Community Gardening Leadership Training
2015
The Community Gardening Leadership Training is seeking motivated individuals who wish to gain skills for
future leadership positions in the field of sustainable community gardening. The training will combine hands-on,
practical growing skills in small-scale food production with the leadership skills needed to initiate and manage
community gardening projects, to coordinate volunteers, and to implement education and outreach programs.
In this program, community gardening primarily refers to food bank gardens, school gardens and other non-profit
gardens that rely on volunteers, community outreach and community support to grow food.
The Learning from the Land program of the Whidbey Institute, the Good Cheer Food Bank, and the School Farm
and Garden program of the South Whidbey School District are partnering to offer this training in community
gardening and leadership skills. Interns will be selected for a particular garden, and will also assist other interns
in their gardens so as to gain a broad range of skills and learning experiences. Interns start in March and continue
through October. Shorter terms may be possible, but preference is given to those who can commit to the full
season.
Non-profits, the School District, dedicated volunteers, and a growing population of young farmers are
collaboratively shaping a community-driven food system that addresses issues of health, education and food
access on our rural island. For the past five years, interns have had the opportunity to work within this network
and explore their interests in community food systems and food production, as well as to help strengthen it with
their energy and ideas. With the skills cultivated in this program, many interns have moved into jobs in
education, agriculture, and community gardening.
We are the first non-profit farm program to participate in the Washington State Farm Internship Project, which
enables us to pay a stipend and offer workmen’s compensation. In our program, interns are “apprentices” in the
traditional sense of the word, where apprentices work alongside experienced gardeners and move into leadership
roles as the season progresses.
Gardens in the program:
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The Good Cheer Garden is a .4-acre intensive, volunteer-based, garden growing over 7000 lbs of
produce annually for the Good Cheer Food Bank. Good Cheer also grows at the Bayview Garden
adjacent to the Food Bank.
o Good Cheer Garden http://goodcheergarden.wordpress.com/
o Good Cheer Food Bank and Thrift Stores http://www.goodcheer.org/
o This very public garden in front of the Food Bank grows produce exclusively for food bank
clients. It is a hub of activity and community action drawing dozens of volunteers and
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community members each week. Interns will learn how to manage an intensive production
garden space, coordinate large work parties and service learning groups. She/he will also move
into a leadership role managing the Bayview Garden, and have the opportunity to develop other
projects.
One intern is selected for the Good Cheer Garden.
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The Westgarden of the Whidbey Institute is a .4-acre garden that is the living classroom for Learning
from the Land service learning programs and provides produce to the Food Bank and Whidbey Institute
programs.
o Learning from the Land http://learningfromtheland.wordpress.com/
o Whidbey Institute http://www.whidbeyinstitute.org/
o While this garden grows a diversity of vegetables, its scope is much wider. Its forest location,
beehive and the medicinal herbs and dye flowers help make this garden a healing and
educational space as well. It offers volunteer opportunities for those in program at the Whidbey
Institute, as well as garden-based curriculum for the local Waldorf School.
o One intern is selected for the Westgarden.
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The South Whidbey School District Farm and Gardens grow for the school lunches, and will be
providing garden-based curriculum to grades K-12. The gardens also grow produce for the Good Cheer
Food Bank and Whidbey Island Nourishes. South Whidbey is the first school district in the nation to
deliver produce on a regular basis to a Chartwells-managed food service.
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The new ½ acre School Farm provides garden-based curriculum to the South Whidbey
Academy and the Elementary School. http://whidbeyschoolgardens.wordpress.com/
Langley Middle School Garden is a small (10 bed) garden cultivated by the Seventh Grade
science classes, and grows produce for the cafeterias. There are plans to double the size of the
garden this year. http://lmscommunitygarden.wordpress.com/
South Whidbey Elementary School Garden is a tiny garden of raised beds cultivated by the
Second Graders.
Interns will be growing and delivering fresh produce to the cafeterias each week, as well as
teaching garden-based curriculum, and cultivating the garden with the students.
Two interns are selected to work at the School Farm and Gardens.
The interns will assist the garden coordinators in all aspects of garden production, and develop leadership skills
in project management, volunteer coordination, and community outreach. It is the goal of the program to help
interns develop the skill sets, knowledge and self-confidence so that they confidently move into leadership roles
in a selected garden. There will be regular classes and readings on practical growing skills and seasonally
specific garden activities. Field trips to other community gardens will also be an important part of the training.
Interns will focus on and learn one garden system well, but will also gain a broad set of skills and experiences by
working in the other gardens weekly.
Training includes:
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Leadership skills: Project management, volunteer coordination, work party coordination, outreach and
publicity, teaching and public speaking, working with youth, service learning.
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Sustainable agricultural practices: Soil cultivation, growing starts, planting, weeding, irrigation,
harvesting, produce management, hoophouse cultivation, crop rotation, composting & vermiculture,
record keeping.
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Ongoing mentoring and regular check-ins to support the personal and professional growth and
development of the apprentice.
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This training may qualify you for internship credit. Please check with your advisor.
Position specifics:
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Hours and duration: The training runs from March through October 31st. Each intern should expect to
work a flexible 35 hr week, seasonally variable, with some weekend work as needed.
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Compensation: We currently can offer a stipend of $300 per month and this amount may increase
depending on fundraising. Workmen’s compensation is also provided as part of the Farm Internship
Project of the State of Washington.
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Housing will be in a home-stay, or, if selected as the Whidbey Institute intern, in a rustic cabin.
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Transportation: The gardens are about 5 miles from each other. A car is handy, but a bicycle is sufficient.
There is free bus service on the island, but connections between the gardens are not ideal. We make
every effort to support interns who choose low-carbon bicycle transportation.
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Food: from the gardens and Food Bank.
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Interview process: Final applicants will be interviewed in person or by Skype.
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Applications requested by January 15th, 2015.
Contact for more information:
Abigail Lazarowski, cultivatingcommunitywhidbey@gmail.com
802-377-9487