Iskashitaa Refugee Network creates opportunities to integrate UN refugees into the Southern Arizona community while educating the public, strengthening the local food system, reducing local food waste, and increasing food security. The network focuses on harvesting and gleaning food from local sources and backyard gardens that would otherwise go to waste.
Contact:
Barbara Eiswerth (director) - eiswerth@iskashitaa.org; phone: 520-440-0100
Location: 3809 E. 3rd St. is our campus with offices/garden/orchard, 4625 E. River Rd. is the commercial kitchen we use.
Semesters offered: Summer, Fall, Spring (work schedule will vary by position)
Topics that could be addressed in an internship are (not in any particular order nor an exhaustive list):
-Assist Culinary lead with food workshops, planning, recruiting volunteers, recording recipes, managing shop, (Summer, Fall, Spring)
-Work with Ag Apprentice in urban teaching garden, solicit advice from refugees about traditional crops and agricultural techniques, (Summer, Fall, Spring)
-Connect with neighborhood associations and provide presentations, help neighborhoods self-organize to increase harvest/glean efficiency, track harvest efficiency and quantities (Summer, Fall, Spring)
-Create ArcGIS story map about untapped food resources, refugee/food success stories (Summer, Fall)
-Analyze current produce and value-added product programs, research similar programs, cost-benefit analysis, food safety research (Summer, Fall)
-Create social media/blog content about local foods, edible tree products, wasted food, Iskashitaa events including photographs, digital stories, interviews, and videos (Summer, Fall, Spring)
- Train as an Edible Tree Tour guide and provide walking and/or biking tours on campus, at Tucson Botanical garden, and possibly in select neighborhoods. Develop training materials to accompany the tour and the edible tree kits that are utilized. (Summer, Fall, Spring)
-Managing incoming food donations: sorting, culling, weighing and managing, working with other food system partners including food banks, soup kitchens, chefs, small business owners, CSAs, farms, orchards, botanical gardens.(Summer, Fall, Spring)
-Participatory observation and qualitative research about refugee culinary, agricultural food traditions, how their food traditions are adapted with new foods in their new home (Summer, Fall)
Compensation/Benefits: Iskashitaa may have stipends available for some student interns. Request stipend info in your inquiry.