INTERNATIONAL YOUTH INTERNSHIP POSTING:
THE GAMBIA

The following (two) positions are available:

Ecological Farming Systems Development intern - The Gambia

Posted: March 2005

Closing Date: May 16th, 2005

Term: Approximately May 2005 to February 2006

Start Date: Start date flexible - Earliest start date May 30th, 2005, latest start date June 13th, 2005. Please indicate your earliest possible start date on your cover letter, earlier start dates preferred.

To apply please send your resume and cover letter to:

Claudia Ho Lem, Gambian Project Manager Tel./Phone: (514) 398-7743 Fax: (514) 398-7972 E: cholem@reap-canada.com W: www.reap-canada.com

Internship Description:

GAIA Project Youth Internships are made available through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) YES (Youth Employment Strategy) internship program. The goal of the program is to give young Canadians international work experience and develop their skills in the fields of sustainable agriculture and international development.

Successful applicants will start and finish their work experience with REAP-Canada, an Environmental NGO (ENGO) based in Ste. Anne be Bellevue Quebec. The internship will include a 9 week term in Canada, and a 6 month placement in the Gambia where they will be based with one of two local southern partners: The Njawara Agricultural Training Centre (NATC) located in the North Bank Division, or Village AiD, located in Central River Division. Additionally, there will be a pre-departure orientation workshop and a debriefing workshop, both held in Canada, and a final two weeks of training where interns will learn job search skills and how to follow up on entrepreneurial opportunities.

These positions require determined, self-starting, committed individuals willing to work under extreme conditions. Successful applicants will be given a moderate financial stipend and a unique opportunity to gain experience in a demanding international environment.

Prerequisites:

To qualify you must:

• Be between the ages of 19 and 30
• Be a university or college graduate
• Have never previously participated in a YES (Youth Employment Strategy) internship program or worked in a career-related salaried position overseas
• Be a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant able to work in Canada
• Be currently unemployed or under-employed

Qualifications:

• Education or equivalent experience in environmental/ sustainability issues
• Knowledge or experience in ecological agriculture, resource management or community development
• Self-motivated and creative with an ability to work with limited guidance and supervision
• Excellent organizational skills with an ability to integrate information
• Proficient on the computer and skills in report /proposal writing
• Ability to work in a multidisciplinary team environment under stressful conditions and achieve results
• Long-term commitment to international development
• Leadership and decision making skills with the capacity to motivate others
• Ability to communicate effectively
• Ability to work under rustic conditions (intense heat, basic diet and accommodations, etc.)
• Strong constitution and good health
• Open to cross-cultural exchange of information and ideas. Experience working with other cultures an asset, as is an enthusiasm for learning foreign languages

Job Description:

In Canada, successful applicants will start and finish their work experience in Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec with REAP-Canada. The internship will include an 8 week term in Canada, where the interns will support REAP's ongoing national and international farming systems research and development program. The interns will learn about participatory on-farm development, sustainable agriculture, bio-energy and climate change mitigation strategies through research, fieldwork and program outreach and development. There will also be a one week orientation / pre-departure workshop to prepare the interns for their overseas activities and a debriefing workshop in Canada to complete their experience.

In The Gambia, the interns will further this knowledge where they will be based with one of two local southern partners, the Njawara Agricultural Training Centre (NATC) or Village AiD (VATG). The overseas term will begin with one month of intensive language training and cultural immersion. The interns will then work with local farming communities on ecological farming systems development to improve farm production and profitability while promoting sustainable natural resource management. The interns will be working to expand local farmer-to-farmer training networks, and develop farm planning and "learning farms" for diversified organic-based farming and ecological food production systems. They will also be involved in the establishment and development of trials and demonstrations for food self-sufficiency and gardening, plant improvement programs and nursery management, erosion control, soil fertility and management, live fencing, agro-forestry and orchard and woodlot management and small animal husbandry. Much of the interns work will focus on developing these trainings and demonstration trials in a holistic, participatory manner through the Agro-Ecological Village Development Model, which simultaneously addresses social development, gender equity, poverty mitigation, agriculture and the environment.