AmeriCorps VISTA, National Student Partnerships

Posted by on May 30, 2003

REWARDING AMERICORPS* VISTA POSITION
WITH NATIONAL STUDENT PARTNERSHIPS

National Student Partnerships (NSP) is currently seeking 9 motivated and enthusiastic individuals to serve as AmeriCorps* VISTAs in each of our Local Offices located in Bronx, NY; Cambridge, MA; Durham, NC; Evanston, IL; New Haven, CT; Pittsburgh, PA; Richmond, VA; San Antonio, TX; Washington, DC. In addition to our nine current locations, NSP is searching for AmeriCorps* VISTAs to serve as founding members in each of our 5 expansion sites located in Philadelphia, PA (2 positions); Chicago, IL; Baltimore, MD; and one site in Pennsylvania to be announced. NSP?s VISTA members will substantially contribute to NSP?s growth and progress, ultimately strengthening NSP?s ability to fulfill its mission of ensuring that residents in low-income communities have access to the services, opportunities, and attention that they need in their pursuit of employment, self-sufficiency, and personal success. As a result, NSP?s VISTA members will witness immediate and positive results from their work in the community and will gain valuable leadership experience in community development and non-profit management.

Qualifications
NSP seeks bright and energetic self-starters with excellent interpersonal skills. Like NSP?s staff members, VISTA members must be committed to the philosophy that college and university students have tremendous talent and unique capabilities that can and should be harnessed to make significant contributions to their surrounding communities. VISTA members should not only be self-starters who can effectively work independently, but they must also have the ability to successfully work collaboratively with community residents, community leaders, university students, and university administrators alike. In addition, VISTA members should be willing to provide honest and comprehensive assessments of a Local Office?s operations to the National Office. A bachelor?s degree is required and extensive community service experience is essential.

VISTA Members? Responsibilities will include:
? Expanding NSP?s existing student volunteer corps by recruiting additional students and by reaching out to students at other nearby universities
? Increasing the surrounding community?s awareness of NSP?s services
? Building and maintaining strong community partnerships with community, religious, university, and government leaders
? Increasing the media?s awareness of NSP?s presence and activities in our communities
? Solidifying NSP?s volunteer training program and locating local experts to share information and perspective about the issues plaguing the communities we serve
? Providing critical on-site support to NSP?s student volunteers

About NSP
National Student Partnerships (NSP) is the nation?s only student-driven volunteer service organization that links Americans in need with critical personal, social, and business resources to help them obtain and maintain regular employment. NSP operates a national network of drop-in resource centers, staffed by student volunteers from area colleges and universities, that provide immediate research and problem-solving services to community residents in need of assistance finding sustainable employment, social services, and/or educational opportunities. NSP volunteers are trained to work one-on-one with Clients to provide intensive on-site and referral services, thereby connecting individuals to the full range of personal, civic, social, and business opportunities available to them. NSP?s National Office in Washington, DC supports the valiant efforts of the volunteers by providing critical financial, operational, and strategic support both locally and nationally, ultimately enabling the volunteers to provide the best service possible to our communities. For more information, please see <a href="http://www.nspnet.org">http://www.nspnet.org</a>.

About AmeriCorps* VISTA
Originally created in 1965, the VISTA (Volunteers In Service To America) program officially joined the Corporation for National Service in 1993 as part of the newly formed AmeriCorps* program. The AmeriCorps* VISTA program is made up of individuals age eighteen or older who commit themselves to eliminating poverty by increasing the capacity of low-income people and the community agencies who serve low-income people. VISTAs pledge to work with a community agency full-time for one year to increase the capacity of the low-income community they serve by generating private sector resources, recruiting volunteers, and strengthening local agencies and organizations in their mission to eradicate poverty. For more information, please follow the AmeriCorps* and VISTA links at <a href="http://www.cns.gov">http://www.cns.gov</a>.

Additional Details
? Dates: NSP hopes to hire all 14 VISTAs by the beginning of June 2003. VISTAs will begin their year of service on June 30, 2003 at the AmeriCorps* VISTA Pre-Service Orientation in Washington, DC. VISTAs will move to their sites on Friday, July 11, 2003. Service will conclude at the end of July 2004.
? Living wage: VISTAs will be given a living wage of approximately $10,000/year by the Corporation of National Service.
? Education Award/Stipend: Upon completion of the year of service, VISTAs may choose to receive either a $4700 education award to be used to pay back student loans or for future education, or a $1200 cash stipend.
? Housing: NSP is committed to assisting VISTA members in their search for housing. In addition, NSP may be able to supplement the VISTA members? rent on a case-by-case basis.
? Health Care: The Corporation for National Service provides health care benefits for all AmeriCorps* VISTA members.

To Apply
Please send a resume, cover letter, and the AmeriCorps* VISTA application found on the AmeriCorps* recruiting site at <a href="https://recruit.cns.gov">https://recruit.cns.gov</a> to KIRSTEN LODAL, NSP CEO and Co-Founder, via fax at 202-289-7741 or via email at vista@nspnet.org. The applicant should be sure to specify which NSP site or sites the applicant would prefer to be placed. Upon receiving the applicant?s resume, NSP will contact the applicant and ask him/her to complete 1 of 3 short answer essay questions and to submit an additional reference letter. Once all application materials have been reviewed, candidates will be contacted to schedule personal or telephone interviews. NSP requests that all candidates kindly submit their application materials by April 18th, 2003. Please feel free to call an NSP staff member at 202-289-1151 for more information.

Applicants with prior knowledge of or involvement with NSP will be given special consideration, but we invite any and all interested parties to apply. NSP does not make hiring decisions on the basis of race, color, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, or any other factor irrelevant to doing fantastic work.