Community Projects Coordinator/AmeriCorps Member, YouthBuild Philadelphia

Posted by on March 27, 2011

Community Projects Coordinator/AmeriCorps Member, YouthBuild Philadelphia

Posted on: March 17, 2011

Background:

YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School (YBPCS) serves a young adult population of 18-21 year-old former high school dropouts in Philadelphia who have made the choice to re-claim their education. YouthBuild offers its students the unique opportunity to both earn a high school diploma and a vocational job certification through a rigorous 12-month program. Students alternate between six-week sessions of core academic course work in Language Arts, Social Studies, Mathematics, and Science and hands-on job training in building trades, IT/Tech, and nursing assistance. In addition, as part-time AmeriCorps members, students participate in service-learning coursework and complete 675 hours of community service in order to satisfy a graduation requirement and receive an AmeriCorps award. YBPCS has been in operation for 17 years and received its charter in 1997. The school has the capacity to serve approximately 220 students who must complete an intensive application process in order to be accepted into the YouthBuild community. Regular school hours are from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Mission:

Our mission is to provide out-of-school youth in Philadelphia with the broadest range of tools, supports and opportunities available to become self-sufficient, responsible and productive citizens in their community. We develop the character, knowledge, and skills of our students so that they will succeed in top-quality colleges, trade schools and the competitive world beyond.

Member Duties & Responsibilities:

Full time AmeriCorps members at YouthBuild coordinate the service efforts of the entire student body. Students gain service hours through classroom-based service-learning courses; extracurricular and all-school service projects; and also, community-oriented vocational training. Each full-time AmeriCorps member facilitates/co-facilitates a service-learning course focused on a particular community need. In these courses, students are first exposed to community organizations working to meet this need in Philadelphia, and are then responsible for planning their own original service project. AmeriCorps members at YouthBuild mentor and tutor students, coordinate student leadership groups, plan special events and service projects, and lead extracurricular activities.

Ideal candidates must be motivated self-starters with the ability to be flexible and work well with a team. Candidates should also have excellent interpersonal, facilitation, conflict resolution, and organization skills. Candidates must have the ability and willingness to do occasional physical labor including: lifting, carrying, cleaning, painting, etc.

As a member in our program you will have the opportunity to improve civic responsibility among our students, strengthen our community, and work closely with our partner organizations.

Our 12-month position as a Full-Time AmeriCorps Member requires:

* Your ability to serve full-time from August 8, 2011 to August 7, 2012.
* Your citizenship status must be either a U.S. citizen, U.S. National, or Lawful Permanent Resident Alien of the United States.
* You must demonstrate a desire to provide needed educational, technological, or services to an under-served community while receiving the following benefits: a living allowance of $13,000, an education award of $5,350, loan forbearance w/ interest accruement payment, child care coverage (if applicable), and health insurance.

Interested applicants should send the following via mail, e-mail or fax:

Cover letter
Resume
List of 3 Professional References

Attn: Hilary Maggio
Community Projects Coordinator
YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School
1231 North Broad Street, 3rd Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19122
Telephone: (215) 627-8671, ext. 35
Fax: (215) 763-5774
E-mail: hmaggio@youthbuildphilly.org