Summer Internship Program: Chesterfield County

Primary Program Area Focus: 4-H

1. Describe your plans for this internship.  (i.e. What specifically will the intern be doing?
Intern for Chesterfield will focus on Home Food Production and Preservation
    I.  From Garden to Shelf Programming
        a.     Partner with the ANR agent to develop and deliver programming in safe home food                 preservation practices
        b.     Partner with the ANR agent and Master Gardeners to develop and deliver                 programming on home gardening for food production
        c.     Utilize existing demonstration gardens and facilities
    II.  Master Gardener Outreach and Education
        a.  Assist Master Gardener efforts and special event
    III.  Support 4-H/Agricultural initiatives 
         a.  Provide support and some leadership for Chesterfield Extensions presence at the   
             Chesterfield County Fair

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

   I.   Knowledge of urban agriculture, environmental, and agribusiness principals
   II.  Gained experiences through programming for both youth and adult clientele
   III.  Increased interest and passion for community development
   IV. Greater ability to work as a team on certain projects and also to take            
         initiative for new programming, recruitment, or training efforts
  V.  Knowledge of effective marketing tools to promote VCE programs
  VI. Increased knowledge and practice of effective communication skills

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

The Chesterfield Extension intern will be focused on supporting staff in the office with a variety of environmental, agriculture, horticulture, and science programming that occurs during the summer.  Specifically, this intern will mainly assist the ANR Agent and the 4-H Agriculture Educator.  This intern will work with both youth and adults in several settings such as classes, workshops, Bumblebee Jamboree, and public engagement of demonstration gardens.

The selected intern will develop experiences through interdisciplinary events that showcase all that VCE has to offer as an organization.  Many of the marketing opportunities throughout the summer are collaborative efforts by the Chesterfield Extension office, which will give the interns a chance to promote and discuss everything that VCE has to offer to the community. The intern will also have the opportunity to work with volunteers and community partners to successfully address a wide range of topics.

The interns will learn the VCE programming model and apply it to the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the summer programs they support.  There will be an expectation to provide data and develop impact statements that the supervising agent will utilize in future reporting.

Individuals with strong urban agricultural interest and experiences would be especially strong candidates; experience in health/nutrition, working with youth, community gardens or demonstration gardens also a plus.