Utah Conservation Corps Assistant Grower & Volunteer Lead

Term of Service: 675-hour term running approximately April – August 2025

Location: Moab, UT

Schedule: The Individual Placement will serve approximately 35 hours per week on average.

Questions about the Position: Contact the Farm Manager Ben Menard, ben@youthgardenproject.org

ABOUT THE UTAH CONSERVATION CORPS (UCC)
The Utah Conservation Corps (UCC) is an AmeriCorps program dedicated to developing the conservation leaders of tomorrow. We’re a non-residential AmeriCorps program composed of AmeriCorps members, staff, and partners dedicated to service to our community, the environment, and regions requiring disaster response efforts. Additionally, as an organization, we seek to provide a more welcoming environment for people of all backgrounds and experience levels to ensure a healthy, vibrant, innovative, and sustainable corps. The UCC is committed to an inclusive culture of community and service and to recognizing and addressing our shortcomings. Our vision is to create sustainable communities and conserve the natural heritage of Utah and the Intermountain West.

PARTNERING ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW
The Youth Garden Project (YGP) is a non-profit organization located in the beautiful red rock country of Moab, Utah. YGP’s mission is to cultivate healthy children, families, and communities through educational programs and connecting people with food from seed to table. The main campus garden is located on 1.5 acres adjacent to Grand County High School and Mill Creek, includes two outdoor classroom spaces, a chicken coop, a historic home (which serves as our office), a commercial kitchen, a rabbit enclosure, three greenhouses, over 75 garden beds, and a fruit tree orchard. YGP grows over 6,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables per year and plays a pivotal role in Grand County’s community food system.

POSITION OVERVIEW
The Assistant Grower & Volunteer Lead is a 675-hour AmeriCorps member who will serve approximately between April – August in 2025, serving an average of 35 hours/week. The Assistant Grower & Volunteer Lead will assist and be supervised by YGP’s Farm Manager Ben Menard in the day-to-day operations of the farm and greenhouse facilities. Serving alongside YGP’s farm manager, this individual placement will learn how to effectively lead volunteer crews with farm duties such as planting, weeding, and harvesting. This position will introduce many of the basics of produce farming, experience in leading volunteers of all ages, and the challenges of organic desert farming with an emphasis on sustainability. The service of the Assistant Grower and Volunteer Lead will directly contribute to community food security and provide opportunities for over 1,000 Utah kids to gain hands-on, garden-based education experiences throughout their term.

PRIMARY DUTIES (80% direct services)

The Assistant Grower and Volunteer Lead AmeriCorps Individual Placement will support the Youth Garden Project’s production efforts. Primary duties include:

  • Develop and implement a data tracking plan with the site supervisor.
  • Collect and report monthly impact data (reported on IPT and stored at site).
  • The Assistant Grower and Volunteer Lead AmeriCorps member will support harvesting efforts for Community Supported Agriculture shareholders, food pantry donations,
    wholesale orders, and on-site programming.
  • Processing and preservation of produce.
  • Pruning, fertilizing, and trellising vegetables.
  • Seeding and transplanting.
  • Weeding and organic pest management.
  • Drip irrigation set-up and maintenance.
  • Compost production.
  • Caring for animals (chickens, rabbits, cats, and fish).
  • Serving alongside individual volunteers and volunteer groups to help educate them on organic gardening and sustainability practices.
  • Support bi-weekly “Weed ‘n’ Feed” evening volunteer events.
  • Support the development and facilitation of service-learning curriculum for volunteer groups.
  • Lead garden-based activities for youth day camps.
  • Support four community events, including the spring plant sale, two farm-to-table events and an annual harvest festival.

TRAINING / PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES (20% maximum time served can be member development and training)

  • Attend required USERVE Volunteer Management sessions.
  • Attend required USERVE Member Gatherings and Active Engagement Retreats.
  • Complete required UCC Orientation Modules.
  • Data collection, validation, and report training.
  • Organic gardening standards for zone 7b.
  • Greenhouse management.
  • Water conservation best practices.
  • Good Agricultural Practices for safe distribution and consumption of fresh foods.
  • Volunteer engagement.
  • CPR & First Aid certification.
  • Utah Food Handler certification.
  • Garden-based learning principles for youth and community members.
  • Gardening equipment/power tool use and maintenance.
  • Google Workspace tools.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS

AmeriCorps Requirements (all below required):

  • Be a United States citizen, U.S. national, or a lawful permanent resident alien of the United States.
  • Be at least 18 years of age.
  • Eligible to serve in an AmeriCorps State/National term. Please note that AmeriCorps rules limit members to a maximum of four AmeriCorps terms in a program such as UCC. AmeriCorps also limits the number of education awards an individual may earn. This rule states that “although an individual can serve more than two terms, a person cannot earn more than the aggregate value of two, full-time education awards.”
  • It is a requirement to obtain a high school diploma or GED before one is eligible to use the Education Award.
  • Must submit to and pass a background check. Must be clear of any record on the National Sex Offender Public Registry. Must have a criminal record clear of any conviction(s) for murder.
  • Full-day schedules will include a 30-minute lunch break that does NOT count toward term of service hours.

