Organization and Program Context

Urban Growers Collective (UGC) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that was founded in the fall of 2017. Working closely with community partners, UGC’s approach is to demonstrate the development of community-based food systems and to support communities in developing systems of their own where food is grown, prepared, and distributed within the community itself.

We operate 8 urban farms on 11 acres of land, predominantly located on Chicago’s South Side. These farms are production-oriented but also offer opportunities for staff-led education, training, leadership development, and food distribution. Each farm utilizes organic growing methods, intensive growing practices, and year-round production strategies to best maximize growing space.

While farming is the foundation upon which we grow, helping people thrive is our emphasis and the motivation for our work. We work towards building stronger, healthier communities through a variety of programming centered around Food Access, Job Training & Education, and Community Engagement. Through our programs, we provide training and education on urban agriculture and food systems; offer skill building experiences, jobs, and economic opportunities to youth; identify and lift up community priorities and needs; and use evidence-based practices to create safe and beautiful places for communities to convene, create, heal, and transform.

UGC’s internship program is an important component of our overall mission, and is rooted in 20+ years of developing career readiness programming in urban agriculture, specifically cultivated in Chicago, and heavily influenced by our predecessor, Growing Power.

The internship is a tool in which community members from across the spectrum of experience, certification, and identity are able to build a practical, hands-on education in the basic principles of urban agriculture, to then inform their pursuits within and beyond the field.

After participating in this internship program, it is UGC’s goal that participants will achieve or gain competency around the following topics:

Farm Skills: Understanding the basic concepts and skill sets that undergird a successful farming operation. Gain experience in observing and responding to one’s environment to successfully implement one’s farm skill set.

Food System Analysis: Gain familiarity of how the food system operates, using Chicago as a case study. Gain an understanding of how the mission and practices of UGC works to address food system insecurity at the community level.

Communication: Get support in navigating verbal and written communication, and communicating ideas to a diverse group of people. Learn how to observe operations and replicate in your own work. Develop question-making skills to understand how to complete tasks and reflect on them.

Career Readiness: Connect to opportunities to engage with a network of food system advocates in Chicago. Participate in community outreach initiatives to engage community members in conversation about healthy foods, our growing practices, and more. Get support with resume and interview skills.

Internship Role Summary

Urban Growers Collective invites previous program participants to apply for the “Returning Farm Production Internship” to gain a more profound understanding of concepts previously cultivated in the intern’s past intern experience, and provide an opportunity for leadership development through the completion of a project or mission aligned goal within the 10-week program. This iteration of the internship experience is a combination of continued farm production skill building, project development and individualized mentorship, and participant leadership within a cohort.

Interns will work collaboratively with UGC staff members to identify mission aligned project areas or ideas at the beginning of the internship, and cultivate a deeper understanding of the practices employed by UGC. Interns participate in weekly check-ins, and are required to attend UGC sponsored workshops throughout the internship to facilitate learning outcomes. At the close of the internship, Individual interns are expected to present their project to receive evaluative feedback from the organization to take into their career journey.

This internship is designed to reflect the realities of farming in urban spaces, at an intensive level of production. While there is beauty in this type of work, it is also difficult and frustrating. Please take this into account when assessing your desire to reapply to this role.

Additionally, this is an experiential internship that emphasizes repetitive physical tasks and independent work– these qualities require applicants who can demonstrate their capacity for taking initiative and patience in the learning process. These are especially important skills to cultivate while balancing the needs of the farm with personal project development.

Only applicants who have participated in at least 1 Urban Growers Collective internship season, and completed their previous program in good standing, may apply to this listing.

A Returning Farm Production Intern at Urban Growers Collective will have the opportunity to gain competence in the following tasks/areas.

*Please note that this is a seasonal internship, and that an individual intern may not be able to gain competency in all skills included here due to seasonal needs.

Farm Activities

Build-out and maintenance of farm sites including bed building, seeding, planting, and tending and irrigating crops;

Daily use and safe-handling of farm equipment including tilers, wheelbarrows, tools and hand-tools;

Harvesting and post-harvest handling and record keeping of crops for sale and distribution;

Introduction to pest management including hand-picking, maintaining row cover

Introduction to compost management;

Introduction to the maintenance of hoop-houses and additional infrastructure on farm sites;

Assisting with sales, load-in and out of produce at farmers’ markets, CSA Program, and the Fresh Moves Mobile Market

Support daily reporting with UGC staff members;

Work collaboratively with UGC Staff;

Learn and practice customer engagement and maintain a positive connection with community partners and neighbors to facilitate good working relationships.

Build opportunities for leadership development with a group of peers

Develop project management skills

Guide a community driven project to completion over a 10-week program period

Physical Demands and Work Environment

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an intern to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform functions of the position.

Heavy lifting; must be able to lift at least 50 lbs

Frequent bending,crouching, squatting

Be able to stand for long parts of the day

Ready to work in all weather conditions (rain, extreme heat, cold)

Internship Program Details

All internships take place over a 10-week period, and are required to work 40 hours per week. Program extension is performance based, and by invitation only.

Applicants seeking an internship role for school credit are not eligible for the stipend. However, UGC will support the applicant’s application for additional funding through other sources, and with completing the requirements to achieve school credit. Please inquire with UGC for additional information regarding this policy.

Schedule

Tues - Saturday, 8:30AM - 5:00PM

Some evenings for special event or market shifts

Must be able to commit to 40 hrs per week

Interns are primarily assigned to UGC’s South Chicago Farm (9001 S Mackinaw ave. Chicago, IL 60617)