Assistant Urban Farming Educator

(Paid Opportunities) Return to Paid Opportunities

 Compensation: $16/hr

(PT, in-person, incl weekend, Entry Level)

Sprout by Design is an NYC-based, women-owned company whose mission is to "Design, Build, Educate, Grow." We work with an eye towards health, sustainability, social, environmental, and economic impact.

Sprout by Design builds urban farms, gardens, greenhouses, green walls, green fences, composting systems, chicken coops, and educational playgrounds for individuals of all ages and abilities. We pair these build structures with fun, hands-on workshops, and curricula that use nature as a practical tool to teach design-build principles, STEM standards, and broader concepts like problem-solving, healthy eating, environmental stewardship, and job training for opportunities in the emerging green economy. In addition to having a great educational and economic impact, these workshops & activities also have calming, developmental, and therapeutic benefits.

Sprout by Design also provides programming and maintenance for existing gardens, helps community gardeners sell their produce to local restaurants, and leads urban farming workshops for students of all ages (preschool - seniors). Topics include gardening, hydroponics, composting, farm-to-table entrepreneurship, and chicken hatching.

Finally, Sprout offers staff training, professional development, and family engagement activities for each program we create. We service schools, community centers, houses of worship, detention centers, local restaurants, community gardens, rehabilitation centers, special needs organizations, and eldercare residences. Our clients include: The U.S. Department of State, Brooklyn Public Library, NYRP, Marcus Samuelsson Group, Administration of Children’s Services, American Dairy Association and Dairy Council, YAI, United Cerebral Palsy, Green Bronx Machine, Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement, Growing Up Green Charter School, Life Sciences Secondary School, and many more.This is a work-experience/college credit internship and is unpaid. Please send a cover letter letting us know a little bit about you, as well as how many full weekdays you are available. Also, please include your possible start and end date.

Responsibilities/Duties

  • Assist in urban farming with youth and adults in all 5 boroughs.
  • Learn to maintain gardens (hydroponics, aquaponics, soil), chicken coops, worm compost bins, and other urban farming systems

    You will be asked to support programming with young people using plants as a healing medium. Participants include court-involved youth and vulnerable individuals from marginalized communities, who currently reside in youth detention centers. We welcome candidates that have experience with this population, and use person-first language with facility (youth who are in detention, instead of juvenile detention or at-risk youth).

We seek candidates who are passionate about environmental justice and lovers of growing food who want to share their knowledge with others. This position offers meaningful gardening, teaching, and learning opportunity for the right candidate. It will be a role that calls for a blend of patience, adaptability, and a resolve to find creative solutions in an environment where our students remain at the forefront of what we do.

Qualifications/Requirements

We are looking for people who have a big heart and love to:

  • Problem solve
  • Think outside the box
  • Use tools
  • Design
  • Build
  • Educate
  • Grow
  • Help Make A Difference

We are looking for you if you are:

  • Punctual
  • Polite
  • Dedicated
  • Driven
  • Self Starter
  • Environmentally conscious
  • Good with people of all ages, ethnicity, genders, religions, sexual orientations, and abilities

Additional Information

Typical Shift Schedule:
Monday-Sunday, 4 hour shifts between the hours of 2 pm-8pm
If possible, please submit availability among these windows when submitting your application. 

Contact Information

Sprout by Design
Contact Name: Gunjan Koul, Director of Education & Operations
Email: gunjan@sproutbydesign.com
Phone: 3028972551
Website: Apply Online