The City Herbal Apprenticeship Program is for anyone who wants to learn how to grow, identify, harvest, use, and apply herbs in a hands-on, collective setting. As an herbal apprentice, you will gain experience tending to our perennial garden, where we cultivate and care for a variety of medicinal plants, and will learn how to make your own herbal medicines, such as tea blends, tinctures, glycerites, salves, oils, and more. You’ll also attend classes led by experienced herbalists who will teach you about the art and science of herbalism, from botany and plant identification, to physiology and formulation.

Rooted in an anti-oppressive framework, we aim to create a safe and supportive learning environment that fosters curiosity, creativity, and community growth. Upon completion of the apprenticeship, you will receive a certificate that recognizes your acquired skills and knowledge as an herbal apprentice.

If you are passionate about plants and want to deepen your knowledge of medicinal herbs, this program is for you!

All apprentices are expected to fulfill 60 hours of apprenticeship in addition to attending several day-long Friday classes. Apprenticeship hours are made up of weekly garden shifts which includes time spent tending to our perennial garden, delving into materia medicas, and making herbal transformations. Apprentices must commit to ONE weekly garden shift for the entire season. This year’s shift options are listed below:

Shift A: Tuesdays 9:30am – 12:30pm
OR
Shift B: Thursdays 1:30pm – 4:30pm

Please note:
✷ Our first garden shifts are Tuesday June 11 and Thursday June 13 (the week after our first class - Friday June 7).
✷ There will be 2 weeks of vacation time from July 14 - 27 during which there will be no garden shifts.
✷ The final garden shifts of the season are Tuesday October 22 and Thursday October 24.

Student-Led Workshop/Project

This is a very exciting and important part of the program. It’s where the apprentices get to experience the excitement of sharing knowledge with people who want to learn more about herbalism! All apprentices will host a workshop or create an agreed-upon project in the early Fall. Each person will choose a topic related to herbalism that is of interest to them and will design and facilitate a workshop/project that presents this topic. Workshops will be offered free of charge and will be open to community to attend, and may be hosted on our sites or at a local community organization. Apprentices have the option of giving workshops alone or in a small group. Do not be afraid, this is a super fun part of the program!!

In addition to the weekly garden shift, apprentices will attend classes led by experienced herbalists. These classes cover how herbs support our body systems and promote holistic health and well-being, as well as botany, plant identification, and more!

Classes will take place on Fridays from 10:00am - 2:30pm. The dates of this year’s Friday classes are:

June 7
June 21
July 5
July 12
Aug 2
Aug 16
Sept 20
Oct 4

Click here to access our 2024 apprenticeship class schedule.

Please note: all dates are subject to change, but apprentices will be given ample notice if they do.

There are three steps to the application process:

1. Fill out the application form and send us your CV and a brief cover letter by Friday May 24, 2024.
2. Meet with the coordinator for an interview/information session.
3. If accepted, confirm your schedule and make your payment by the agreed upon deadline.


Tuition

We offer a sliding scale tuition model that allows you to pay what you can based on your income and financial situation. We believe that everyone deserves to learn about herbal medicine regardless of their economic status.

There are three tiers to our sliding scale:

Resourced Price - $675
Standard Price - $575
Reduced Price - $425

Learn more about our sliding scale and where you might land on it here.

Apprentices may pay tuition all at once, or in two equal installments – the first installment is due by June 7 to secure your place in the program. The second installment is due by July 5. Payments can be made by cash, e-transfer, or cheque. Any cancellation up to and including the start date (June 7) will be fully refunded. Cancellation after this date will not be refunded. What does the tuition cover? The tuition covers the cost of the workshops, materials, supplies students may take home, as well as the training you will receive from our teachers.

We acknowledge that our gardens at Loyola Farm, and Concordia University, are located on unceded Indigenous lands and give honor and gratitude to those who stewarded and continue to steward these lands. The Kanien’kehá:ka Nation is recognized as the custodians of the lands and waters of Tiohtià:ke/so-called Montreal, which is historically known as a gathering place for many other Indigenous nations including the Huron/Wendat, the Abenaki, and the Anishinaabeg peoples.

10% of CHAP tuition payments are donated to BIPOC-led initiatives and Indigenous Land Back projects on Turtle Island.

Accessibility:

Garden shifts take place outdoors in the perennial garden on uneven terrain, as well as inside the TB Building (our ‘‘homebase’’ on the farm). There are flights of stairs located in the front of the TB Building (6 steps with handrail) and in the back of the building (8 steps with handrail). The TB Building is not wheelchair accessible.

Mutual Respect

As a group we will develop a group agreement on the first day of class to define how we want to learn together, however we have a zero tolerance policy for harassment, inclusive of racism, sexism, homophobia or transphobia (etc). Our program is meant to be a space where we can learn together, so we ask for a commitment to mutual respect.