Type: summer job / summer student position
Organization: EcoReality Sustainable Land Use and Education Cooperative
Website: http://www.EcoReality.org
Location: Salt Spring Island, British Columbia
EcoReality Co-op has received a Canada Summer Jobs grant to hire a
student to do sustainable organic agriculture at our Fulford Valley
(Salt Spring Island, BC, Canada) site.
To qualify, you must:
• be between 15 and 30 years of age (inclusive) at the start of employment,
• have been registered as a full-time student during the preceding
academic year,
• intend to return to school on a full-time basis during the next
academic year,
• be a student in a secondary, post-secondary, vocational or technical program,
• be a Canadian Citizen, permanent resident, or person on whom refugee
protection has been conferred under the Immigration and Refugee
Protection Act, and,
• be legally entitled to work according to the relevant provincial
legislation and regulations.
In addition to agricultural experience and/or training, preference is
given to a student:
• who intends to continue in a sustainable agriculture career,
• who is studying in a sustainable agriculture-related field,
• who is willing to live on-site, for a modest, subsidised room and board fee,
• who is lacto-ovo vegetarian,
• who is a student with disabilities that do not interfere with required work,
• who is an aboriginal student,
• who is member of a visible minority.
Duties will include:
• Coordinate the activities and needs of other organic agriculture volunteers.
• Planting, cultivation, irrigation, weeding, mulching, harvesting,
marketing, and selling of organic agriculture produced.
• Livestock care, including dairy goats, chickens, ducks, and geese.
• Maintaining required records, including time on task, harvest, and
sales records.
• Assisting with two farmers markets per week: loading, unloading,
set-up, selling, public relations.
Additional opportunities may be available to those with appropriate
skills and/or interest:
• Value-added food production, canning, drying, preserving, etc.,
• soap making,
• cheese making,
• herbal medicine making,
• biodiesel production,
• wildcrafting,
• construction,
• teaching children and adults,
• and many other things!
You will be working closely with Cleome Rowe, Farm Steward of
EcoReality Co-op, who will train you in organic agriculture and
record keeping. Cleome has 20 years of farming experience, a BS in
Biology and a Masters in Teaching. In addition, this person will work
closely with Jan Steinman, Communication Steward of EcoReality Co-op,
who is also a certified Permaculture Teacher. We will hold short daily
morning meetings to discuss challenges and to determine a daily work
plan. Cleome and Jan will be available throughout the work day for
consultation. Longer weekly meetings tie the daily work to long-term
plans and goals. In addition to the work tasks outlined above, you
will be encouraged to create your own project with the help of
EcoReality mentors, using the EcoReality project management system,
and you will learn how to create and execute a project plan.
Compensation is BC minimum wage ($10.25 per hour), from which a modest
subsidized room and board fee will be deducted.
To apply, go to our Volunteer FAQ on our website (EcoReality DOT org),
read the volunteer information, and fill out the application form. We
will acknowledge receipt of all applications, and will request an
interview with top candidates. (Phone interview for those outside the
BC lower mainland.)
Thank you in advance for your interest, and we hope to be hearing from you
soon!
