Summer Youth Program

VINES 2013 Summer Youth Employment Program Announcement! posted May 7, 2012

We are excited to announce details of the Summer Youth Employment Program at the Urban Farm! The program will begin on July 2, 2013 and go until August 9. 2013. All those ages 15-18  living in the CITY of Binghamton are encouraged to apply!

Application process is now closed. We are reviewing applications and will be calling anyone who is offered an interview and mailing letters to those who are not.

If you are under 18 please note that you will need to obtain working papers. This process can take time so start early!

Please see below for the flyer and application. Also see below for information about past year programs!

SYP post card

SYP application 2013


Good luck!

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VINES 2nd Summer Youth Employment Program at the Urban Farm a Big Success!

2011 Summer Youth Program participants and Supervisor Dorian Lans at the end of the program.

Our 2011 Summer Youth Employment Program employed 12 Binghamton youth, while teaching them valuable job skills and providing essential assistance in continuing to develop the Urban Farm. The program was funded through the City of Binghamton’s Green Jobs Grant, which comes from Community Development Block Grant funds. The program benefited greatly from a partnership with Broome County Gang Prevention (BCGP).

The program expanded upon last year’s achievements, incorporating many of the same successful activities and projects. As in 2010, youth learned about the process of growing and selling produce from start to finish. They also cooked with produce grown at the farm, prepared a meal which was shared with BCGP’s Growing Connection program, Mayor Matt Ryan, and several residents at the Binghamton Housing Authority. Youth employees met local farmers and learned about our food system and the importance of supporting local farms.

This year’s program also included some new components based on our research on other successful urban agriculture youth programs. We employed two of the youth as crew leaders, giving them an additional level of responsibility and an opportunity to gain more leadership skills and training. We also incorporated a feedback component called Straight Talk, which gave youth a chance to learn about their strengths and opportunities for improvement, increase their self knowledge and communication skills, and improve their ability to give and receive feedback. The program this year also incorporated more job and life skills training – all youth finished the program with a completed resume to use in future job searches and also learned some of the basics of interviewing for a job, opening a bank account, and money management.

Many thanks to the wonderful group of youth participants that worked on the farm this summer. We shared a lot with them, learned a lot from them, and we hope many of them will come back to work with us again next summer!

Shaqell Heyliger, Crew Leader with the Summer Youth Program 2011, at the Otsiningo Park Farmers Market.

 

Recruitment is closed for our 2011 Summer Youth Employment Program at the Binghamton Urban Farm. The program runs from July 11 through August 18, 2011. Work hours are Monday-Thursday from 1pm to 5:30pm.

Youth employees will farm land in downtown Binghamton, work at farmers markets and the farm stand, participate in workshops about the food system and social issues, and help promote the Urban Farm in the community.

Eligible applicants must: be between 14 and 19, be available to work the entire program, be residents of the city of Binghamton, qualify for free or reduced price school lunch, have an interest in working at the Binghamton Urban Farm, and be able and willing to do strenuous work outdoors in all weather conditions (heat, rain, bugs, etc).

For more information or to apply, please download our flier and application and attend one of our Open House/Interview Sessions, June 28th or 30th at 6pm. (You will need Adobe Reader or another pdf viewer to open these files. If you don’t have one, download Adobe Reader for free here, then install it and restart your computer before opening the files.) You will learn more about the Urban Farm, what to expect from the program, and go through a brief interview with an Urban Farm member. Parents and guardians are encouraged to attend with their children. Youth must be interviewed in order to be hired. If you cannot attend an Open House, please contact us immediately to make other arrangements.

If you missed applying for this year’s program, stay tuned next year for job opportunities for youth crew workers and crew leaders.

Have any questions about the application or the program?
Contact us at 205-8108 or email vinesvolunteers@gmail.com.

Required paperwork for new youth employees: