Intern Program Assistant and Driver

DEPARTMENT:         Garden and Youth Programs

REPORTS TO:          Garden and Youth Program Manager

LOCATION:              Sebastopol and Petaluma Garden

FLSA STATUS:         Temporary, Part-Time, Non-Exempt

SCHEDULE:              Approximately 30 hours a week end of May to Mid-August: Monday-Thursday. Approximately12-14 hours a week Mid-August to Mid-December: Thursday-Saturday.

Position Summary

The Ceres Intern Program Assistant and Driver will support the coordination and implementation of our Farm to Community Nutrition Educator Internship, which provides hands-on training in organic gardening, nutrition and cooking healthy meals for high school students. This role is ideal for individuals passionate about urban agriculture, community engagement, and youth mentorship. The Assistant will also be the Driver to pick up the teens in our passenger van and deliver them to the gardens or take them on tours.

This role requires a fingerprint background check and mandated reporter training.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

• Assist with the orientation and supervision of Farm to Community Nutrition Educator interns.
•   Provide mentoring and support to interns on gardening techniques, food production, and sustainable practices; help manage the work that interns are involved with.
•   Assist with communication and scheduling for intern activities and coordinating rides. 
•   Some administrative support for program.
•   Drive interns to and from the program in Ceres passenger van.
•   Manage the charging and care of the van.
•   Some evening and weekend availability may be required. 
  
  

Qualifications

•   Valid driver’s license and excellent driving record; must have at least two years’ driving experience and be at least 18 years old. A DMV check will be required by Ceres’ insurance policy.
•   Previous experience in education, volunteer coordination, or youth mentorship is a plus.
•   Comfortable driving a larger van.
•   Bilingual in Spanish is preferred.
•   Experience or strong interest in gardening, agriculture and nutrition.
•   Enthusiasm for and experience working with high school students.
•   Ability to work outdoors in variable weather conditions.
•   Excellent communication and teamwork abilities.
  
  

Physical Demands/Work Environment 

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by a staff member to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

•   While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand in a garden; use hands and fingers to operate various gardening tools and equipment; talk and hear to communicate with coworkers.
•   The job requires regular squatting, lifting and twisting, moving heavy items from one location to another.
•   Moderate lifting of up to 50 pounds to chest height or occasionally overhead, bending, stooping, twisting, and climbing a ladder is occasionally required.
•   Ability to work in unusually hot or cold weather.
•   Ability to stand for an extended period of time.

Operating Principles

• Heart Centered & Love Guided - We are committed to expressing love, trust, respect and integrity in our lives, work, and organization.
• Everything Matters - Nothing is left out. We work to have every action and choice lead to the greatest positive impact.
• Young People are the Future - Young People are intelligent, responsible, capable, creative, and caring, and must be central participants in shaping our collective future.
• Equitable, Diverse, and Inclusive - We commit to championing policies and practices of social equity that build a diverse, inclusive, and healthy workplace and food system.

Ceres Organization

Founded in 2007, Ceres Community Project works to build healthy communities by restoring whole, organic and locally grown food to its place as the foundation of health, empowering youth, and connecting people in heart-centered ways to others and the earth.

Ceres Community Project's main program, Healing Meals for Healthy Communities, provides free and low-cost nourishing organic meals, nutrition education and caring support to people facing serious illness. All of the meals are prepared by teens that learn about growing, cooking and eating healthy whole foods and the connection between diet and health, develop life and work-ready skills, and discover their power to make a difference. The Healing Meals Program improves healthy eating behaviors among clients, teens and adult volunteers and educates the whole community about the link between healthy eating and the health of both people and planet. It also strengthens the social fabric of the community, another factor that is at the root of health. In times of disaster, Ceres is an emergency nutrition provider for our community.

In addition to operating three program sites in Marin and Sonoma counties, Ceres has trained 13 communities nationally to replicate our model. We are also active at the state and national level in advocating for policies that support equitable access to healthy food and health care, including reimbursement for medically tailored meals by insurers. For more information, please visit www.ceresproject.org.

Ceres Community Project is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All employment decisions at Ceres are made without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin/ancestry, age, disability, marital & veteran status or any other status protected by laws or regulations.

Salary : $20