F2S Members engage youth and community members to build, maintain, and expand school gardens through a start-to-finish growing season and to integrate them into school curriculum. Members plan and teach hands-on integrated classroom lessons to pre-k through middle school students, and lead after school and summer programs. Programs include farm field trips, guest chef visits, kids cooking classes, youth farmers markets, school lunch programs, district wide school composting, and summer camps. Members also coordinate with food service directors, coordinate volunteers, build community partnerships, and work to build new programs and community relationships. Members provide outreach and engagement at community events to promote Farm to School and the organization’s programs and mission. Members gain exposure to organic agriculture, curriculum development, program planning, volunteer engagement, and participate in ongoing professional development.
Service Activities
AmeriCorps Member Duties
• Build, maintain, and expand school gardens through a start-to-finish growing season.
• Deliver hands-on lessons on nutrition, gardens, food sources, environmental science, cooking, and sustainability with students grades K-12, in classroom, afterschool, and summer camp settings.
• Introduce fresh local foods through tastings, garden clubs, and other in-class activities.
• Cafeteria reform, connecting farmers to schools, and bringing education into cafeterias through tastings
• Community outreach/engagement, such as expanding volunteer involvement in the school gardens, organize events, develop promotional strategies and materials for print and social media, coordinate, and lead community workdays.
• Capacity building - Members innovate organizational systems, programs, and methods that allow rural organizations to more effectively understand and address community need. 10% of time spent on fundraising, including grant writing.
Community Need Addressed
Children are less likely to make healthy food choices if they are unfamiliar and not exposed to fruits and vegetables during early ages.
Position Outcomes
Farm to School (F2S) AmeriCorps Members are part of a team serving with organizational staff and volunteers to connect youth to the earth, to their food, and to the community as part of our district-wide Farm to School program, bridging gaps that enable partner organizations to be more efficient and effective at providing nutrition, health, and garden-based environmental education to rural youth.
Benefits
Education award upon successful completion of service, Living allowance, Relocation allowance (if applicable), Student loan forbearance, Training
The programs works with the candidate to secure affordable housing.
Education Benefits
College Degree
Experience with youth and underserved communities, and
Passion for teaching about the environment.
Skills you will gain
Project management, garden development/implementation, education curriculum writing, independent work and time management.
Competencies You Will Develop
Communication
Maintain open lines of communication with others, Speak clearly, in precise language and in a logical, organized and coherent manner, Write cleary and effectively
Creativity & Problem Solving
Able to identify and define the problem, Communicate the problem to appropriate personnel, Select and implement well-considered solution
Teamwork
Establish a high degree of trust and credibility with others, Stay positive and outcome oriented
Decisions
Identify and prioritize the key issues involved to facilitate the decision making process, Involve people appropriately in decisions that may impact them, Quickly respond with a back-up plan if a decision goes amiss
Tools
Carefully consider which tools or technological solutions are appropriate for a given job, Seek opportunities to improve knowledge of tools and technologies that may assist in streamlining work and improving productivity
Planning
Able to prioritize various competing tasks, Create environment of contribution
Service
Be pleasant, courteous, professional and respectful when dealing with internal and external customers or clients, Provide personalized, prompt, and efficient service to meet the requirements, requests and needs of customers, Understand the importance of one's role in the functioning of the organization, Understand the significance of maintaining a healthful and safe environment