permaculture

[Keith Johnson <keithdj@mindspring.com>]

If I were younger and Canadian, I'd jump at this. Please forward this to
aprropriate individuals or orgs.
Keith
PS please excuse cross-postings.

-------- Original Message --------

Subject:	Job Posting! International Youth Intern Position at Falls Brook Centre
Date:	Wed, 15 Nov 2000 18:24:21 -0400
From:	"Sarah Shima" <acic@nbnet.nb.ca>
To:	<acic@nbnet.nb.ca>

INTERNATIONAL YOUTH INTERN POSITION AVAILABLE
Falls Brook Centre, NB

Want to work in Canada and Brazil?
Falls Brook Centre has a new intern position available for this year!

Posted: November 15, 2000
Applications due by: November 22, 2000
Term: 28 weeks
Expected Start Date:  December 4, 2000

If you have not been contacted by November 27, 2000, please assume you have not been selected for an interview.
This position requires a determined, self-starting individual who is willing to work in a team and under difficult conditions. The successful applicant will be given a moderate financial stipend and a unique opportunity to gain experience in an international environment.

Prerequisites - Applicants must:
 
                    Be aged 30 or under;
                    Be Canadian citizens or landed immigrants able to work in Canada;
                    Be under or unemployed;
                    Have not previously worked outside Canada in a paid career-related position;
                    Be a graduate of a college or university; and,
                    Have not previously participated in another Internship Program funded by the Government of Canada’s Youth Employment Strategy (YES).

This youth internship is made available through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

The goal of this project is to give young Canadians international work experience and to develop skills in the fields of sustainability and international development. Successful applicants will start and finish their work experience in New Brunswick.

If you are interested in a position please send a letter of intent and your resume to:

FALLS BROOK CENTRE c/o Sarah Shima, International Intern Co-ordinator
125 South Knowlesville Road
Knowlesville, New Brunswick E7L 1B1
Tel: 506 375 4310, or Fax: 506 375 4221 or e_mail: acic@nbnet.nb.ca
(Note: If using e-mail, please send resumes as part of the text or as an attachment for MS Word 97, or Word Perfect 9.0. Earlier versions of the same programs are acceptable.)

---

Thank you for your interest in the
Falls Brook Centre Youth Internship program. This information was compiled
in order to familiarize potential applicants with the proposed program,
its objectives and background. If you have any further questions please
contact us.

FALLS BROOK CENTRE: Falls Brook Centre (FBC) is an environmental community development demonstration and training centre in New Brunswick. Located on 400 acres of farm and forest land, FBC demonstrates the practical application and implementation of sustainable development. Appropriate technology applications of solar energy, wind energy, composting and recycling models, as well as 7 km of fully marked forest trails, an arboretum, herbarium and a forest museum bring visitors on a regular basis. With a solar and wind powered conference centre, FBC is able to host small meetings and provide accommodation and certified-organic catering for up to 25 people on-site.

FBC has a variety of land management activities; site specific - species specific tree plantings, windbreaks and erosion control planting demonstrations, several tree nurseries and seed beds of indigenous species of the temperate Acadian forest of this region. Certified -organic farming techniques, seed storage and plant propagation methods are promoted via various applications.

Internships at Falls Brook Centre are designed to improve the knowledge, skills, and experience of young professionals and to increase their options for career choices after the internship. During the internship, Interns are exposed to a wide variety of people, workshops, and training sessions, both in Canada and overseas. Work is conducted in Canada and overseas to improve the intern’s awareness of the linkages between national issues and international issues, and to give them the opportunity to learn Canadian skills and pass them on to a partner organization overseas, and vice versa. Understanding the Canadian context is very important for understanding and working within the international context. Interns will be trained and given an orientation program through Falls Brook Centre (FBC), using FBC’s international program objectives.

Our internships have demonstrated that career opportunities and entrepreneurial skills can be acquired while working with Canadian and international environmental non-government organizations (ENGOs).

Appropriate Technology and Climate Change Program

Climate change is a complicated topic with emotions North and South running high around issues of over-consumption and over-population. The South argues that cost of the emission growth in the developing world results from providing basic human needs, while in the industrial world supports a standards of living well above the world average. The North's interest in maintaining a healthy planet can only be achieved through aggressive efforts to support developing country efforts to mitigate climate change. Developing countries are likely to suffer a high level of adverse impacts from climate change, including sea level rise, extreme weather and diminished agricultural production.

Tension between the issues of climate change and international cooperation will become more apparent as we continue to consume goods and increase our populations. This topic needs to be discussed creatively by all sectors of the public. The Atlantic Council for International Cooperation's (ACIC) public engagement dialogues in the Atlantic provinces will bring together sector organizations working in environment and development and explore the impact of global climate change.   (The Atlantic Council for International Cooperation is a coalition of Atlantic organizations working in international cooperation, which are committed to achieving global sustainability in a peaceful and healthy environment, with social justice, human dignity, and participation for all.  Falls Brook Centre is a member of ACIC.)

Interns with the Appropriate Technology and Climate Change Program will be provided with a range of opportunities and job training skills that will enable them to become effective stewards of the environment and well qualified apprentices in the growing fields of community participation and appropriate technology.

