AmeriCorps*VISTA positions, SERVE Philadelphia

Posted by on December 10, 2012

SERVE Philadelphia AmeriCorps VISTA Information and Application

In September 2010, Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter created the Office of Civic Engagement and Volunteer Service to ensure that his administration was at the forefront of promoting service as a strategy to impact challenges and strengthen communities.  For more information about the office, and to read the City’s plan for service, please visit: http://www.SERVEPhiladelphia.com.

Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter’s Office of Civic Engagement and Volunteer Service is accepting applications for two full time SERVE Philadelphia 2012-2013 AmeriCorps VISTA members, beginning in February 2013, to serve for a period of one year on projects designed to revitalize neighborhood parks, strengthen community volunteer networks and promote adult education.

NOTE TIGHT APPLICATION TIMELINE:  Applications due December 17th, VISTAS selected by December 21st.

Positions

Adult Literacy Mentoring Partnership Coordinator
Sponsor: Mayor’s Commission on Literacy
See: http://philaliteracy.org/

The AmeriCorps VISTA working on this particular project will drive Year 2 of the Adult Literacy Mentoring Partnership, housed in the Mayor’s Commission on Literacy. The goal of this initiative is to provide new learners with the support and guidance that will help them to achieve their educational and career goals. The Adult Learner Mentoring Partnership will increase adult education providers’ capacity to engage volunteers in efforts to promote learner retention and persistence.

Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Volunteer Coordinator
Sponsor: Philadelphia Parks and Recreation
See: http://www.loveyourpark.org

The AmeriCorps VISTA will build Philadelphia Parks and Recreation’s capacity to maintain City park space through volunteer support by (1) Developing outreach and communications strategies to increase volunteer engagement, targeted at the emerging and existing volunteer Friends groups, other volunteer pools, and the general public (2) Increasing volunteer recruitment for stewardship events coordinated by Parks and Recreation, including Love Year Park fall and spring service days, and enhancing management strategies in order to retain year-round volunteers (3) Building individual Friends Group capacity to plan, recruit for, and coordinate volunteer workdays throughout the year by designing systems to support Friends Group leaders through in-person and digital training resources.

Application Process

NOTE:  The application timeline for this round of SERVE Philadelphia VISTAs is extremely tight.  Please read the following information very carefully:

• Interested applicants should send an email stating their intent to apply to servephillyvistaapplication@gmail.com not later than Friday, December 14th.
• On-line applications must be completed by 5 p.m. on Monday, December 17th.
• Initial phone interviews will be conducted on Tuesday, December 18th
• 2nd interviews will be made between Wednesday, December 19th and Friday, December 21st.
• Final decisions will be made Friday, December 21st.
• Candidates will need to accept/decline by Saturday, December 22nd.

All applicants MUST complete an application in myAmeriCorps by going to: https://my.americorps.gov and clicking ‘apply to serve’.   Once you have completed an application in the portal (which should take 1-3 hours), please ‘apply’ to the position(s) you are interested in by following the links below (which should take less than 5 minutes).

To apply for the Adult Literacy Mentoring Partnership Coordinator position, go to:
https://my.americorps.gov/mp/listing/viewListing.do?id=48136&fromSearch=true

To apply for the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Volunteer Coordinator, go to: https://my.americorps.gov/mp/listing/viewListing.do?id=48135&fromSearch=true

Schedule
SERVE Philadelphia 2012-2013 VISTAs will serve full time for a period of one year, beginning February 5, 2013 and ending February 10, 2014.  All of the VISTA positions require full time service, with occasional responsibilities in the evening and on weekends.

VISTAs are required to attend a mandatory pre-service orientation prior to beginning their year of service (February 5th – 9th in Boston, MA).   All transportation costs to and from Pre-Service Orientation will be covered.

SERVE Philadelphia VISTAs will participate in local orientation and regularly scheduled professional development sessions throughout the year sponsored by the Mayor’s Office of Civic Engagement and Volunteer Service in collaboration with our network of public and private sector partners.

Benefits
AmeriCorps VISTAs receive an annual living allowance of $12,312 ($472 every two weeks), before taxes.  They also have the option to enroll in the VISTA Health Benefits Program and to apply for SNAP (food stamps).  AmeriCorps VISTAs who are part of the SERVE Philadelphia VISTA team will also receive a monthly transportation pass.

Finally, AmeriCorps VISTAs who successfully complete their year of service can choose to receive either an Education Award of $5,550 or End of Service Stipend of $1,500.  The Education Award, which is subject to taxation, can be applied to any federally backed student loan or used to pay tuition in the future.

NOTE: Per the policy of the Corporation for National and Community Service, AmeriCorps VISTAs cannot engage in additional paid work during their year of service.

For detailed information about AmeriCorps VISTA, including member benefits, please visit: http://www.americorps.gov/about/programs/vista.asp

Applicant Requirements
Because all SERVE Philadelphia VISTA projects involve working with vulnerable populations (including children, seniors and/or individuals with disabilities) in some capacity or another, AmeriCorps VISTAs will be required to complete a criminal background check and child abuse clearance.

All applicants are required to (1) fill out an on-line application with the Corporation for National and Community Service and, if selected, (2) provide proof of age, social security number and citizenship.

Questions

Applicants may address questions to Catie C. Wolfgang, Chief Service Officer in the Mayor’s Office of Civic Engagement and Volunteer Service, at any time by calling 215.439.4655 or emailing servephillyvistaapplication@gmail.com.