Food-Inspired Resilience & Equity (FIRE) Internship

Hosted by CEFS, Community Food Strategies, and the North Carolina Local Food Council, this program will host up to eight students or recently graduated student interns during the 2023 – 2024 Academic Year, to support their host site’s community and equity work. Throughout the year, interns will be paid to assist and manage various projects, including research, meeting facilitation, logistical support, and communications, as well as other tasks that align with the host’s needs and the intern’s interests.
Eligibility: Students currently enrolled in an undergraduate, graduate, or professional degree program at any North Carolina university, college, or community college across the state, or students that have recently graduated from one (within the last 6 months).
The application is live! Click here to complete the application. Applications are due August 18, 2023 at midnight!

Purpose

  • This program will host up to eight students or recently graduated student interns, during the 2023 – 2024 Academic Year (September – May), to support community-based food organizations on their local food, community, and equity work. These interns will support community-based food organizations across the state with projects like research, meeting facilitation, logistical support, and communications.

Requirements

  • Enthusiasm for local foods and a respect for health equity work in diverse communities
  • Must be currently enrolled in an undergraduate, graduate, or professional degree program at any North Carolina university, college, or community college across the state, or have recently graduated in the past 6 months
  • The interns will be chosen based on the communities and community-based food organizations they will serve, as well as student interest and experiences.

Preferences

(Specific skills necessary will differ based on internship placement.)

  • Must be passionate about local food systems (e.g. food, agriculture, health), hard-working, self-motivated, and have a positive attitude.
  • Ability to take direction, show initiative, and work well in a team as well as independently
  • Excellent communication and organizational skills, strong attention to detail, and the ability to be flexible – to adapt to a changing work environment responding to community needs.
  • Must be flexible and open to working with multiple mentors (host site mentors, CEFS staff, Community Food Strategies staff)
  • Experience/study in agriculture or food systems related field, including Biology, Agriculture, Agriculture Business, Public Administration, Recreation, Social Work, Political Science, Health, or Criminal Justice
  • Students who:
    • Live or attend school in communities in close proximity to the host site organization of their choice
    • Are from underrepresented communities

Benefits

  • Interns will be paid $15/hr for approximately up to 15 hrs/wk for 26 weeks from September 15th, 2023 to April 30th, 2024 with a break for the holiday season. Interns must be able to commit to working at least 12 hours per week.
  • Potential for internship extension based on grant and intern fit.

Background

Community Food Strategies works to inspire connections and amplify collective action so that community voices are heard and food policy shifts toward more equitable outcomes. Our ultimate purpose is to help build an equitable, community-driven food system that improves the quality of life for all people. Learn more here.

North Carolina Local Food Council serves as a collaborative network across various organizations, agencies, and groups whose statewide work supports vibrant farmers and fisheries, healthy people, strong communities, thriving local economies, and resilient ecosystems through a common aim: NC’s local food system. Learn more here.

CEFS envisions a future of vibrant farms, resilient ecosystems, strong communities, healthy people, and thriving local economies. CEFS is one of the nation’s most important centers for research, extension, and education in sustainable agriculture and community-based food systems. It is recognized as a national and international leader in the local foods movement, and celebrated for its work in building consensus around policies, programs, and actions that facilitate a vibrant local food economy.

CEFS was born from the shared conviction that a land-grant-university-based research, education, and extension program focused on organic and sustainable agriculture could have a significant and essential impact in North Carolina.

This internship program is financially supported by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).