Staten Island urban beekeeping youth fellowship: Still time to apply for summer 2023

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Young people on Staten Island who may be buzzing around looking for a new and rewarding opportunity, may find beekeeping to be just the thing to hit that sweet spot.

Bee University (Bee-U) is a free beekeeping educational program that launched in 2021. It provides people ages 16 to 24 with paid hands-on training in beekeeping, leadership and environmental advocacy.

It is Staten Island-based, with the hives located in Maker Park in Stapleton, but youth from around New York City are eligible to apply.

Urban Beekeeping Fellows learn the basic skills of beekeeping, are responsible for maintaining beehives, will explore contemporary environmental issues and engage with the borough’s natural environments.

Participants complete two hours of asynchronous virtual learning and short quizzes per week; five hours in-person doing hive checks or trips at MakerPark and five-to-10 hours of optional sessions accompanying the head Beekeeper, Nick Rozak, on honeybee swarm collections.

Participants also receive a weekly stipend of $150 for the seven-week program.

Applications are now open for the next session which runs from July 23 to Sept. 3. Priority is given to applicants from Stapleton.

The Urban Beekeeping Fellowship is sponsored by the Mayor’s Office for Criminal Justice, Office of Neighborhood Safety and the Department of Youth and Community Development in partnership with MakerSpace NYC.