Farm Educator University of Vermont Hillel
- Date Posted February 26, 2024
- Location South Burlington, VT
- Category Agriculture / Education
- Job type Summer Job
Hillel at UVM was the recipient of Hillel International’s Great Place to Work Award in 2021 for our commitment to our staff’s wellbeing. As an organization we seek to support our employees in living their best lives so they can be their best selves for our students. Because of Hillel, UVM has risen to become one of the “top 20 public schools Jews choose” according to the 2022 Jewish College Guide. The lessons learned through the pandemic and applied today through innovative, academically aligned programming have helped Hillel not just maintain, but exceed all engagement metrics in recent years by connecting with over 2,000 Jewish students, allies, and friends each year. We engage students with a design-thinking methodology to discover new ideas and co-create initiatives that make Burlington, Vermont, and the world a better place.
The Burack Hillel is located inside the 439 College Street Residence Hall, steps away from the historic campus green. Three floors of the facility also include one floor of UVM residents, which is managed, staffed, and maintained by UVM Residence Life. The Burack Hillel has a fully functional kitchen in addition to separate staff office space and a third floor open floor plan that hosts religious services, meetings, and quiet space for studying.
Candidates will thrive in the role if they are able to embrace the northern and rural aspects of living in Burlington, Vermont. Situated between the Green Mountains and Lake Champlain, Vermont offers a lot to explore from small towns, skiing, and high adventure hikes to a thriving downtown food and entertainment scene. Burlington has five affiliated Jewish communities for personal practice or identity exploration and is located 2 hours from Montreal, 3.5 hours from Boston, and 6 hours to New York City, now with a direct Amtrak connection!
The University of Vermont Land Acknowledgement
The campus of the University of Vermont sits within a place of gathering and exchange, shaped by water and stewarded by ongoing generations of Indigenous peoples, in particular the Western Abenaki.
Acknowledging the relations between water, land, and people is in harmony with the mission of the university. Acknowledging the serious and significant impacts of our histories on Indigenous peoples and their homelands is a part of the university’s ongoing work of teaching, research, and engagement and an essential reminder of our past and our interconnected futures for the many of us gathered on this land.
UVM respects the Indigenous knowledge interwoven in this place and commits to uplifting the Indigenous peoples and cultures present on this land and within our community.
Hillel is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to creating an accepting and inclusive environment for all.
About Seed to Students: Hillel Fresh began in 2018 with the mission to create accessible, free meals for students to enjoy the local produce of our Vermont food system while celebrating Shabbat. The goal is to combat food insecurity on UVM’s campus, make Shabbat dinner more accessible, and bring students together. Many of the ingredients come from the S2S plots at HREC, and all ingredients are sourced from local farms and businesses.
About the job: Hillel is seeking an organized, detail-oriented and hardworking candidate to co-lead this internship program with the Hillel Fresh student lead. You can expect to work roughly 10-20 hours per week depending on the month from June - October. Applicants must be able to complete the entire season. You will be in charge of all aspects of crop planning and growing as well as teaching safe preservation methods including canning, dehydrating, blanching/freezing and proper storage for crops like potatoes and onions. You will also be in charge of the educational components of the internship, so a background in farm-based education is a huge plus. You will be provided with a curriculum used in years past, but lesson planning will be up to you. Our hope is that you can bring your own unique skills, interests and expertise to the role as well as tailoring lessons to the interests of the interns where possible.
The plots are part of the UVM HREC Farm located in South Burlington. UVM Hillel has a commercial kitchen located in Burlington. The candidate must have reliable transportation to both locations.
Job responsibilities:
- Coordinate with the Hillel Fresh student lead on amounts needed to prepare a crop plan
- Purchase seeds or starts as appropriate, and other materials as needed
- Coordinate with HREC staff around start date, bed prep, materials needed, etc
- Manage all aspects of growing, harvesting, washing and storing/preserving crops
- Prepare and lead weekly lessons for students on topics related to farming
- Weigh and record all harvested produce
- Manage all end of season clean up for the S2S beds
Required qualifications:
- At least two full seasons in vegetable production
- At least one year of education experience
- Excellent communication and organizational skills
- Working knowledge of agriculture and food preservation techniques
Desired qualifications:
- Experience with livestock, orchards, or permaculture systems
- Knowledge of low-till and no-till systems
- Experience using tractors and equipment
Compensation and other benefits:
- $22/hour
- You will get to work with a truly outstanding team of interns. We also tend to grow a couple of just for fun crops that we get to eat through the season, and we often have access to other extra produce on the farm. This job is more educational than it is hard labor, so you get the joy of being on a farm and teaching farming while also not being fully destroyed by the end of the growing season.
The applicant does not have to be a member of the Jewish Faith as all Jewish learning is led by a student. Compensation this position is : hourly, $20/hr + Application instructions