Grow Pittsburgh's Summer Intern Program provides urban youth with the opportunity to gain summer employment while learning how to preserve the health of our bodies and the environment.  The intensive, hands-on training program engages interns in all phases of sustainable agricultural production while stressing the values of teamwork and community building.  The program also acquaints youth with the "rhythm of work" by teaching them the importance of arriving on time, concentrating on work assignments, completing scheduled tasks, and performing tasks safely and responsibly.

The eight-week, hands on agricultural component is augmented by programming that broadens their horizons and creates a holistic learning experience.  One day a week interns take field trips to local farms and environmental program sites that provide living examples of sustainable agriculture production and introduce them to new career possibilities.

Grow Pittsburgh's collaboration with the Silver Eye Center for Photography provides an outlet for artistic expression and personal growth.  By documenting their experiences through the eye of a camera, and presenting their photos at a public exhibit, youth dramatically change the way they look at food.  Their relationship to food is also changed through participation in food cooking demonstrations that introduce them and other community members to simple, healthy meals that can be created from the food they grow.  Finally, interns not only learn about nutrition but plan and present nutrition lessons to elementary students enrolled in summer classes.

For information on how to be considered for our 2009 Internship Program, please call Shelly Danko+Day, Program Coordinator, at 412.473.2758.