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Urban Farming & Community Food Systems Internship

Center for Community Learning, WWU

 

Overview

The Urban Farming & Community Food Systems Internship offers students the opportunity to explore urban agriculture, food justice, community resilience, and student leadership through hands-on, community-engaged learning. Hosted by WWU’s Center for Community Learning, this internship connects students to Bellingham’s local food system through farm work at City Sprouts Farm and other off-campus vegetable farms, participation in community food systems events, and/or relevant independent research projects.

Interns will also take part in weekly discussion sessions that may include short readings, podcasts, or videos to support reflection and learning.

Opportunity for spring and fall quarter internships. Students may participate for multiple quarters. If students want their internship to count for course credit within their academic program(s), they are responsible for finding a faculty supervisor and completing department requirements. WWU Center for Community Learning staff will provide on-site supervision, support and education. 

• Credits: 1–4 credits per quarter

• Time commitment: 1 credit = approximately 3 hours per week

• Compensation: This is an unpaid internship

 

Field work: 

Interns will work at City Sprouts Farm or with other local community food system organizations with a variety of community mentors, student peers, volunteers and staff members. Tasks will vary greatly throughout the season and will include greenhouse work, weeding, preparing vegetable beds for planting, seeding and transplanting crops, harvesting and packing produce, site maintenance, building projects, and visiting other local food and farming projects in Whatcom and Skagit County. 

 

We encourage applications from women, people of color, people with disabilities, veterans, and other candidates from underrepresented backgrounds and those with diverse experiences interested in this opportunity.   

 

Required qualifications: 

• Desire to learn all aspects of small scale farm systems  

• Organized, responsible, punctual

• Excellent work ethic and positive attitude 

• Conscientious and able to work with all kinds of people  

• Ability to navigate rough and uneven ground

• Ability to work outside in all weather conditions  

• Must have access to reliable transportation (bike or bus included) 

 

About the Farm:

City Sprouts Farm builds community resilience by stewarding a productive farm space where people can come together to learn, increase food access, and demonstrate how community vitality can grow through our food system. We grow diversified vegetables using organic and ecological practices on a parcel of land in the Birchwood neighborhood of Bellingham. Our primary goals are to grow nutritious produce that is accessible for our community, to cultivate soil health and biodiversity, and to create opportunities for student learning, engagement and belonging. Our programming is embedded within Western Washington University's Center for Community Learning and we provide multiple entry points for students to engage in local food systems. 

 

About the community we are serving:

The Birchwood and Alderwood areas of Bellingham are impacted by food apartheid. Since the only grocery store in the area closed in 2016, the lack of access to fresh, affordable, culturally appropriate food has particularly impacted BIPOC and low income communities. Since City Sprouts Farm began in 2018, we have worked to address this problem by getting fresh produce into the hands of our most food insecure neighbors.  The produce grown at City Sprouts Farm is free/affordable for the people who consume it. We will do this by providing produce to Sea Mar Community Health Center’s FARMacia free food stand, the Birchwood Food Desert Fighter’s free food share spot, through WWU Food Pantry Donations, and through our sliding scale CSA program. 

Interns will gain first-hand experience learning about food access and will have opportunities to connect with local organizations working toward food justice and food sovereignty in the region.

 

To Apply:

Please send a resume and 2-3 paragraphs describing your learning goals and why you are interested in this internship to Ellie Duncan at ellie.duncan@wwu.edu