Join Us
Trustee / Director
Be a part of our journey to offer more students in more locations the opportunity to participate in our programs and workshops.
Photographer / Photography Teacher
Plan and deliver nature photography workshops and programs inspired by an appreciation of the local environment
Project Coordinator
Run projects independently, communicate with participants, sponsors and team members.
Magazine Designer/ Editor
Designer and editor of our digital magazine, Compassionate Nature.
Direct your passion for nature to do good
IMAgEN8 is a registered charity established in 2018, whose purpose is to foster sustainable connections with New Zealand's natural environment in our diverse communities through education, photography and technology. The goal of our work with children and young adults is to nurture their love for Nature. The strength of this love and deepening of connections to our physical world improves their mental wellbeing, fosters increased awareness for the environment, builds compassion, and manifests as kaitiakitanga.
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We conduct nature photography workshops on school grounds and nature reserves that connect students with Nature, enhance their wellbeing, build skills and foster environmental stewardship through creative expression. Students' work is published in books and a digital magazine, Compassionate Nature. Our 'Adopt a reserve' and 'Borrow a camera, tell a story' programs enable students to capture compelling stories about Nature and generate greater interest in preservation and enhancement of our city nature reserves. We are an accredited activity for the Duke of Edinburgh's Hillary Award. We offer Wellbeing workshops and create educational content for tamariki to learn and be inspired.
Since June 2018, we have run nearly 100 workshops with 600 students, published 7 books and 13 editions of the digital photography magazine, held 1 exhibition, and 13 students have participated in our ‘Borrow a camera’ programs. We have had an exciting 5 years and are looking forward to giving more students in more locations the opportunity to benefit from our programs. Join us to help make this happen!
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Trustee/Director
Commitment required
4 board and 6 working meetings/year
4-8 hours of work per month
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Guiding, ideating, co-creating, and overseeing projects (such as exhibitions, book projects, Be a Scientist/Artist/Environmentalist programs, magazine curation/editing, etc.)
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Fundraising through grants, corporate sponsorships and philanthropic donations
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Developing relationships and partnerships with sponsors and partners (e.g. local council boards, schools, Forest and Bird, Canon/Nikon, other corporate CSR programs)
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Helping to grow the team (contractors and volunteers, e.g photographers, designers, etc.)
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Promoting our work in media (news, art, environmental, social…)
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Interest, skills and competencies sought
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A passion for connecting children from our multicultural diverse communities with nature through photography
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Knowledge and experience of the grant application, corporate CSR/sponsorship and/or philanthropic funding environments, with influencing skills to create sustainable sources of funding for the continuation of our mission
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Ability to oversee projects independently with support from project coordinator, photographer, volunteers etc.
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Experience in strategic thinking and ability to communicate charity’s mission and goals to wide networks
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Interest in nature photography alongside creativity, curiosity and a growth mindset for experimenting and learning
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Experience in environmental and outdoor/place-based education desired
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Experience in public education and contacts in the ministry of education desired
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Previous experience contributing to charitable or community-based organisations desired
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Experience and contacts with media channels desired​
Term
Directors are appointed for a two-year term and are eligible for reappointment up to a maximum of three terms (or six consecutive years) unless there are exceptional circumstances. Appointments are staggered to ensure there is an appropriate balance of institutional knowledge, which provides for continuity, alongside a refresh from new members.
Compensation
This is an unpaid voluntary position. Travel expenses will be reimbursed up to a reasonable limit.
Photographer/Photography Teacher
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IMAgEN8 nature photography teachers plan and deliver nature photography workshops and programs inspired by an appreciation of the local environment. They conduct workshops with students, download, curate and process photographs, print pictures, conduct webinars, set and grade assignments and contribute to digital publications. If you love nature photography, and would like to pass your skills and knowledge on to the next generation, please get in touch with us. We are looking for 1 photographer in Auckland and 1 in Wellington.
Commitment required
75-150 hours/year
Each workshop involves roughly 5-6 hrs of work including planning, travel, workshop, post-processing and printing. We usually do 7 workshops per school and 5-10 in nature reserves every year. Our ‘Borrow a camera’ programs run for 6 months and require 4-6 hrs/month.
Interest, skills and competencies sought
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A passion for connecting children from our multicultural diverse communities with nature through photography
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Digital SLR nature photography experience
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Digital photo processing experience (Adobe Lightroom or similar)
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Patience, energy and enthusiasm for teaching children
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Environmental education experience desired
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Clear communication skills when interacting or emailing participants/parents, teachers etc.
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Ability to run projects (e.g. school programs, nature reserve workshops, borrow a camera programs) independently desired
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Organised. Able to keep on top of tasks for self and others
Term
8-week trial period, then 1-year contract
A police clearance and appropriate background checks will be required before you can start working with students. Our educators adhere to our safety and youth protection policies.
Compensation
$25-35/hour.
Project Coordinator
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Commitment required
1 meeting/week (may be via video-conference or in person)
1-2 days per week
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Running projects (e.g. school programs, nature reserve workshops, borrow a camera programs, library exhibitions…) independently. Planning and managing tasks for self and others.
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Communicating with participants/parents, sponsors/teachers, photographers to keep everyone aligned
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Promotions and marketing support for programs
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General administrative support
Interest, skills and competencies sought
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A passion for connecting children from our multicultural diverse communities with nature through photography
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Autonomy. Ability to run projects independently with support photographer, volunteers etc.
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“Can do” attitude. Interest in learning and trying out new things (growth mindset)
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Communication skills
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Familiarity with use of Google documents (docs, sheets etc.)
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Experience in environmental and outdoor/place-based education desired
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Experience in public education desired
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Previous experience contributing to charitable or community-based organisations desired
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Organised. Able to keep on top of tasks for self and others
Term
8-week trial period, then 1-year contract
Compensation
$30-35/hour.
Other Volunteer Opportunities​
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There are many other ways to get involved with our work. You can join our nature photography workshops and help children photograph the beauty of nature, design flyers and marketing materials, produce videos, fundraise for our programs, or help us create relationships with schools. Please connect with us to discuss what may suit you based on your interests and skills. We are always open to new ideas!
Magazine Designer/Editor
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We are looking for someone to take on our Compassionate Nature digital magazine design and editorial responsibilities to make the magazines more compelling and informative, and publish them more frequently. These magazines are currently published 3-4 times per year, and have a lot of potential for content growth and distribution.
Commitment required
4 hours/month
Interest, skills and competencies sought
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A passion for connecting children from our multicultural diverse communities with nature through photography
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Ability to run magazine publication independently
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Design skills (Adobe InDesign, Canva or similar)
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Ability to curate the best photos from our growing large database of images for publishing
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Content writing skills and ability to bring scientific, art, cultural, environmental information from available sources into the magazine
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Keeping on top of tasks for self and others
Term
8-week trial period, then 1-year
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