in fundraising/philanthropy, HR, scaling, communications

Term: 1 year (renewable)
Meetings: Every 2 months (1.5–2 hrs), including a shared potluck meal

Circles (aka Committees): It is also expected that Directors participate in a Circle teams and these typically meet in advance of Board meetings.

Cookouts: All directors volunteer twice/year at community cookouts to really be in touch with what happens in community.

Time commitment: 5–10 hours/month

Who We’re Looking For

We seek grounded, relational leaders with experience in one or more of:

• Non-profit governance or Dynamic governance / consent-based decision-making
• Nonprofit or cooperative governance
• Bookkeeping or nonprofit accounting
• Fundraising, donor stewardship, and philanthropy
• Facilitation and shared leadership
• Human resources experience — hiring, onboarding, staff support, and building foundational HR systems during growth
• Business development and scaling revenue-generating models
• Systems-building during expansion or capacity strain

We especially welcome leaders who:

• Communicate clearly, calmly, and kindly
• Name concerns early and help keep conversations healthy
• Are committed to anti-racism, equity, and belonging
• Prefer collaborative, non-hierarchical leadership
• Value co-creating with community rather than directing from above

What You’ll Gain

By joining our Board of Directors, you’ll become part of a passionate, community-rooted team shaping one of Nova Scotia’s most inspiring and fast-growing grassroots initiatives. You’ll help steward a project that is strengthening belonging, connection, and community wellbeing through food, fire, and shared public life — and you’ll play a direct role in guiding its next chapter as we expand our impact across the province.

Board members develop deep relationships across sectors, collaborate with skilled community leaders, and gain hands-on experience in dynamic governance, community development, and social innovation. You will also have opportunities to join some of our trainings at no cost and others at a significant discount — including fire-cooking and inclusive hosting trainings, bystander-intervention training, sociocracy and dynamic governance sessions, and non-violent communication and empathetic listening circles.

How We Govern (Dynamic Governance)

• The Chair provides clarity and stewardship but does not preside over meetings
• Facilitation rotates among board members
• Decisions are made by consent (not consensus or voting)
• All directors carry responsibility for healthy meeting flow and clarity
• Leadership is distributed and relational
• All directors hold responsibility for healthy meeting flow and shared accountability

* While it’s great if you already have dynamic governance/sociocracy decision-making experience, we do not expect it and it is something you can pick-up with onboarding and our board buddy system. We will be offering a course to board members as a perk benefit in using dynamic governance. 

Board Culture

We practice:

• Belonging without othering
• Anti-racist, justice-rooted governance
• Direct, honest, respectful communication
• Awareness of bias and willineess to self-examine
• Brave conversations held with care and dignity
• Relational leadership, not positional hierarchy
• Clear processes without unnecessary bureaucracy

Role Descriptions

Board Responsibilities

 The board ensures that the organization is fulfilling its mission, aligned with its core values, and using its financial, human, and community resources responsibly. Directors help guide the strategic plan, support long-term sustainability, and uphold all legal and regulatory obligations.

Board Member Commitments

Each director commits to:

• Prepare for and participate in board and circle/committee meetings (minimum 75% attendance).
• Engage in consent-based decision-making and contribute to clear, thoughtful governance.
• Stay informed on key issues, risks, and opportunities before each meeting.
• Participate in at least one board circle/committee.
• Follow through on tasks between meetings.
• Champion the Front Street Community Oven within their networks and help identify opportunities aligned with our strategic goals.
• Complete board orientation within the first 60 days.
• Support the creation of a strategic plan and review board structure as needed.

Code of Conduct

Board members agree to:

• Communicate respectfully and constructively, never demeaning or undermining colleagues.
• Maintain confidentiality when required.
• Uphold board decisions once made (board solidarity).
• Act honestly, in good faith, and in the best interests of the organization.
• Identify and declare conflicts of interest proactively.
• Respect bylaws, governance policies, and organizational standards.

How to Apply

If you would like to apply to join our board, please complete our online Expression of Interest Form

We also welcome (and encourage!) video submissions, which can also be submitted through the form.

Deadline: Applications will be accepted until Friday, December 19th, 2025 at 5PM AST.

Process: Once applications are reviewed, members of the oven Governance Circle will reach out to conduct interviews.

If you require any accommodations in submitting your application or navigating the process,

please reach out to the email at the top of our online Expression of Interest Form

Shortlisted applicants will receive an onboarding overview and be invited to a further conversation.