Job description

EarthDance operates an Organic Farm School in St. Louis, MO. Our mission is to sustainably grow food, farmers, and community through hands-on education and delicious experiences. Our flagship program is the Farm and Garden Apprenticeship, designed to train beginning farmers and gardeners in the skills of organic agriculture. To fill this position, EarthDance is seeking an individual with experience in farming and gardening, who possesses a strong ability to motivate and mentor individuals from diverse backgrounds. This is a full-time Americorps VISTA position.

The Farm and Garden Apprenticeship Coordinator will spend a significant amount of time (65%) on the farm. 35% of this position will be office-based, with time devoted to collaborating with other staff, researching strategies for curricular improvements, creating an Apprentice Resource Guide, revising EarthDance's Apprenticeship Manual, and recording and responding to feedback concerning EarthDance programming.

Job responsibilities:

1. Assist farm staff in leading hands-on farm and garden education

• Collaborate with farm staff to lead experiential field education for apprentices and volunteers

2. Assist in developing farm educational tools and farm and garden curriculum

• Collaborate with EarthDance staff to develop methods to increase the effectiveness of EarthDance's Farm and Garden Apprenticeship Program

• Test methods for optimizing overall satisfaction and educational value of the apprenticeship program• Document best practices for on-farm education in EarthDance's Apprenticeship Manual

3. Increase the effectiveness of EarthDance's weekly classes

• Develop feedback materials to measure public and apprentice response to classroom sessions. Monitor and respond to feedback.

• Develop curriculum to provide continuity between classroom and on-farm education

• Develop and monitor online forum for ongoing discussion following enrichment sessions

4. Communicate regularly with apprentices, guest speakers, and field trip hosts

• Maintain email and phone communication with these groups, in order to facilitate positive experiences for apprenticeship participants and guest educators.

Compensation

this position is:

Application instructions

Deadline

September 23, 2013