YouthCorps

Pie Ranch launched a paid work experience program in April 2021 to provide an outlet for teenagers, ages 14 to 22, to engage in outdoor activities for both body and mind. 

Originally, YouthCorps was an outlet for young people who had been learning from home and feeling isolated during the COVID pandemic to get away from a laptop screen, spend time outside with their peers, socialize, and build useful, work-related skills. Through a sense of purpose in giving back to the land, we hoped to create space for them to cultivate meaningful connections to “all the little living things” that make up the food ecosystem, including their peers. The YouthCorps interns also helped Pie Ranch to recover from the CZU Lightning Complex wildfire that struck in August 2020 and caused significant damage at Pie Ranch. They helped to clear brush and trees, and assisted with repairs to our irrigation reservoir and various infrastructure projects across the farm.

Today, YouthCorps earn a competitive hourly wage to contribute to a variety of projects and programs. Participants develop a variety of skills through helping with farming, conservation work, and infrastructure projects at both Pie Ranch and at the Cascade Farm and Ranch Regenerator site. 

At Pie Ranch, YouthCorps may lead visitors on farm tours, field trips, and pie bakes, or help to run Pie Ranch’s Third Saturday community volunteer days. They assist the farm team with harvests, site maintenance projects, basic animal husbandry, and invasive species removal, and often serve as part of our on-site event team. YouthCorps interns have also done outreach for Pie Ranch at community events, like Filoli Garden Orchard Days and Half Moon Bay’s Community Coastside Celebration.

At Cascade, Youth Corps interns are focused on work for the conservation of natural resources. They will be involved in activities such as propagation of native plants, removal of invasive plants, environmental monitoring of soil and water resources, sustainable pest management, and the coordination of conservation-oriented volunteer events such as regular Weed ‘Em Out community events.

A Youth Corp intern can customize their time between Home Pie and Cascade based on their interests and passions. Please email sammie@pieranch.org with any questions you may have, or apply here.