The Red Shed Produce garden, a program of Room One, in conjunction with the Valley Teen Center is accepting applications for the AMERICORPS position of "Teens Growing Healthy Futures Program Coordinator."    

The core mission of the Americorps member will be growing and harvesting vegetables in the Red Shed garden and creating access to healthy meals  for Methow Valley teens. This position will provide an opportunity for someone with a passion for local, organic foods to work with teenagers; member will help Red Shed establish an additional garden space and help the Valley Teen Center facilitate programs in their new building, both located on the TwispWorks campus.

Major Responsibilities include:

• working in the existing Red shed garden
• harvesting crops in September and October for fresh eating as well as storage crops to be consumed throughout the winter months
• continuing work towards the establishment of a new garden location at the TwispWorks campus
• involving teens in the process of planting and irrigating cover crops
• erecting a deer fence, creating paths and interpretive signs, creating compost bins
• establishing a gardening program for teen center participants
• establishing and teaching a cooking program for teen center participants;
• working with existing Independent Learning Center students to prep weekly meal for Teen Center
• soliciting in-kind donations for supplemental food (in addition to Red Shed produce)
• providing mentoring and tutoring support during teen center hours
• coordinating volunteer chaperones and mentors for teens at the Teen Cente
• conducting workshops with teens to develop further programming.

Qualifications:

• Experience in large-scale gardening or farming
• Experience and interest in child and youth development

     The Methow Valley, a small rural community in Eastern WA, sits in the foothills of the beautiful North Cascade Mountains and boasts a plethora of hiking, biking, and ski trails.  The town of Twisp offers opportunities and classes in yoga, music, dance, theatre, and the arts, as well as a natural foods store, a bakery and brew pub.

     Room One is a social service agency promoting health and wellness through consolidation of county outstations and generation of innovative programming.  Room One's Red Shed program provides access to fresh, organic produce to low-income families through produce distribution and education.  The Valley Teen Center is a youth-driven organization dedicated to fostering connections to a better present and future for all teens and our community, through personal growth, entrepreneurial opportunities, community leadership, and connection to the broader Methow Valley community.  The "Teens Growing Healthy Futures" project will be a collaboration between these entities built to foster healthy eating behaviors early in life and provide a healthy meal during the week for Methow Valley youth. The core of the program will be the provision of a weekly dinner at the teen center, and nutrition, cooking and gardening instruction through Red Shed.

For more information, please contact Kelleigh McMillan at [email protected]

To submit an application, please find us on www.americorps.com

Applications accepted until August 1st, 2012.

Position term: September 1st,2012 though July 15, 2013.