2025 Young Adult Apprentice Program
The 2025 Young Adult Apprentice Program aims to empower youth, ages 14 to 30, in the Boulder area by providing them with the skills, knowledge, and experiences necessary to become leaders in sustainable, biodynamic agriculture and environmental stewardship. Participants will spend the summer (and/or summer plus fall) immersed in both educational opportunities and hands-on experiential learning through active land stewardship of our small farm.
APPLICATION WINDOW: March 26 - May 24, 2025
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until all spots are filled.
Once application is received, applicant must attend a one-hour, informal working interview (more information below).
Apprentices will:
Learn and practice processes of biodynamic, sustainable, regenerative agriculture through educational workshops / classes specifically tailored to the apprentice team.
Grow, harvest, and process healthy vegetables for the community under the supervision of the farm manager.
Learn and practice land stewardship principles to care for the wild ecology of the landscape.
Gain clear experiential knowledge of how to produce healthy food and engage with the local community.
Help organize and lead community events, engaging with others in tending the earth.
By the end of this project, we envision the apprentices will be equipped with marketable skills, have expanded employment opportunities, and have tools to actively contribute to the local food system.
Are you interested in learning about land stewardship and regenerative agriculture through hands-on cultivation of vegetables, herbs, and flowers?
Then apply for our 2025 Young Adult Apprentice Program at Dharma’s Garden!
VALUES & BENEFITS OF THE PROGRAM
Over the course of the program, apprentices will receive:
8+ classes and workshops specifically tailored to apprentices on regenerative agriculture, ecology, and land stewardship ($1,000+ value)
Weekly shared lunch made with farm-fresh vegetables with apprentice cohort ($200+ value)
Access (for your whole to our weekly shared vegetable market ($1,500+ value)
$2,000 stipend for apprentice at completion of program
120+ hours of valuable work experience, and a certificate of completion in the program (priceless)
All together, this is worth over $4,800 in value!!
WHO IS THIS PROGRAM FOR?
This program is for teens and young adults ages 14 to 30 interested in:
Working with the earth
Spending time outdoors
Learning about biodynamic, regenerative agriculture
Receiving a $2,000 stipend for completion of Apprentice Program
This is a FLEXIBLE program designed to fit into the lives of the apprentices, and apprentices can choose DIFFERENT SHIFTS throughout the program to enable them to also keep other commitments such as other jobs or schooling.
COST of the PROGRAM
The value of the program is $4,800 (see “VALUES & BENEFITS). Thanks to a generous grant, we are able to offer this program on a sliding scale for a suggested cost of $2,500 per participant.
FULL SCHOLARSHIPS are available as determined by need. All applicants will be automatically considered for a full scholarship.
ALL apprentices who complete the requirements of the program (see above) will receive a $2,000 STIPEND at the end of the program, regardless of what they/their family was able to pay at the start.
APPRENTICESHIP OPTIONS
(both options have the same requirements but offer different timelines for completion. Note that ORIENTATION for all apprentices is May 27th - 30th, 2025).
**SUMMER APPRENTICE**
June 2 - August 8, 2025
Orientation: May 27 - May 30, 2025
~ 12 hours per week (10 weeks) with flexible morning and evening shifts available
TOTAL 120 Hours
**SUMMER PLUS FALL APPRENTICE**
June 2 - October 31, 2025
Orientation: May 27 - May 30, 2025
4 - 8 hours per week (22 weeks) with flexible morning and evening shifts available
TOTAL 120 Hours
DESIRED SKILLS of APPRENTICES
No farming experience necessary
Enthusiasm to learn about regenerative agriculture and the earth
Enthusiasm to work with varying age groups of apprentices and volunteers from the community
Communication skills to work well with others
Interest in exchanges of skills, time, and labor to co-create a better world
Physical stamina and flexibility
Willingness to be outside in various weather conditions
APPRENTICE REQUIREMENTS - Knowledge, Skills, Abilities
Contribute to team atmosphere with patience, curiosity, and empathy for others.
Under guidance of farm manager, execute garden plan to plant, grow, care for, harvest, and process vegetables, herbs and flowers to create high-quality, beautiful produce for the community.
Help care for and maintain spaces for Dharma’s Garden’s animals: sheep, ducks, and donkeys.
Choose weekly shifts to complete 4-12 hours per week, depending on individual agreement with Farm Manager.
Show a willingness to work outside in a variety of weather conditions including very sunny and hot temperatures.
Have the ability to do repetitive physical activities including crouching, lifting, bending, walking and heavy lifting for long periods of time.
Each Applicant, over the course of the season will:
Complete minimum 120 hours of Farm Work over the course of the apprenticeship.
Attend 8 Skill-Building Workshops / Classes focused on nature / ecology / regenerative agriculture both within the apprentice team and with the larger Dharma’s Garden community.
Lead / Participate in 3 Community Engagement Events
Lead 1 Project of choice over the course of the season
Help Harvest and Set Up for 3 onsite markets
Create a Farmer Journal over the course of the program to track skills learned and seasonal changes.
Attend a provided, shared, Lunch & Mini-Lesson on Thursdays with farm fresh vegetables with the full apprentice team.
Receive a $2,000 stipend at the end of the program if all requirements are completed.
The Apprentice Program will take place at Dharma’s Garden, located in North Boulder. Dharma's Garden is a non-profit, working educational farm and living homestead founded in 2014, with the mission to demonstrate, educate, and inspire others to take on the noble work of tending the earth.
The project centers around the conservation, preservation, and perpetual stewardship of a 5-acre parcel of land for the benefit of future generations. Through the project's half-acre garden, onsite markets, seasonal festivals, and educational programs for adults and children of all ages, Dharma's Garden is a project of the community, by the community, and for the community.
We use organic, biodynamic, and regenerative agricultural practices to sustainably grow a diverse array of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers for the community. Dharma’s Garden seeks to serves as a model for ethical land stewardship, with wild areas and cultivated areas both integral to the whole.