Position Specific Requirements:

YGP aims to recruit an individual who is excited about learning the ins and outs of small-scale organic farming and to engage young people in the process of growing food, too. They should:

  • Be an excellent team player.
  • Be able to follow instructions closely.
  • Be comfortable asking for clarification when needed.
  • Be self-motivated to complete work in a timely fashion.
  • Be comfortable enough with public speaking to address groups of 20 or more volunteers, and to lead activities for children in an effective and positive way.
  • Have prior experience in agriculture/gardening or working with children is welcome but not required.
  • Be able to bend, stoop, and kneel for extended periods of time, and be able to lift 25 pounds.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

This 675-hour AmeriCorps member will receive the following benefits:

  • $8,100.00 living allowance divided and paid in even bimonthly (TWICE per month) disbursements throughout the term of service. Note: this is taxable income.
  • $2,817.14 Segal AmeriCorps Education Award–available to members after successful service term (minimum hours and dates).
  • Federal, student loan forbearance and, workers compensation for all members. More information can be found here.
  • Access to fresh fruits and vegetables from the garden when available.

HOW TO APPLY
Research shows that candidates from underrepresented populations often don’t apply for positions if they don’t meet all the position qualifications and skillsets. We strongly encourage you to apply if you are interested!

To apply, visit https://usu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_88Sm4T8ToC97zV4

Diversity Statement
Utah Conservation Corps is an equal opportunity program. Qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, protected veteran, or disabled status. UCC is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for application and service with our programs. To request reasonable accommodation please visit https://www.usu.edu/hr/current-employees/ada/

UCC’s Zero Tolerance Policies
The following behaviors will result in immediate termination. At no time may the UCC AmeriCorps member:

  • Engage in activities that pose a significant safety risk to others or physically or emotionally damage members of the program or community, such as harassment, hostile work environment, or bullying;
  • Possess, consume, or be under the influence of illegal drugs or alcohol during the performance of service activities or while living and working at the UCC project site, campsite, or in UCC vehicles (which includes showing up to work hungover); and
  • Fail to notify the UCC of a criminal arrest or conviction during their term of service.

AmeriCorps Prohibited Activities
While counting hours toward the AmeriCorps award, AmeriCorps members who accumulate service or training hours, or engage in activities supported by AmeriCorps, as well as program staff, must refrain from the following activities. Grant funds may not be used to support these activities (see 45 CFR § 2520.65):

  1. .Attempting to influence legislation;
  2. Organizing or engaging in protests, petitions, boycotts, or strikes;
  3. Assisting, promoting, or deterring union organizing;
  4. Impairing existing contracts for services or collective bargaining agreements;
  5. Engaging in partisan political activities, or other activities designed to influence the outcome of an election to any public office;
  6. Participating in, or endorsing, events or activities that are likely to include advocacy for or against political parties, political platforms, political candidates, proposed legislation, or elected officials;
  7. Engaging in religious instruction, conducting worship services, providing instruction as part of a program that includes mandatory religious instruction or worship, constructing or operating facilities devoted to religious instruction or worship, maintaining facilities primarily or inherently devoted to religious instruction or worship, or engaging in any form of religious proselytization;
  8. Providing a direct benefit to—
    1. A business organized for profit;
    2. A labor union;
    3. A partisan political organization;
    4. A nonprofit organization that fails to comply with the restrictions contained in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 related to engaging in political activities or substantial amount of lobbying except that nothing in these provisions shall be construed to prevent participants from engaging in advocacy activities undertaken at their own initiative; and
    5. An organization engaged in the religious activities described in paragraph 7 above, unless AmeriCorps assistance is not used to support those religious activities.
  9. Conducting a voter registration drive or using AmeriCorps funds to conduct a voter registration drive;
  10. Providing abortion services or referrals for receipt of such services; and
  11. Such other activities as AmeriCorps may prohibit*. 

In addition to the above activities, the below activities are expressly prohibited:

  1. Census Activities*: AmeriCorps members and volunteers associated with AmeriCorps grants may not engage in census activities during service hours. Being a census taker during service hours is categorically prohibited. Census-related activities (e.g., promotion of the Census, education about the importance of the Census) do not align with AmeriCorps State and National objectives. What members and volunteers do on their own time is up to them, consistent with program policies about outside employment and activities.
  2. Election and Polling Activities*: AmeriCorps members may not provide services for election or polling locations or in support of such activities.
  3. Fundraising limitations**: AmeriCorps members cannot serve more than 10% of their hours on fundraising. The also may not raise funds for living allowances or an organization’s general (as opposed to project/program) operating expenses or endowment.
  4. Grant writing**: AmeriCorps members cannot serve hours while writing grant applications for any Federal agency including AmeriCorps.

*As prohibited in the 2024 Terms and Conditions for AmeriCorps State and National
Grants
**As prohibited in the UServeUtah AmeriCorps Program Directors Manual

AmeriCorps members may not engage in the above activities directly or indirectly by recruiting, training, or managing others for the primary purpose of engaging in one of the activities listed above. Individuals may exercise their rights as private citizens and may participate in the activities listed above on their initiative, on non-AmeriCorps time, and using non-AmeriCorps funds. Individuals should not wear the AmeriCorps logo while doing engaging in any of the above activities on their personal time.

AmeriCorps Members as Team Leaders. Programs may create positions where AmeriCorps members provide an additional layer of leadership and support for members under certain conditions. All the activities and prohibitions that apply to AmeriCorps members also apply to Team Leaders. Team Leaders are not permitted to act in a staff capacity, including supervising members. Team Leaders must not be responsible for program development and coordination; however, they may assist by providing information and resources on best practices or by helping to develop portions of the program such as the training curriculum. Under no circumstances should an AmeriCorps member serving as a Team Leader be the individual legally responsible for the program or other members. Unallowable Team Leader activities include: signing member timesheets; evaluating member performance; disciplining AmeriCorps members; enrolling/dismissing AmeriCorps members; writing and/or signing program reports; managing the program’s payroll and budget.

 

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