Horticulture Education/Vocational Garden Internship in New York, 2013

Horticulture Education/Vocational Garden Internship in New York, 2013 Green Chimneys Farm has a garden program which has two locations and different focuses: The Educational School Garden on the Brewster campus plays an important role in the lives of Green Chimneys’ students.  Practical lessons in the garden enhance and reinforce theoretical learning in schools. Students gain respect for nature, manual work, individuals, and the community and have opportunities to learn and participate in the growing of plants, harvesting of vegetables and using products out of the garden. Boni-Bel Organic Farm, a half mile from the main campus, is comprised of a two-acre organic garden, an orchard and a hundred acres of native swamp and woodlands. Supervised by a professional organic farmer and vocational coaching staff, the farm provides vocational training and therapeutic activities for Green Chimneys students while maintaining sustainable agricultural practices. Students are involved with the day-to-day operation of the farm and its retail operations including the farm stand and quaint Country Store. Vocational skills in bee keeping, maple syrup production, small machinery operation and customer service challenge the students all year long.

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Interns have an opportunity to observe and participate in classes, facilitate 1:1 activities with individual students, and may explore independent projects that can enhance the garden program. Interns also guide therapeutic/recreational activities such as creating bees wax candles, mixing organic lotions, drying culinary herbs or preparing fresh chicken eggs for sale to the public. Interns in the horticulture area will be immersed in both educational and vocational aspect of horticulture, and participate in activities offered both on campus and at Boni-Bel organic garden.

Internship Skill Areas:

· Plant Propagation, Gardening and Organic Farming- Institute Interns work in a horticulture education and vocational farming program and learn how to provide appropriate care for diverse vegetables, trees, herbs, houseplants and other varieties of plants in a farm based education program.

· Introduction to Program Administration- learn how to create, implement, and document activities around animals and nature. The internship experience provides an important introduction to program development for those who seek to replicate and administer nature-based programs in other settings.

• Farm Class Teaching Support- learn to skillfully apply animal-assisted interventions and horticulture education to groups of students as teaching assistants in farm, riding and garden classes.
• Intern Project- Institute Interns, either as a group or individuals, will participate in an additional project to enhance the Green Chimneys Farm, or another area of the organization and its programs.

The Institute Internship is for highly committed and flexible individuals who are able to dedicate a set period of time to Green Chimneys and acquiring skills in the principles of nature-based education and therapy.

There is no academic pre-requisite but the Institute Internship can be used as a supplementary practicum in training for a career in social work, psychology, education, veterinary science, animal care and program administration.

Individuals who hold academic degrees or are licensed in professions such as Psychology, Teaching or Social Work may apply for an internship but will not be able to practice under their license. The Institute Internship is a learning experience and all interns, regardless of previous degree or certification earned, function as support staff under the supervision of the Green Chimneys staff.

Please visit the website www.greenchimneys.org to download our internship application. You can locate the application by clicking the “Jobs” drop down and choosing “Internships”. The application will be on the right hand side of the page. Send the completed application to Heather Mock via email, fax or regular mail.

email: hmock@greenchimneys.org

fax: 845-279-6726

address: 400 Doansburg Rd., Box 719, Brewster, NY 10509