Internships
The Van Cortlandt Park Alliance offers two paid internship programs for High School Students: Garden 2 Market Internship and Urban Eco-Teens. In addition, we offer individual unpaid internships to high school and college students to assist with our ongoing Research Projects.
Garden 2 Market Internship
When we understand where our food comes from, and where it goes, we can make better decisions about what we buy and eat! This internship is for anyone interested in our food system and covers topics from growing to selling and eating. During the summer interns spend time in our garden learning about growing vegetables, composting and the social and community aspects of a garden, and time exploring food justice issues and learning about the business of running a weekly farm stand. They learn everything from ordering and pricing to stocking the table and completing a sale. They gain communication skills and become advocates for healthy eating in their community. The internship includes many chances to taste and cook new foods and recipes- because no internship about food is complete without eating!
Eligible summer participants attend a tuition free, accredited, rigorous college course in Sustainable Cities course at Manhattan College.
Special thank you to Environmental Protection Fund as administered by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for supporting our 2020 and 2021 Garden 2 Market Internship.
Applications have closed for the 2021 internship program.
Urban Ecology Teen Internship
Celebrating 10 years of hard work, friendships and environmental education!
How has Urban Eco-Teens impacted your life?
It greatly impacted my life! I met so many great people and had experiences that honed important skills. I did not pursue a nature-based career but I would definitely do it over again. UET taught me how to cultivate and appreciate this earth. That is something every human being can benefit from. -Kaleem ’14
Fell in love with VCP, made great friends, and became more aware of my impact on the environment – Karen ’14, ’15, ’17
I learned that it’s important to socialize and make connections with people with similar interest. That by building up a little bit of courage and talking to others, we can create a great community.- Andrew ’21
About
Founded in 2012, Urban Ecology Teen Internship (Urban Eco-Teens) is a year-round paid internship for high school students that prepares a new generation of students for college, stewardship, and careers in the environmental fields.
All interns work, in the park, alongside horticulturists and natural areas restoration staff from Van Cortlandt Park. They also complete labs, go on nature-focused field trips, and explore green career opportunities with natural resource professionals.
Eligible summer participants attend a tuition free, accredited, rigorous college course called Sustainable Cities at Manhattan College; returning interns develop and present a special project; and, each year, two college-aged students develop leadership skills by working as program supervisors (Crew Leaders).
In the fall, motivated interns become part of the Leaders In Training Program series where they develop their own leadership skills, through hands-on activities, co-lead volunteer groups in the park and pair up with UET Mentors, who are alumni of the program.
Returning Intern Projects
During the summer of 2020, our returning Urban Eco-Teens helped to create a new Teens Teaching Teens Video Series for VCPA’s Invasive Species Project: Video & Field Lab.
During the summer of 2021, Urban Eco-Teen returning interns worked alongside VCPA’s Program Director: Restoration and Stewardship to track, monitor and map Japanese Knotweed, a non-indigenous plant species that grows in dense stands around the Park. Trained in taking coordinates of knotweed stands using GPS units, the interns then used that data to build maps in ArcGIS, displaying the knotweed stands. These maps can then be used by our Natural Areas Stewardship team to target management of the non-indigenous plant. Pictured to the right is one of the maps they created.
Applications have closed for the 2021 internship program.
To learn more about Urban Eco Teens, check out these videos:
Summer 2021 Urban Eco-Teens
Urban Eco Teens 2018
Urban Eco Teens 2020
Con Edison’s Green Jobs for Youth
Acknowledgements for Urban Eco-Teens
Urban Eco-Teens 2020/2021 Program Year
Leadership support provided by:
The Pinkerton Foundation
Con Edison
The Rudin Foundation, Inc.
Additional vital support provided by:
The City Gardens Club of New York City
The Dorr Foundation
Horace Mann School
Jockey Hollow Foundation
Edward F. & Sheri G. Leonard Fund
Laura J. Niles Foundation
Lower Hudson Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management
The New Yankee Stadium Community Benefits Fund
New York City Department of Environmental Protection
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Research Foundation – Lehman College
Shandler Family Fund
SMPS Family Fund
TD Charitable Foundation
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the New York City Council and Council Member Andrew Cohen.
With deep thanks to NYC Parks for their partnership.