Environmental Education Instructor

Summer 2016 Internship
May 15 – August 15
Growing Gardens’ mission is to enrich the lives of our community through sustainable urban agriculture. We envision people experiencing a direct and deep connection with plants, the land and each other. Growing Gardens unites the Boulder County community through urban agricultural projects, including: The Cultiva Youth Project (Ages 12 – 19), The Children’s Peace Garden (Ages 3 – 11), Horticultural Therapy (Seniors and People with Disabilities), Fresh Food Families & Fitness, and The Community Gardens (General Public).

Summer Environmental Education Instructors spend the majority of their time leading Summer Camps and Field Trips for the Children’s Peace Garden Program. The Children’s Peace Garden Program teaches children environmental stewardship, nutrition education, respect for diversity, and creative self-expression to nurture a healthy, happy and well balanced child. Over 5,500 children from 3-11 years of age participate in Peace Garden programming. Environmental Education Instructors utilize engaging hands-on activities to teach participants about local organic gardening practices, the garden as the source of food and how to prepare simple, nutritious food from the garden.

Summer Environmental Education Instructors mentor the teens participating in the Cultiva Youth Project. Interns help teach teenagers about sustainable agriculture, leadership skills, entrepreneurial and life skills while working alongside the youth in the Cultiva fields.

In addition to teaching in the Peace Garden, Summer Environmental Education Instructors are responsible for teaching in the Horticulture Therapy Field Trips. These programs primarily serve persons with special needs and elders but we welcome all in the community.
Lastly, Education Interns have the opportunity to learn more about vegetable production while they work in the gardens approximately 2 hours per week.

Environmental Education Instructor Duties
Instructing in Children’s Peace Garden, Horticultural Therapy and Cultiva Youth Project

• Work closely with the Program Coordinator to teach Summer Camps, Field Trips, and Classroom Visits in Children’s Peace Garden
• Teach the following gardening skills during one day field trips to the garden site and week long summer camps:
  • Community
  • Plants and Planting
  • Insects and Pollination
  • Composting
  • Harvesting and Eating
• Manage field trips, classroom visits and summer camp and volunteer activities independently once trained in all curriculums
• Document activities through photography for reports, grant proposals and marketing
• Conduct surveys and document attendance at all programs
• Attend intern garden trainings and field tours
• Mentor the Cultiva teens during summer programming
• Assist with development of training day in the Children’s Peace Garden for ¡Cultiva! teens who will be teaching during summer camps
• Mentor ¡Cultiva! teen participants who will assist with teaching in the summer camps
• Teach occasional field trips with the Horticulture Therapy program

Community Outreach

• Assist with marketing for programming
• Interact with the public during community outreach events
• Lead tours of the Growing Gardens Site to groups and individual volunteers

Event Planning and Execution

• Assist with Cultiva! Harvest Dinner in August

Knowledge and Skills you will Aquire

• Teaching garden skills and topics to a wide range of populations
• Public speaking and presentation experience
• Conflict resolution and communication skills
• Volunteer management
• Gain skills and understanding of organic food starts, heirloom tomatoes, and veggies
• Small scale organic vegetable production techniques
• The ability to work in a team environment
• The ability to work in a dynamic environment: this includes being comfortable changing tasks, working/leading diverse groups and feeling confident with a diverse population
• Create a positive atmosphere for diverse populations

Structure of Internship

• Internship duration is May 15 – August 15, 2016
• Intern position is 30 hours per week. Note: hours may vary between weeks; however the average number of hours per week will be 30 hours. Hours primarily take place during the week, however there is some required weekend work
• Orientation meeting with all GG interns, mentor, intern supervisor and additional GG staff
• Intern will be working closely with a Mentor from Growing Gardens’ staff who will oversee all daily activities
• Interns will meet with GG mentor every other week for the duration of the contract
•  Interns will meet with GG supervisor every other month for the duration of the contract

Learning Objectives Contract – Developed by second week of internship. This includes: position description, educational objectives, learning activities and skill development.
Evaluation – A midpoint evaluation and end of internship evaluation will include intern self-evaluation, supervisor and mentor evaluation.

Benefits of Interning with Growing Gardens

• Hands-on experience making a positive impact in the lives of children, teens and adults
• Friendly, relaxed environment
• Good experience; develops marketable teaching and group leading skills
• Classroom training offered through Growing Gardens classes
• Access to a wide variety of organic seeds and plant starts
• Possibility to garden with other interns in a plot at our Hawthorn Garden site
• Fresh vegetables from the garden as the season permits
• Garden is located with easy access to public transportation
• 3 months of teaching experience
• A stipend of $625 at the completion of the internship

Qualifications
We are looking for someone who enjoys working with teens, children and adult. Basic experience in gardening is required. Three months teaching experience, preferably in an outdoor or environmental education type setting is preferred. Applicant must hold certifications in Medical Administration, CPR and First Aid by May 15, 2016. The intern should enjoy working outside and be able to serve as a mature, healthy role model for children and teens. Our staff and youth enjoy their time together in the garden and we’d love for someone with a sense of humor to join us while we have fun and do good work. The Environmental Education Instructor must be responsible, dedicated and organized. This experience is a great opportunity for someone interested in a job in education, urban agriculture or community organizing.