Internship in an Ecovillage
at Hilltop Eco Community
Cincinnati, OH
April /May to August/September/October, 2023
You will have the unique opportunity to live and work in an urban ecovillage homestead. You will learn gardening and keeping up a homestead, spend time in nature, and work with and learn from residents who have a deep love and connection with the Earth. You will also have a chance to meet other residents of the ecovillage.
Hilltop Eco Community is in an existing 100+ year-old neighborhood, located just seven minutes from downtown Cincinnati. It is an experiment in making our cities ecological places to live.
You will work 36 hours per week as an ecovillage intern:
Responsibilities
Work with Jim Schenk and others doing whatever tasks are required to maintain a homestead and the ecovillage, such as:
- Helping keep up gardens
- Food preservation
- Clearing fence rows and controlling weeds
- Work on the forest garden
- Straightening, painting, cleaning
- Helping with educating people about urban ecovillages
- Help with such projects as:
- Ecovillage podcast
- Publishing and marketing book on ecovillage
- Assist Community Earth Alliance with its projects
- Work with the Rights of Nature movement
- Opportunity to spend time in nature and with younger members of the ecovillage
Requirements
- Comfortable working outside in beautiful weather, but also in hot, buggy, muggy, rainy, or muddy situations
- Are responsible, self-driven and open to working with a team, but also on your own
- An interest in learning about alternative lifestyles based on a love for Earth
- Interested in learning about the ecovillage
- Computer skills would be helpful
Compensation
- Intern will be offered housing, plus a $100 per week stipend, some food, and an opportunity to learn
- If you are a college student and are interested in gaining credit for this experience, we would be willing to work with your college or university to make this happen
- Send cover letter and resume to: jschenk@imagoearth.org
Jim Schenk
553 Enright Ave.
Cincinnati, OH 45205
513-921-1932
Comments from interns from previous year:
- This position is perfect for any individual interested in living a sustainable lifestyle, and learning how to better do so. It is a nourishing environment in which to learn, as with it comes access to many individuals with a broad range of knowledge and talents that are eager to talk about and teach them. Being an intern means that you are available to help with odd jobs that may arise, so flexibility and an open mind to learning new skills is helpful. I would highly recommend this position for individuals who are eager to learn and willing to work. You will acquire new skills and a unique and priceless experience in return.
- It is an amazing experience. It is real immersion, so you need to be willing to work after hours.
- The work itself isn’t difficult, but it takes time and dedication.
- You’ll meet a lot of incredible people and become part of the community.
- You can get out of it what you want, as long as you know what you want out of it.
- It’s nothing like working in an office. You have to enjoy getting dirty.
- It is definitely worth it.
- You are not going to find this opportunity anywhere else, and the people you are going to meet are amazing, and can’t wait for you to see all the opportunities the ecovillage has from hiking in the woods to working in the greenhouse, to picking food that you helped grow, to meeting the people in the ecovillage. It’s a very nontraditional internship which gives experiences you won’t have anywhere else. The range of things done was broad. Learned about making bread, canning, homesteading.