Education Garden Summer Internship, Longview Center for Agriculture

Posted by on March 12, 2012

Greener Partners | 3215 Stump Hall Road, Collegeville, PA 19426 | http://greenerpartners.org

Education Garden Summer Internship, Longview Center for Agriculture – Collegeville, PA

Internship Overview

Greener Partners’ Education Garden Summer Internships provides college-level students opportunities to gain hands-on experience on a small-scale homestead garden and to plan and implement farm-based programming. The internship integrates experiential learning, farming projects, and tour and field trip program development over the course of four months in the summer.

Real Farm Experience – During the summer, Education Garden Interns’ primary responsibility will be to assist the Education Garden Manager with managing the U-Pick Garden. This will include help with propagation, planting, irrigation, weeding, harvesting, caring for laying hens, and additional farm-related activities.

Public Interaction- An important and necessary component of the internship is interaction with the community members in the Education Garden. The Intern will be asked to be the main contact in the garden when the Education Garden Manager is not present. This means the intern will need to be friendly, helpful, and provide a meaningful experience for community members visiting the garden.

Signage Development – In addition to working directly with the education garden, interns will have the opportunity to research and plan signage for the garden and the surrounding 80 acre organic farm. This project should be well-researched and signage should be constructed and installed by the end of the internship.

Outreach and Administrative Support – Support advancement of the Education Garden’s mission by conducting strategic outreach to communities and help with administrative support for contacting volunteers, schools, and community members.

Requirements

An Education Garden Intern will have interest in farming and gardening as well as be able to perform manual labor, this includes being able to lift 50 pounds and withstand working in all weather. An intern will also enjoy interacting with people and should be a friendly, welcoming person willing to teach people how to harvest their own vegetables. An intern should be a problem solver and be able to work independently in the garden and on garden projects. Commitment to the mission of Greener Partners and to working the entire 14 week internship is a must.

Hours and Compensation

Internship period: May to mid August (14 weeks) Hours: Approximately 20-40 hours per week, some weekend availability is a requirement Compensation: $8/hour; school credit may be available

Mission Statement for Education Garden

The Education Garden will build a gateway for community members to interact with the Longview Center for Agriculture by designing and managing the education garden to facilitate family-oriented activities, programming, and education about food and the outdoors.

About Greener Partners

Greener Partners (http://www.greenerpartners.org) is a non-profit organization dedicated to building community through sustainable farming projects and farm-based education. It is our mission to inspire individuals and communities to support and eat locally grown, seasonal food. Greener Partners operates several community farms that serve as resources for local food and food-based education. To apply, email a letter of interest and resume to sarah.groat@greenerpartners.org by April 10, 2012.