Would you like to serve as a WNCStrong Youth Service Corps Teacher Mentor?

Teacher Mentors are staff at participating schools who are hired to mentor youth and serve as the program’s point of contact at their school. 

Teacher Mentors work with a small group (maximum 3) of youth participants from their school for the duration of the program. The program runs from early March through early November. Teacher Mentors ensure their mentees participate fully in program activities, complete the administrative requirements of the program in a timely fashion, and problem-solve with their mentees to overcome issues that arise. 

Additionally, Teacher Mentors serve as the program’s primary point of contact at their school. They liaise with school officials to facilitate some of the Corps’s activities – recruitment presentations, student interviews, project presentation workshops, etc. – happening at the school.

Teacher Mentors are critical to the success of the youth participants and to the Corps program as a whole. The role is particularly attractive to seasoned teachers who are interested in and ready for the challenge of facilitating youth growth and development in a non-classroom setting.

Who we are looking for

Successful Corps Teachers/Mentors have 

• a demonstrated commitment to community service;
• experience with agriculture, food system work and/or environmental education (encouraged but not required);
• interest in working with youth outside the classroom in a work-based learning context; and 
• capacity – both personal and in terms of other commitments – to effectively mentor students.

To apply

You must be a full-time teacher or administrator at a participating high school to serve as a WNCStrong Youth Service Corps Teacher Mentor. If you’re unsure whether your school is participating in the 2026 Service Corps, please contact the program director, Dr. Eric Klein (eaklein2@ncsu.edu).

Prospective candidates should carefully review the Teacher Mentor duties and the 2026 Timeline to ensure they are able to fully participate in the 2026 program.

Applications are available here.

Applications are reviewed as received; applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Position will remain open until filled.

Interviews will be held via Zoom afterschool during the week of February 2nd – 6th. 

Successful candidates will be required to complete NC State University administrative paperwork and Protection of Minor training before the February 19th orientation.

Teacher Mentor Duties

(hour approximations are estimates and do not include travel time) 

• Advertise the opportunity within your school; facilitate a presentation by program staff to groups during the school day (~2 hrs)
• Participate in teacher orientation (~3 hrs)
• Help co-design youth orientation (~5 hrs)
• Attend at-school and on-farm interview session with youth applicants (~4 hrs)
• Provide input on acceptance/denial decisions for student participants  (~1 hr)
• Facilitate youth orientation with other teachers and program staff (~5 hrs)
• Attend first day of mentees’ internship; help establish initial work schedule, collect signed contracts, and ensure supervisor and interns are communicating effectively via Remind (~2 hrs)
• Meet weekly with mentees (at school during the academic year & at internship site during the summer) to discuss work at their internship site and other program activities; address issues that surface and/or refer to program staff as appropriate; record a synopsis of those meetings on meeting log (~23 hrs (¾ hr/wk  x 30 weeks))
• Monitor Remind thread for mentees’ internship site; address or refer any issues as appropriate (~7 hrs (15 mins/wk x 28 wks))
• Manage mentees’ progress through the Corps’ Moodle course as a course co-instructor (~15 hrs (½ hr/wk  x 30 weeks))
• Participate in monthly Zoom calls with program staff (~8 hrs (1 hr/mth))
• Attend and serve as role-model at six Saturday group workdays (~30 hrs (@5 hrs each))
• Assist mentees in planning, conducting, and developing a presentation on their personal projects (~ 10 hrs)
• Participate in the end-of-program celebration (~3 hrs)
• Complete pre-, mid- and post-program surveys (~2 hrs)

WNCStrong Youth Service Corps 2026 Calendar – Teacher Mentors