In Canada, the intern would be involved with two projects: research and planning of a community garden and community composting project, and assisting with the organization of the public participation project mentioned above. Activities would include:

Researching various models of community gardens and composting;

Researching various options for financial assistance from local government for the long-term continuity of the project;

Outreach to the local community to involve local input from the planning stages through the life of the project;

Organizing social events educating and enthusing participants around the projects;
Assisting with the organization of the ACIC's Annual General Meeting on Climate Change and its Affects on Community Economic Development;

Assisting with the development of participant's packages for the public participation;

Assisting with framing the issue to be discussed at the public meetings;

Assisting with the focus group testing of the participant's guide and the subsequent redraft of the guide;

Developing a media kit and regional media plan; and,

Moderating a public dialogue in New Brunswick, on the issue of climate change.

In Brazil, the young professional
will work with IMAFLORA (Instituto de Manejo e Certificado Florestal e
Agrícola), a group that provides services to communities in Brazil
in organic agriculture and forest certification.  The intern will
be involved with the following projects:

Survey of local agricultural production systems.

Feasibility study for the implementation of alternative energy systems.

Support for the development of recycling and composting programs.

General Activities of Interns

To ensure the cohesiveness of Falls Brook Centre staff and interns, general activities for all interns at Falls Brook Centre include:

Delivering tours of Falls Brook Centre to members of the public;

General office duties, developing organizational skills;

Conducting a job search when they return from overseas; and,

Study Portugese using computer programs, with the assistance of Falls Brook staff.

Work Schedule and Stipend

The approximate work schedule and locations are as follows:

Falls Brook Centre: 14 weeks

Work time overseas: 14 weeks (including two weeks of language training)

Stipend: $200 per week.

Please note that you will be required to pay a weekly room and board rental fee of $100 to Falls Brook Centre, if you choose to live on-site.

International travel to overseas posting and two weeks language training will be provided.

Important Note: If you have a student loan, it may be possible to defer payment during the course of your internship.

What You Should Expect

This is not a summer camp nor an exotic foreign placement. You will be working with highly skilled, motivated non-governmental organizations faced with challenging situations. You will be trained in many aspects of being an effective environmental advocate and you should expect to spend a very full seven months requiring time, energy, productivity and a perspective willing to be challenged and engaged. The internship will not be easy; you can expect long hours with minimal financial compensation. You can also expect lots of job satisfaction, strong friendships and the opportunity to work closely with a team in an international setting. It is important that you are aware of these conditions before you apply. On completing the internship, you will have solid, employable skills training and have been engaged in planning your future job exposure.

Qualifications Required:

Proven ability to work as a team with minimal resources;

Ability to learn quickly and on your own initiative;

Understanding and experience in working on sustainability and environmental issues;

Proven computer skills including word processing, e-mail, internet familiarity and ability to operate efficiently in a Windows environment;

Initiative to create own projects during gaps between assigned projects;

Some previous travel experience, especially in Latin America, would be an asset;

An ability to be flexible in new situations and to deal well with change;

Excellent health and fitness;

The ability to communicate in Portugese or Spanish would be a strong asset;

An ability to design and maintain websites would be an asset;

Some marketing and graphic design skills would be an asset;

Must be available to travel and work on a few evenings and week_ends.

Interns having their own laptop computer would be an asset.

Falls Brook is a very remote, rural environment. We try to 'live simply, so that others may simply live'. You must have the ability to feel comfortable with wood heat, spring water, lots of physical labour, and a very remote rural living experience.

Training Provided:

Portugese language training;

Facilitation training for moderating public dialogues;

Cultural awareness training for working in Brazil;

Educational program delivery and presentations;

Job search skills; and

Other potential training courses as the situation warrants.

Supervision at Falls Brook Centre:

Jean Arnold (Executive Director) and Sarah Shima (International Intern Co-ordinator)

Other Benefits:

Familiarity with new and emerging uses of technology which reduce human impact;

Gain experience in a leading and reputable environmental non-profit organization;

International work experience and opportunity to develop Portugese language skills; and

Development of employment or entrepreneurial opportunities in areas of ecology and forest certification, public education, community development and conservation activities.

Suggestions on How to Apply

Think about what relevant experiences you have had. What difficult or challenging group situations or places have you been in? Include them in your resume or covering letter. These are more important than you may think.

Tell us why you are interested in sustainable living issues, whether you are comfortable in a rustic, rural environment. Why you are interested in working and contributing overseas? What is motivating you to apply for this internship? A resume is not the place to be modest - tell us what we need to know.

Do some simple research - there are materials available on us and all of our partners through the internet. If you know something about the project you have a much stronger chance of writing an appropriate resume. Our website address is http://www.web.ca/~fbcja.  The website address of IMAFLORA is http://www.imaflora.org.

If your application is successful and you are interviewed:

Do some background reading on the recent history in Mexico and have an understanding of forest certification

Be prepare to discuss your aspirations, hopes and how this program fits within your goals.

Be yourself!

If you have not been contacted by November
27, 2000, please assume you have not been selected for an interview.

Good Luck. We are looking forward to hearing from you.

If you are interested in a position please send a letter of intent and your resume to:
FALLS BROOK CENTRE c/o Sarah Shima, International Intern Co-ordinator
125 South Knowlesville Road
Knowlesville, New Brunswick E7L 1B1
Tel: 506-375-4310, or Fax: 506-375-4221 or e-mail: acic@nbnet.nb.ca.

(Note: If using e-mail, please send resumes as part of the text or as an attachment for MS Word 2000, or Word Perfect 9.0. Earlier versions of the same programs are acceptable.)