Empowering Youth in Our Kitchens & Gardens

Young People are intelligent, responsible, capable, creative and caring, and must be central participants in shaping our collective future.

 

About

As a youth volunteer, you will step into a safe experience that revolves around learning, growing and giving back to your community. With locations in Novato and Sebastopol, we give you the opportunity to:

  • Become skilled at cooking a wide range of delicious and healthy food.

  • Make a life-changing difference for people in a health crisis.

  • Expand your circle of friends.

  • Gain self-confidence, real-life job skills, leadership, peer teaching, public speaking and more.

  • Collect community service credits.

  • Garden, which includes learning how to build soil, grow food, make compost, care for perennials and more (at Santa Rosa and Sebastopol sites only).

  • Discover how your food choices influence your health, our local food system and the planet’s health.

  • See the impact of your work by talking with a Ceres client.

 

What we expect from our Youth

  • Works as part of a unified team.
  • Takes responsibility.
  • Keeps their energy positive and enthusiastic.
  • Honors commitments.
  • ls caring and welcoming to all.
  • Puts passion and love into the food.
  • Looks for what is needed and does it!

How to Start Volunteering

  1. Complete the online form.

  2. Read the welcome letter.

  3. We’ll then contact you by email, and…

    • invite you to attend our weekly orientation (occurs every Monday at 6:30PM),

    • sign you up for a shift that works for you,

    • go over what's going on in our kitchens and gardens,

    • and review safety and sanitation protocols.

  4. That’s it! We look forward to seeing you.

Requirements

  • Follow Ceres' Covid Safety protocols

  • Be in 8th grade and 14 years old or older

  • Be able to commit at least 2.5-3 hours/week for three months

“Ceres is like a haven for me. It’s filled with people to connect with, I always leave knowing that I’ve helped the community and I’ve helped myself.”

- Teen Volunteer Sara

About Teen Leader Program

After being in the program for 3-6 months, a teen is given a green apron with their name embroidered on it. This shows that they have a certain amount of knowledge and commitment to Ceres, and that newer teens can come to them for help or with questions.

After volunteering with us for a year, teens can apply to become a Teen Leader. Teen Leaders model the Ceres culture, take leadership and are given a chef’s coat and garden hat. Selected Teen Leaders can also speak at public events, serve on Ceres’ Board of Directors as full voting members, and participate in Ceres' policy work in health equity and food system advocacy.

Questions?

Contact us at volunteer@ceresproject.org.