Love to work outside? Want to learn more about farming and food? Interested in community development? The Urban Farms Collaborative, now in its second year, is partnering with the incredible East New York Farms! in Brooklyn to offer a flexible summer internship to several interested students. This is an amazing opportunity to learn about food justice, urban agriculture, and community activism through hands-on education. AND get lots of fresh farm goodies.
If you are interested in applying/have any questions or concerns, please contact Kate Weiner ’15 at kweiner@wesleyan.edu.
Who is East NY Farms!
East New York is a diverse and economically disadvantaged community in the eastern part of Brooklyn. Decades of urban decline and neglect left our community with a huge number of vacant lots, a lack of businesses and services for our large population (nearly 180,000 residents), and a reputation for violent crime and poverty. In 1995, through a coalition of local and citywide organizations and residents, the East New York Farms! Project came together as a way to use and further develop the community’s resources to meet our needs. Working with youth interns and adult gardeners to increase organic food production in community gardens, we were able to start a small farmers market (just two gardeners during our first season in 1998) that has grown over the years into a thriving destination including dozens of gardeners and local entrepreneurs of many backgrounds, as well as upstate farmers, bringing fresh affordable food to over 17,000 customers each year. Our mission is to organize youth and adults to address food justice in our community by promoting local sustainable agriculture and community-led economic development.
As an Intern, what will I be doing?
Interns will be involved with weekly seasonal tasks on our farm. They will assist with seeding, greenhouse management, planting, composting, weed management, trellising, beekeeping (if an interest), irrigation installation and practice, and harvesting. By being able to be involved in the daily management of our farm, they will gain a better sense of the growing season and management practices. There will also be opportunities to work with youth in our program.
In previous years, committed interns and volunteers have taken on specific projects with the farm in addition to regular farm management. This has ranged from developing our Community Composting Program, making educational signs, designing an outdoor kitchen, to supporting our Wednesday Farmers Market. We want to support an Intern who is excited to take on some initiative, and we are happy to work together to develop a project to suit their interests.
Make sure to check out Kate’s Enrichment Grant report for some history on the Urban Farms Collaborative!