Summer Internship Program: Prince Edward County

Primary Program Area Focus: 4-H, ANR, and FCS

1. Describe your plans for this internship.  (i.e. What specifically will the intern be doing?)

The intern will obtain a variety of experiences in the Prince Edward County Extension Office, working with the 4-H Youth Development Agent and Consumer Science- SNAP-Ed Agent as well as the Unit Administrative Assistant, Agriculture and Natural Resources and Local Foods assistance.  As a focus toward our Unit Plan of Work- Addressing Food Insecurities through an Interdisciplinary Approach- this intern will get a taste of each program area and how they are fulfilling this need in the community. whether it be through farmers’ market cooking demonstrations, distributing nutrition and healthy retail tips to SNAP participants, getting produce from demonstration garden to the food pantry, or helping in production of the demonstration and community gardens, this intern will receive a well-rounded experience in the Prince Edward County VCE office. Even though there is not a permanent ANR or Local Foods Agent in this unit at this time, there is still work that needs to be done in those areas to meet the needs of the community.

This intern will provide assistance to the 4-H Agent and the Unit Administrative Assistant in the implementation of Junior 4-H Camp by helping to:

• Process camp applications and maintain the camp database
• Develop and deliver lessons to teen leaders and counselors-in-training on teamwork, leadership, communication, and camp policies
• Develop and lead a class at camp
• Complete class sign-ups, camper/parent orientation, and camper check-in and sign-out

2. Describe the knowledge / skills you expect the intern to gain from this experience.

Through this experience, the intern will gain knowledge and skills in the following areas:

·      the development of educational materials and programs designed to meet
       identified needs of the community
·      presentation, teaching, and public speaking
·      program evaluation
·      working as a member of a team to meet goals in a fast-paced environment
·      time management and prioritization of tasks
·      subject matter knowledge in community needs assessments, youth
       development, nutrition, local food systems, and horticulture

3. How will the intern learn about the breadth of VCE and our various program areas?

Programs that are currently taking place in the Prince Edward Extension Office in ANR, FCS, and 4-H that are addressing food insecurities in the community include:  Fields to FACES, Farmers Markets cooking and gardening demonstrations, Farmers Market EBT program, 21^st Century Program, Grow-A-Row, Programs through Family Preservation Mental Health Service and Senior Housing, LEAP programs at Head Start, Farm Transition Programs, Ag Awareness Days, Family Farm Days, Buy Fresh Buy Local, Farm to Fork, and Junior Master Gardeners. In addition to assisting agents with the specific programs that are happening during the summer, we will encourage the intern to develop a new program incorporating all discipline areas either from scratch or from building on ideas from current programs.

The agents plan to work together to develop a schedule in order for the intern to have a well-rounded, interdisciplinary Virginia Cooperative Extension experience here in Prince Edward County.