Building Gardens, Growing Communities.
Amir Fellowship - Key Dates
The Amir Farming Fellowship is a 3-month summer experience for outstanding young adults who want to cultivate change through garden and farm based education. Once selected, we train you, place you at one of our partner summer camps, and provide you ongoing support so you can teach hundreds of children concepts of social and environmental justice.
Each year, we update our curriculum of interactive programs for Farmers to run with their campers. Covering a range of topics including animal welfare, food systems, and environmental sustainability, our Farmers have all the tools they need to lead awesome activities.
Summer camp is where the magic happens. Gardening by day, hanging out with campers and fellow counselors by night, the summer camp experience leaves Farmers fulfilled by the end of each day. Stationed all over the US and Canada, Farmers immerse themselves into these unique communities creating lasting relationships with campers and staff.
Bound to be one of the best experiences of the summer, the Amir Training Seminar brings together all of our Farmers for a week of learning, growing, and thought-provoking conversation. We run through the step-by-step process of how to build a summer camp garden, and help participants develop their skills as environmental educators. Whether you are a novice gardener or an expert, everyone will learn something new!
Our Mentors are exceptional Amir alumni who communicate weekly with Farmers to make sure that they have all of the tools, crops, and support needed to run a successful program. They are there to help you troubleshoot any issues that might arise; our Mentors are there every step of the way!
Amir Farmers begin the summer with all levels of gardening and educational experience. Through our training and summer-long oversight, Farmers become social justice educators with a strong base of farming knowledge. Our alumni have gone on to work in environmental education, community organizing, food system education, Americorps, Peace Corps, and many other related fields.
Once you finish your application, you will schedule an interview with our Director of Recruitment. A second interview may be held with our Director of Operations. If accepted, you will be introduced to one of our partner camps, who will hold a final interview. Our camps make the final decision on their hiring. We may introduce you to multiple camps for interviews depending on their needs and your experience.
Amir is recruiting for two positions - Farm Manager and Farmer. Farm Managers lead a team of 2-3 Farmers at one of our largest sites, overseeing program development, animal husbandry and a sizable organic farm. Farmers are either the single garden educator at one of our camps, or work under the supervision of a Farm Manager as part of a Farm cohort. They develop and run programming and manage the garden with the help of campers and staff.
Amir Farmers have a wide range of gardening experience. Some of our best Farmers had never planted anything in their lives before their summer with us. Our training and oversight will prepare you to lead impactful garden and farm-based programming.
Yes! Amir Farmers are employees of the camp they work at, and are paid commensurate with their experience.
This year, the Training Seminar will be held at Herzl Camp, one of our longest-standing Farm partners, in Webster, Wisconsin during the last week of May. In addition, our Senior Staff training (for Farm Managers and Mentors) will be held at the same location during the 3rd week in May. These training sessions are central to your success - and they’re a lot of fun! - so barring significant extenuating circumstances attendance is mandatory. All travel expenses are covered to both the Seminar and Camp.
Amir Farmers run programming for 3 - 5 hour(ish) blocks throughout the day. Small groups of campers (typically 5 - 15) will come to the farm where you will run educational programming and get your hands dirty! If your camp has animals, you will be waking up early to feed them. Farmers typically have a few hours free during the day for farm maintenance, program planning, and relaxation. At most of our camps, the evenings are free for farm staff. Days off are determined by the camp - typically one day a week.
Amir works with its applicants and partner camps to find a good match. If you are accepted by Amir, you will interview directly with camps who make the final decision on hiring. We work hard to find the best possible fit for your experiences and camps’ needs.