TOBA offers a volunteer based mentorship program for beginner and experienced beekeepers alike. Continued education is the key to success when it comes to beekeeping!
Our mentors are experienced backyard and/or rural beekeepers and are dedicated to providing the following to our mentees:
- A safe space to learn and ask questions
- Offering support in how and where to improve practices
- An accountability partner in being a responsible beekeeper
- Offering encouragement to build self confidence
- Providing hands on hive time
To participate in the program and make it worthwhile for both the mentor and mentee, we ask for our participants to be willing to:
- Be available via phone, digitally, or in person
- Spend time with Mentor/Mentee
- Drive short distances
- Positively teach/coach
- Learn
- Behave in a respectful and courteous manner
- Give/receive honest and direct feedback
- Listen without judgement
- Work hives with Mentor/Mentee
If you would like to participate in our mentorship program, please send us an email!
Youth Scholarship Beekeeping Program
Objective:
- To educate youth in the art of beekeeping to promote a better understanding of the value of honeybees to our environment and to the food chain
- To provide an opportunity for youth to experience responsibility and enjoyment through beekeeping
- To provide an avenue for youth to engage in an avocation and gain the potential to pursue beekeeping as a sideline or fulltime vocation
The Award:
- One year membership in the Texoma Beekeepers Association
- Beginning beekeeper seminar registration and textbook
- Set of woodenware for a beehive
- Nuc or package of bees for hive
- Beekeeping gear: hat, veil, gloves, hive tool, and bee smoker
- Mentoring by a TOBA member for one year
- Location to extract honey
Eligibility:
- Must be between the ages of 12-17 by December 31 of current year
- Willing to travel to monthly meetings and classes
- Currently enrolled in public, private, or homeschool
- Must have Permission and agreement from parent or guardian
- Application must be submitted to TOBA no later than January 1
Program Committee:
- Finalists will be selected by the Youth Program Committee
- Program Committee will arrange an interview with the finalists and parents/guardians
- The scholarship will be awarded to the applicant selected by the Program Committee and presented at the first meeting of the season – February
Terms and Conditions of Agreement:
The recipient of this scholarship will receive woodenware consisting of a standard hive body with frames and foundation, a bottom board, a top cover, a nucleus of bees with queen, and the necessary beginner’s equipment to start the beekeeping project. The recipient will also receive the additional benefit of: (1) a one year membership in the TOBA (2) will be able to participate in the associations monthly meeting and will receive the monthly newsletter, (3) registration in a beginning beekeeping seminar, (4) mentoring by a TOBA member throughout the year, and (5) will receive association assistance in extracting the first year’s honey crop. The recipient will be expected to attend at least 50% of the meetings between February – November and present a short progress report of the activities to date. The recipient will keep a written record complete with dates, photos, and other pertinent data sufficient to substantiate all progress reports. A final report will be presented at the November meeting. Successful attendance and completion of the seminar is required. A certificate of completion and full ownership of the colony and equipment will be presented at the November meeting if the scholarship recipient has met all the requirements.
Fill out application HERE and submit by January 1.