SERVE Philadelphia 2012 Summer VISTAs

Posted by on February 27, 2012

SERVE Philadelphia 2012 Summer VISTA Information and Application

The Mayor’s Office of Civic Engagement and Volunteer Service is accepting applications for fourteen SERVE Philadelphia 2012 Summer VISTAs to work on a variety of projects across the city designed to increase access to educational opportunities and strengthen community volunteer networks (see below for project descriptions).

Schedule:
SERVE Philadelphia 2012 Summer VISTAs will serve 40 hours per week for 10 weeks, beginning Monday, June 4th and ending Friday, August 10th 2011.   They will serve in teams on various projects from Monday to Thursday (and occasional Saturdays) in sites around the city.  Every Friday, Summer VISTAs will be based in City Hall.  They will participate in professional development sessions sponsored by the Mayor’s Internship Program in the morning and meet as a team with the Mayor’s Office of Civic Engagement and Volunteer Service in the afternoon.

Benefits:
Summer VISTAs will receive a living allowance of $486 every two weeks, before taxes.  In addition, Summer VISTAs who complete ten weeks of service will receive an education award of $1,174.60.  This award, which is subject to taxation, can be applied to any federally backed loan or used to pay tuition in the future.  Finally, Summer VISTAs will receive a weekly SEPTA trans pass.

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

Application Process:
Application should be submitted by email no later than Friday, March 23rd to servephillyvistaapplication@gmail.com.  Please write SUMMER VISTA in the subject line.   To request a copy of the application in MSword, please email servephillyvistaapplication@gmail.com.

Applications can also be submitted by mail to the Mayor’s Office of Civic Engagement and Volunteer Service, 112 City Hall, Philadelphia, PA  19107.

Application Deadline
Applications must be received no later than Friday, March 23rd.
Interviews
Interviews will be scheduled the week of March 26th
Summer VISTAs Announced    Wednesday, April 4th

Summer VISTA Pre-Orientation    Thursday, May 31st from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Mayor’s Office of Civic Engagement and Volunteer Service

Program Duration
Monday, June 6th to Friday, August 12th

Applicant Requirements:
Applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 25 years old.  Because all of the projects involve working with children in some capacity or another, Summer VISTAs will be required to submit a completed criminal background check ($10) and child abuse clearance ($10) upon acceptance.

Upon acceptance, Summer VISTAs will also be required to (1) fill out an on-line application with the Corporation for National and Community Service and (2) provide proof of age, social security number and citizenship.

Summer VISTA Positions:

PhillyGoes2College Outreach Team
**for more info on PhillyGoes2College, see: http://www.phillygoes2college.org
**for more info on the Graduation Coach Campaign, see: http://www.phillygradcoach.org

PhillyGoes2College    This Summer VISTA team will coordinate college access programming and outreach across the Philadelphia Youth Network’s Summer WorkReady Programs.

The team will also support data collection to inform scale up of the Mayor’s Graduation Coach Campaign.   Tasks will include conducting one-on-one and group interviews, analyzing survey data and compiling information in a variety of formats for a range of audiences, including: youth; current and prospective Graduation Coaches; community members; education leaders and funders.

Summer Enrichment Activity Coordinators
**for more info on the Freedom Rings Partnership, see: http://www.freedomringspartnership.com/

Philadelphia Parks & Recreation and the Freedom Rings Partnership    This team of Summer VISTAs will coordinate volunteers to offer an enhanced menu of volunteer-led summer programs through the Department of Parks and Recreation and their network of Public Computing Centers.

Activities for children, youth and young adults will cluster in the following areas: academic enrichment, environmental stewardship and physical activity.

Summer Nutrition Coordinators
This team of Summer VISTAs will work closely with the City of Philadelphia to expand access to nutritious meals for children participating in summer programs.

“Let’s Read! Let’s Move!”
Philadelphia Coordination Team
** for more info on “Let’s Read! Let’s Move!, see: http://www.serve.gov/lrlm.asp

Mayor’s Office of Civic Engagement and Volunteer Service in partnership with Philadelphia Free Library and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation    This team of Summer VISTAs will coordinate communications and event implementation for the City’s “Let’s Read! Let’s Move!” Campaign.

Activities will include:
(1) coordinating neighborhood level promotion of the Philadelphia Free Library’s 8 week Summer Reading Program and the wide range of free programs available to children and families through Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, and
(2) planning and implementing 3-5 signature “Let’s Read! Let’s Move!” events in underserved communities across the City.

“Friends of Fairhill Square” Youth Engagement Coordinators
** for more info on the Friends of Fairhill Square, see: http://www.facebook.com/FairhillSquare

Mayor’s Office of Civic Engagement and Volunteer Service in partnership with local non-profits, including The Lighthouse, Providence Center and HACE.     This team of Summer VISTAs will supervise and mentor a team of high school student volunteers who live in the neighborhood surrounding Fairhill Square Park at 4th and Lehigh Avenue in North Philadelphia.

The VISTAS will assist the high school students in providing ongoing literacy activities for neighborhood children.   This project will also include working closely with PhillyGoes2College and other partners to provide enhanced academic enrichment and college access support to the high school student volunteers.

SERVE Philadelphia 2012 Summer VISTA Application
To request a copy of the application in MSword, please email servephillyvistaapplication@gmail.com.