4-H Niagara STEAM Project

The 4-H STEAM Summer Intern will work as a part of the 4-H Youth Development team at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Niagara County.  They will serve as art director for the 4-H STEM Summer Day Camp and will have the opportunity to assist with developing and delivering interactive educational programming with an emphasis on adding art to the current STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) curriculum.  

Before the commencement of the 2025 Niagara County Fair, (the largest public event in our county) the intern will have the opportunity to interact with 4-H youth as an art/STEAM judge.

Mentored by an experienced educator, the intern will learn how to give constructive feedback in a face-to-face interview with youth about their submitted project.

The capstone of this internship will be the opportunity to lead a project-based community STEAM challenge at the 2025 Niagara County Fair. The STEAM challenge will involve partnering with local businesses and community artists to advertise for participants and involves scheduling, organizing supplies and overseeing the project.

If conditions permit, the intern will assist with promotion of the Bicentennial of Lockport, NY and the Historic Erie Canal through a STEAM lens.
 

Roles and responsibilities

In their role, the intern will:

• Serve as art director for the 4-H Summer Day Camp program.
• Develop, prepare and deliver 6 age-appropriate STEAM lessons to 4-H campers.
• Assist with providing a safe environment for campers.
• Act as a role model and mentor for campers.
• Prepare for the Niagara County Fair.
• Assist with planning and preparing educational and 4-H displays for the 2025 Niagara County Fair.
• Plan, prepare and deliver constructive feedback during 4-H Exhibit Judging.
• STEAM challenge at Fair
• Partner with local businesses and community participants for supplies, sponsorships and volunteer opportunities
• Advertise and sign up participants
• Set up eye-catching display to highlight entries

Qualifications and previous coursework

• Completed coursework or an interest in pursuing a degree in art or art education.
• Creative, Adaptable, Strong communication skills
• Flexible, open and receptive to new information and ideas, ability and willingness to work with diverse audiences.
• Proficient with windows-based software including use of the Internet and Microsoft Office Suite including Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Publisher, and Excel.
• Experience working with youth is preferred but not required.

Learning outcomes 

This internship experience will provide real-world job exposure in a supportive yet challenging environment that fosters self-awareness, personal growth and skill development.