At VerdEnergia, interns experience the decision-making processes that farms, people and communities go through to create and live holistically healthy lifestyles. This means that we spend a lot of time in the kitchen, preparing farm-fresh and seasonal dishes to enjoy together! Interns learn to plan and prepare meals for groups, prepared from diverse ingredients, some of which they help grow and harvest themselves. Other aspects of a well-balanced lifestyle in this internship include opportunities to practice yoga and mindfulness, outdoor physical work, and relaxing time. These experiences provide interns, especially those coming from a university setting, with invaluable hands-on and real-life practice, which dramatically sets them apart from those emerging from only classroom settings.

Our program organizers teach skill sets that can be applied to any climate or place in the world and a diverse range of careers. Interns are encouraged to develop a personal project in an area of their interest that will benefit the community. Interns receive project management guidance and gain valuable experience in managing timelines, resources, and people. Our program emphasizes personal accountability and teamwork, with the purpose of building skills and experiences that will interest future employers.

Interns at VerdEnergia live as “farm to table” as possible. This means learning to cultivate, harvest, and prepare our own meals. In addition, there are opportunities to gain a range of horticultural and homesteading skills such as plant identification, nursery management, and food preservation. Verde staff manages three local agroforestry projects in conjunction with Blacksheep, our sister company, with a focus on the production of crops such as turmeric, cacao and tropical hardwoods. Having access to these agricultural projects and the experienced staff implementing them is a huge advantage for our interns.