Company description

The mission of The Center for Children & Young Adults is to provide safe & suitable housing, youth development and comprehensive supportive housing services for at risk homeless youth who have severe histories of abandonment, abuse, neglect and/or sexual exploitation.  Providing a therapeutic environment allows youth to heal, thrive and grow into self sufficient, productive members of society.  Youth come to us because their parents are unavailable, unwilling or unable to care for them due to homelessness, incarceration, drug addiction or mental illness.  Others have been removed from their homes because their caregivers have abused, neglected or commercially & sexually exploited them.  Youth can live at CCYA for months or years.  While with us, they live dormitory style and attend public school.  They get part time jobs, attend summer camp, have tutors, attend prom and learn skills to become independent.  Kids who come to us have known poverty and hunger.  The campus garden provides new foods for them to eat-many never saw or ate a blackberry before.  We grew 44 pounds of blackberries last year.  Coming from a diet of fast food, many youth learn for the first time what a spaghetti squash is and that figs grow on a tree.  Our chickens produce 80 eggs a week that turns into hard boiled eggs and deviled eggs for after school snacks. 
  

Job description

Part time garden assistant needed for farm to table program at non-profit home for at risk teens in Marietta, GA. 

It is critical that we find a garden assistant to help us maintain , irrigate and harvest the produce grown.  Our hoop house allows us to grow collards, lettuce, more peppers and other vegetables year round.  While we train selected youth to help on weekends, their school schedules are too full for them to provide the daily oversight necessary for a successful crop of vegetables.  Youth who do volunteer in the garden learn about different agricultural and landscaping opportunities that are available for careers.  The garden assistant will be part of a team that demonstrates to youth the skills and prospects that lead to future jobs. 

The garden assistant will also help coordinate classes taught by Master Gardeners and University of Georgia Extension personnel that involve canning, preserving of fruits and vegetables.  Dependent upon crop production, we may also create a pilot Farmers Market experience for youth to sell various herbs and vegetables.  The Garden Assistant will be part of team of volunteers, staff and guests who create opportunities for youth to learn all aspects of gardening, food preparation and entrepreneurship as it relates to farming/gardening.  This is a unique opportunity for someone to learn while being part of a team that operates on an unparalleled campus garden in a low-income, impoverished community in which an urban garden farm is striking, inspirational and spectacularly refreshing.  The garden provides a year round food source for homeless youth and is a model program that has been recognized by Harvard University as a semi-finalist in the Innovative Government Award for horticulture therapy and animal assisted therapy.  The campus also includes 4 rescue dogs trained now as therapy dogs.  May 11, 2019, the CCYA garden is one of the gardens featured in the Cobb County Master Gardeners Tour when over 750 people will tour the garden.  The success of our garden is contingent upon finding a Garden Assistant who wants to be part of something bigger than just digging in the dirt.  This is a great opportunity for the right candidate to work closely with  Master Gardeners, share expertise, histories of crop rotation and different methodologies, and more...all contributing to the legacy of the garden program.  Hundreds of visitors (civic, business, residential and faith based) come to campus each year and all literally express shock, awe and disbelief at the therapeutic effect and existence of the CCYA garden.

Some knowledge of basic vegetable gardening required.  This position will mostly be outdoors assisting a team of Master Gardeners plant, maintain and harvest a variety of vegetables, berries, herbs, and flowers on a 1 1/2 acre garden that includes 20 raised vegetables beds and a large hoop house.  Position also includes using a riding lawn mower and landscaping equipment to maintain campus grounds. Job also includes helping care for a dozen egg laying chickens.  Organizational skills a must and desire to work with teens.  This is a great part time opportunity for someone with a passion for gardening and outdoor labor in Metro Atlanta area. Will include helping to coordinate some classes with visiting cooking instructors.  Ability to take initiative and responsibility a plus.

Compensation

this position is: hourly, varies DOE, $15.00 - $18.00

Application instructions

Deadline

no deadline