About the Role
2025 Youth Design Team Description & Important Information
What to expect:
• We are actively building a vegetable and pollinator garden - which means we work outside (weather permitting), become familiar with building tools and their uses, the soil, and encounter worms, bugs, and flying insects.
• The Youth Design team will take place during the day, 2 days a week.
• The Youth Design team members work as a team on the garden, engage with community members, learn about sustainability practices, agriculture, engage in social justice-based initiatives, and learn about financial literacy.
• We may take field trips to visit community-based organizations and other projects.
• We participate in activities that give back to our community.
Duties and Responsibilities:
• Agree to, and abide by, the Youth Design Team Expectations (attached).
• Assist in maintaining the garden, which includes building, weeding, watering, and planting.
• Assist with educational programs and events at the garden and in the community.
• Participate in agriculture related education and training programs and other garden related duties as they arise.
• Represent The COOP Concept vision and mission.
Qualifications:
• Be willing to learn and to try new things, must be reliable and enjoy working outside in all types of weather.
• Enjoy interacting with people, ex: teamwork, garden tours for visitors.
• Be enrolled in Kingston City School District, and/or between the ages of 14-18 years old and have working papers.
• Be willing to fully participate in the program, ex: engage with co-workers, commit to coming on time each day, and be interested in our work.
• Must sign and abide by the Youth Design Team Expectations and waivers.
Requirements
2025 Youth Design Team Description & Important Information
Job: Youth Design Team 2025 at 945 Morton Blvd in Kingston, NY (Chambers Elementary), 403 Broadway in Kingston, NY (Kingston High School), and 129 Cornell St in Kingston, NY (Cornell Creative Arts Center).
Job purpose: The Youth Design team members assist The COOP Concept staff in the community by maintaining the garden infrastructure at Chambers Elementary School building, designing spaces in our community in an artistic way, mass producing ceramics, designing earrings, linocut print and many different woodwork products.
The Youth Design Team is an 3-month employment opportunity designed for youth aged 14-18 and/or grades 9-12, to learn and become comfortable working in a small community based, sustainable agriculture & light carpentry setting.
This placement allows high school students to gain job experience along with youth empowerment and educational workshops while earning a stipend.
Our goal is to engage youth participants in community design, garden-based education, social justice initiatives, and environmental stewardship principles while also learning how to use tools and explore our community.
Youth participants may also gain KHS high school credit if all the requirements are met (if they are enrolled at KHS). Participants can also earn .5 academic credit through the Work-Based Learning/Internship Program at Kingston High School if they complete 54 hours of work and necessary paperwork.
Who: Youth, ages 14-18.
Pay: Various Positions: Stipend Position, Paid Employment, & Scholarship Award for seniors
Location: 945 Morton Blvd in Kingston, NY (Chambers Elementary), 403 Broadway in Kingston, NY (Kingston High School), and 129 Cornell St in Kingston, NY (Cornell Creative Arts Center).
Program Dates: March 1 - May 31, 2024
Direct Supervisors: Emily Seawall, Design Team Director Emily@thecoopconcept.org
Tina Dierna, Managing Director Tina@thecoopconcept.org
The Youth Design Team session runs from March 1 - May 31, 2025
We work on Saturdays from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM. On Saturdays, youth will get a 30 minute lunch break and one 15 minute break each day. Healthy snacks are provided each day as part of our commitment to ensuring everyone has access to food!
About the Company
Our Mission: Empower Hudson Valley youth through immersive employment opportunities in sustainable agriculture, green building, and entrepreneurship.
We support the uniqueness, wholeness, and dignity of each person. We strive to respond to the individual needs and preferences of each youth we support and serve.
We enthusiastically advocate for the rights of marginalized youth so they may fully participate in and contribute to community life. This includes enjoying a secure home, education, public services, and work they find meaningful.
We view all human life as having equal and unconditional value. Each life should be nurtured, respected, celebrated, and fulfilled.
We support the life-long process of personal growth and development of all youth.
We will take every opportunity to offer education to others and advocate for basic civil rights.
We emphasize inclusiveness between our members and throughout our community efforts.