Culinary Agricultural Vocational Education (CAVE) Garden and Kitchen Specialist

If you have an interest in building programs that stick, growing and preparing fresh local food, and empowering high school aged students, consider an AmeriCorps year with Brattleboro Union High School’s Therapeutic Culinary Agriculture Vocational Education (CAVE) program. Working alongside social workers, culinary and agricultural professionals, and UVM Extension agents, you will support and uplift at-risk high school students by building vocational and social emotional skills using southeastern Vermont’s unique social fabric (and garden soils). 

SEA(Student Educational Assistance) services a behavioral program of Brattleboro Union High School (BUHS). SEA students include 9-12th grade students who face barriers to accessing their education. These barriers might include; specific learning disabilities, social emotional learning needs, challenges with focus, impulsivity and organization and/or pervasive feelings of sadness and/or anxiousness. Some of our students have experienced challenging life circumstances including poverty, inequities and trauma. These services are crucial for poverty alleviation because they address the root causes of economic exclusion, rather than just the symptoms

CAVE (Culinary Agricultural Vocational Education.) is a pilot program initiated by SEA during the 2025-2026 school year. CAVE is a program of WSESU (Windham Southeast Supervisory Union) and is a therapeutic educational program serving Brattleboro Union High School students. This program delivers vocational training to students, preparing them for the world of work via exploration of food systems and participation in work study experiences. While there, students practice agricultural and culinary skills while supporting the daily work of running a small snack bar and large kitchen garden, open to the public and serving breakfast and lunch daily during the school week. The mission of this program and food service (The Daily Bear Kitchen at CAVE) is to provide delicious, affordable, seasonal foods using local ingredients as much as possible to the Greater Brattleboro community while providing a therapeutic learning environment for neurodivergent students to safely, practice and grow.

Having alternative learning environments is critical for students with these unique needs because traditional classroom environments are often not spaces conducive to their learning. There are many benefits to being able to draw real life skills and practices that connect to the school subjects most challenging for our students. This is the foundation for the CAVE Kitchen and Garden model where students develop essential life skills through food production, peer collaboration, vocational training and mentorship, which in turn builds the confidence and competencies that can reduce their long‑term risk of living in poverty.