North Fork Kid’s Pasta Project Offers Internships to Teens

Kid’s Pasta Project Offers Internships to Teens

(Submitted)

Most people who attend a Kids’ Pasta Project (KPP) dinner at Delicious Orchards this summer will recognize that kids are serving community organizations. They might notice that the kids have rolled the pasta by hand, that the sauce is fresh and the kids are waiting tables and helping to run the show.   What might not be as clear is how much more that is the case than it was over six years ago when KPP began.

Part of the mission of Kids’ Pasta Project is that it provides the opportunity to learn relevant life skills, and a key intention of the organization is for it to be sustainable.  KPP Teen Internships are being developed to meet these aspects of the mission.  As more experienced youth volunteers have the opportunity to learn skills to manage operations through internships, they will also help to make the organization sustainable.  In turn, they can learn to pass on—teach—their skills to other volunteers, keeping the cycle of sustainability strong!

Internships are offered to KPP volunteers ages 12 and older.  Mentors work with the interns to help them learn the skills involved in their jobs. Documentation, including skills checklists, timesheets and evaluations will be provided for volunteers to chart their contributions and learning experiences.  Once interns have demonstrated that they can perform in their roles with minimal supervision, they will also be eligible to be apply for jobs as KPP trainers.

KPP Teen Internships address the following areas of work:

1. Volunteer Scheduling and Management
2. Bookkeeping
3. Kitchen Management
4. Local Food Procurement
5. Partner-Recipient Coordination
6. Fundraising
7. Reservations and Guest Services
8. Publicity
9. Social Media

The list of initial internships does not reflect the vast potential for KPP education in the future.

Building on our past success. Eight of our original KPP kid volunteers are now working with the program as teen leaders. We hope to them completely running one or two dinners in July! Amazing!

Special thanks to Mike, the owner of Backcountry Bistro, for offering a KPP cooking class for teens that contribute to the Teen Internship program and, as always, to Delicious Orchards for hosting KPP so graciously!