Community Garden Internship
The UW Oshkosh Community Gardens (UWOCG) is located at 663 W 3rd Ave, Oshkosh. It is owned by the university, and the grounds surrounding it are maintained by Facilities Management. At present the garden is being run by students at UW Oshkosh, with plans to open it up to the community in the future. The functions of the garden are to provide a space for community collaboration, education and research, and a source of sustainable nutritious food for the less fortunate. The UWOCG is part of the Community Garden Partnership of Outagamie and Winnebago counties.
In 2009, UW Oshkosh hired a student intern to promote the garden, work with student gardeners, and devise a plan to distribute garden produce. The position of intern for UWOCG is part managerial, part diplomatic, with the mission and vision of the UWOCG in mind. Internship duties involve maintaining a functioning community garden and positive relations with the neighbors and community at large. For a detailed job description, please see below.
In 2009, Melissa Meister served as the garden intern.
We are not currently accepting applications for the garden position. Please check this website again for future updates and information on the garden and garden intern position in 2010.
For the application form, click here.
Duties:
- Manage operations
- Assign plots and subplots
- Assign tasks to volunteers and supervise their work, while maintaining responsibility for the completion of work.
- Coordinate and oversee community plots, if they are available.
- Coordinate and oversee the use of the garden for environmental education.
- Collaborate with students and faculty using the gardens for research.
- Coordinate and oversee the distribution of food to charity organizations.
- Maintain a positive and motivating atmosphere
- Maintain good relations with others
- Collaborate with Campus Sustainability Director and the representative(s) of the Campus Sustainability Council, seeking their advice and permission whenever appropriate..
- Introduce yourself to neighbors and provide contact information in case of questions or concerns.
- Maintain an appropriate and positive relationship with the greater Oshkosh community.
- Maintain strong and active ties with the Community Garden Partnership.
- Promote the garden and its values
- Keep the UW Oshkosh campus informed about the garden and promote the gardens values and work with public presentations, updates, etc.
- Recruit volunteers for the garden.
- Keep the broader Oshkosh community and the national campus sustainability movement informed about the garden.
- Maintain detailed records:
- records of plants
- What was planted (including what variety of what plant)
- When it was planted (time of year, time of day)
- Where in the garden it was planted (which plot, which part of the plot)
- What was planted around it (companion herbs, other food crops, etc.)
- What practices that were used to plant and maintain gardens (what kinds of fertilizers, mulch, was it watered with rain water or tap water, etc.)
- records of growers
- Who was assigned what plots.
- Who worked in the garden
- When they worked
- a garden calendar: what should be planted when, task to do, etc.
- write an annual report summarizing the activities and accomplishments of the garden
- Stay informed
- Be informed of what campuses have gardens, their approach and organization, nd important ideas and insights, etc.
- Stay informed of “best practices”. permaculture, organic gardening, etc.
Qualifications
- Passionate commitment to organic gardening and community gardens.
- Knowledge of best practices in organic and related forms of gardening.
- Ability to work independently.
- Ability to recruit, manage, and motivate volunteers.
- Ability to work effectively with the Director of Campus Sustainability, the Campus Sustainability Council, Grounds Supervisor, and other members of the U.W. community.
- Ability to work effectively with the broader Oshkosh community, including neighbors, people using garden space, educational initiatives, and cooperation with Community Garden Partnership.
- Ability to publicize and promote the garden and its informing values of and off campus.
For more information on this internship, please contact:
David Barnhill, barnhill@uwosh.edu
Steve Arndt, arndt@uwosh.edu
