Green Opportunities Partnership Coordinator, YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School

Posted by on June 22, 2009

YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School

Green Opportunities Partnership Coordinator
(AmeriCorps VISTA Member)

Background
YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School (YBPCS) serves a young adult population of 18-20 year-old high school dropouts.  The school offers participants a unique opportunity to earn a high school diploma and acquire important job skills through a vigorous 12-month program of alternating three 6-week blocks of academics and work experience.  The core academic courses consist of Language Arts, Social Studies, Mathematics, and General Science.  The work experience consists of hands-on training in construction, computer-refurbishment, or nursing assistance.  YBPCS has been in operation for 17 years and received its charter in 1997.  In the 2009-10 school year, the school is serving 215 students.  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
The Green Opportunities Partnership Coordinator will work to develop and promote partnerships among institutions working to connect low-income young adults to the green economy.  This person will research green job opportunities and initiatives to ensure that YBPCS is at the forefront of the emerging opportunities in this booming industry. We need to do the critical work of translating our services into language that the green sector understands, and to linking green outcomes (houses weatherized, lots cleaned) to job training outcomes (young people placed in green collar jobs). We have begun to engage multiple emerging partners in this conversation, however, there is not much capacity at the program or city level to help coordinate the resources of all these agencies. This VISTA position will help YBPCS coordinate the capacity of green partners and help us play a central role in designing green jobs training. For this position, we are seeking a college graduate with a willingness to take initiative, with an interest and knowledge of green economy.

Our twelve-month position as a Full-Time AmeriCorps VISTA Member requires
o    Your ability to serve full-time from August 2009 to August 2010.
o    Your citizenship status must be either a U.S. citizen, U.S. National, or Lawful Permanent Resident Alien of the United States.
o    You must desire to provide needed community services to an under-served community while receiving the following benefits: a living allowance of $949/month, an education award of $4,725 upon successful completion of term of service, loan forbearance w/ interest accruement payment, child care coverage (if applicable), and health insurance.

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

Cover letter
Resume
List of 3 Professional References

Attn: Lark Rambo
Director of Civic Engagement
YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School
1231 North Broad Street, 3rd Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19122
Telephone: (215) 627-8671, ext. 22
Fax: (215) 763-5774
E-mail:  lrambo@youthbuildphilly.org