The Community Gardening Leadership Training is seeking four new farm/garden apprentices to join them on Whidbey Island for the 2016 growing season!

The Community Gardening Leadership Training gives motivated individuals the skills and experience needed to lead community farms and gardens. The training nourishes a vital local food system by providing fresh produce, volunteer opportunities, and education to the community through our food bank, school district, and non-profit growing programs. Our work teaching and empowering the next generation of food leaders, and growing food as a community for the common good, places us at the crux of sustainable agriculture and community development.

Apprentices assist the garden coordinators in all aspects of garden cultivation and leadership so that they can develop the competencies and self-confidence they need to move into leadership roles in a selected garden. In this program, community gardening primarily refers to food bank gardens, school gardens and other non-profit gardens that rely on volunteers, and community outreach and support to grow food. While each of the three main gardens are similar in size and overall mission, they do vary in scope and focus. Broadly speaking, the Good Cheer Food Bank Garden is focused on food production and volunteer coordination, the Whidbey Institute Westgarden is a diverse growing space with an emphasis on garden leadership, and the South Whidbey School District Farm and Garden Program is centered around garden-based student education and food production for the cafeteria. Apprentices will focus on and learn one garden system well and thereby cultivate a specific set of skills, but will also gain knowledge and experience working in the other gardens weekly.

Training includes:
Leadership skills: Project management, volunteer coordination, work party coordination, outreach and publicity, teaching and public speaking, working with youth, service learning.
Sustainable agricultural practices: Soil cultivation, growing starts, planting, weeding, irrigation, harvesting, produce management, hoophouse cultivation, crop rotation, composting & vermiculture, record keeping, occasional use of power tools and small machinery.
Ongoing mentoring and regular check-ins to support the professional and personal growth and development of the apprentice.

Position specifics:
Hours and duration: The training runs from mid-March through October 31st. Each apprentice should expect to work a flexible 35 hr week, seasonally variable, with some weekend work as needed. School garden apprentices may be hired in January/February.
Compensation: We offer a stipend of $300 per month. Workmen’s compensation is also provided as part of the Washington State Farm Internship Project.
Housing: Home-stay, or, if selected as the Whidbey Institute apprentice, in a rustic cabin.
Transportation: The gardens are about 5 miles from each other. A bicycle is sufficient but a car is really useful especially for the School Garden program. We make every effort to support apprentices who choose low-carbon bicycle transportation.
Food: from the gardens and Food Bank.
Interview process: Final applicants will be interviewed in person or by Skype.

Applications requested by January 15th, 2016.

To learn more and apply visit:
www.cultivatingcommunitywhidbey.wordpress.com

Contact:
Abigail Lazarowski, Program Coordinator
cultivatingcommunitywhidbey@gmail.com
802-377-9487