ENVS-CitySprouts Young Leaders Program Summer Fellowship

The Tufts Environmental Studies Program (ENVS) and CitySprouts are partnering to offer a summer fellowship opportunity for Tufts undergraduate students.

The CitySprouts Young Leaders Program is a 5-week summer program for 11-14 year old youth rooted in project-based science and engineering activities that encourage youth to think deeply and critically about the world around them. We strive to nurture kids’ environmental interests, helping them become earth stewards and champions of nature in the city.

Our Summer Fellows are core members of the team and help make the summer program a successful experience for all participants, as well as in representing CitySprouts to young people, families and the larger community. Summer Fellows will work as part of a team to help supervise and educate a cohort of 12-15 middle school aged youth. Due to COVID-19, this year’s program will be held in a hybrid model. We will engage youth online using video conferencing platforms and if allowed, meet with youth outside on urban farms and gardens in Cambridge and Boston. Summer Fellows will gain first-hand experience working in the heart of a growing nonprofit organization they will have opportunities for career exploration, youth development, and informal education.

Qualifications The ideal candidate is:

• Curious, open and willing to try new things
• Professional during online programing
• Mindful of the impact adults have on young people and foster a positive & respectful relationship between youth, other Fellows and CitySprouts staff.
• Thoughtful and reflective about how their own identities affect interactions with youth and each other.
• Compliant with COVID protocols from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and CitySprouts
• Fluent in a second language (strongly preferred)
• Able to reliably access an internet connection and a quiet place to work during program hours

Summer Fellow Expectations and Responsibilities

• Assist the Garden Educator in teaching a cohort of summer middle school youth using inquiry and project-based activities and lessons to explore topics related to STEM, growing plants, food systems, and the natural environment
• Mentor middle school youth and encourage their leadership skills
• Commit to restorative justice practices with youth and staff
• Help to educate youth on the importance of urban agriculture
• Guide youth on how to maintain their personal home gardens

Timeline and Commitment

The summer program is based in Boston and Cambridge. This program will be held in a hybrid model and we ask that you are physically available for the duration of the program living in close proximity to either Cambridge or Boston. Our hybrid model will engage youth online and if possible outside on urban farms and gardens. Fellows are central to our summer staffing and the success of our summer youth program, so we require a commitment to the six-week time period (1 week of training and 5 weeks of programming). The dates of the program are June 28th – August 6th, 2021 (Program dates may shift slightly. There is some flexibility to extend for funding sources that require more hours). We ask that Summer Fellows commit to the following hours: 8:00am – 4:30pm, Monday – Friday. The Summer Fellow reports to the Garden Educator on site and the Program Director.

Compensation and Funding

Please note that CitySprouts does not provide housing or monetary compensation. There may be opportunities to receive funding through Tufts University.  Candidates who are accepted into the CitySprouts Summer Felowship program before March 21st can apply for funding ($4000) through the Tufts Career Center Summer Internship Grants Program. One of those grants (Norton Nickerson Internship) is exclusively dedicated to Environmental Studies majors.

College credit

Environmental Studies students can use the CitySprout Summer Fellowship to fulfill their ENVS major internship requirement and must enroll in ENV 99 after completing the fellowship. For questions, contact Dr. Sara Gomez at sara.gomez@tufts.edu.

Students majoring in other disciplines can get course credit either in the summer or during the academic year when they enroll in CSHD 99/199 Community Field Placement – Please contact Dr. George Scarlett  at george.scarlett@tufts.edu for more information.

How to Apply

Please send a one-page cover letter & resume to smontagno@citysprouts.org. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, with preference given to those received before June 21st, 2021.