Urban Greening and Horticulture Internship in South Africa

What is the Urban Greening & Horticulture Internship in South Africa all about?

Participate in promoting environmental awareness within African Communities, and combating Climate Change and develop your own knowledge and skills by joining this exciting urban greening and horticulture internship in South Africa. Join an exciting and fast-growing Environmental Social Enterprise and put your greening ideas and skills to use through a project focused on urban greening, reforestation, and eco-education. Inspire people from around the world and make greening enjoyable.

The Urban Greening and Horticulture project revolces around planting trees in under-greened areas of Cape Town like schools, community gardens and churches.Not only trees are planted, but also indigenous vegetation. Local children are involved in every step of the way, giving them a true sense of ownership of their garden, inspiring curiosity and fostering enthusiasm towards a greener environment.

The project involve the community heavily to get them invested in their future by getting their hands dirty, learning a lot and loving it! 

Why choose this Urban Greening & Horticulture Internship?

If you love working with plants and want to learn more this internship could be perfect for you!  Perhaps you are studying conservation, horticulture, permaculture, urban greening, landscaping, etc and would love the chance to work for an organisation where this is their focus. Or maybe you are a keen gardener who has lots of experience you would like to share as well as working on efforts to educate communities about the importance of plants in protecting our planet.  Whatever your status the project team will welcome your enthusiasm and experience to help with their goal of tackling climate change and making our world a nicer place.

Role of the Urban Greening & Horticulture Intern

During your urban greening and horticulture internship you will work alongside specialists in their field. The schedule may vary depending on the needs of the project but may include:

• Assist with special planting days that involves the entire community and liase with suppliers and sites including conduct on-site visits to prepare for the landscaping days.
• Capture data via photography and process information and write report accordingly and as needed.
• Get involved in research and landscape planning.
• Working at the tree nursery, helping with tree care, plant care, vegetable growing, upkeep, compost and worm management, food gardening, seedlings, etc.
• Assisting with strategising and building infrastructures at the tree nursery
• Planning and problem solving to ensure sustainability and best practices regarding growing and planting. Also involving curriculum writing and educational content writing.
• Assist in planning, managing and participating in planting days and other fun green events that are happening around town.

All activities are variable and dependant on weather and technical level of interns. You will have plenty of opportunities to develop your skills and knowledge, and to improve your CV/resume.

During your internship, you will be supported by an intern coordinator and supervised by a member of staff on your placement. Regular reviews of your placement will be held.

Learn more about the urban garden by clicking here.

What skills do I need to be a Urban Greening & Horticulture Intern in South Africa?

Interns should have experience of gardening and vegetable growing as well as have had some practice identifying trees and seed propagation. Some studies should also have been attempted in a related field. You must have a keen interest in environmental issues.

Interns are asked to bring their own laptop if possible.

A full CV/resume will be requested upon application to assess your suitability for the programme. Documentation will be required to support your application including a letter of motivation. You will be asked to attend a telephone interview as there is a selection process for this placement.

Travel during COVID times

The health and safety of our travelers and our local communities remain central to our plans for reopening countries and projects. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been adapting our programs and protocols to protect all those involved, and ask for everyone’s patience and collaboration as new rules are implemented in-country. For all projects, new standards of sanitation, procedures and social behaviors are in place, including new health and hygiene protocols and social distancing practices. You can read more here. Each location may be slightly different in the way they operate. We encourage you to inquire to your placement advisor to learn more about your specific project as you plan for your responsible return to travel!

Read all about our project reopening response to COVID-19

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