various Summer VISTA positions, Mayor’s Office of Civic Engagement and Volunteer Service

Posted by on March 27, 2011

SERVE Philadelphia 2011 Summer VISTA Information and Application

The Mayor’s Office of Civic Engagement and Volunteer Service is accepting applications for twelve SERVE
Philadelphia 2011 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 2011 Summer VISTAs will serve 30‐35 hours per week for 10 weeks, beginning
Monday, June 6th and ending Friday, August 12th 2011. They will serve in teams on various projects
from Monday to Thursday 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. 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:
Please see page 4 for the application, which can be submitted by email to [email protected] or 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, April 15th.

Interviews
Interviews will be scheduled the weeks of April 18th and April 25th

Summer VISTAs Announced Monday, May 2nd
Summer VISTA Pre‐Orientation Monday, May 9th 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 18 years of age or older. Because all of the projects involve working with children in
some capacity or another, Summer VISTAs will be required to complete a criminal background check and
child abuse clearance. Finally, individuals must meet the special requirements of the project(s) to which
they are applying (see project descriptions for more info).

SERVE Philadelphia 2011 Summer VISTA Team:

SERVE Philadelphia Research and Outreach Team (5)
Project Description
This team of Summer VISTAS will coordinate research and outreach for initiatives central to SERVE
Philadelphia. They will work in the following areas:

Education ‐ The Graduation Coach Campaign (2)
The Graduation Coach Campaign is an exciting new City initiative designed to engage thousands of
Philadelphians who are connected to young people. The Campaign aims to equip and empower these
adults with the information and resources necessary to effectively support the young people in their
families and communities set and achieve important educational goals – like graduating from high
school and succeeding in college. For more information, please see: http://www.phillygradcoach.org

SERVE Philadelphia Summer VISTAs will be responsible to complete the following tasks:
• Capture the experience of current Graduation Coaches through surveys and interviews
• Strengthen the GCC’s Social Media Strategy
• Develop content for the Campaign’s monthly newsletter
• Plan and implement a barbeque for Graduation Coaches and the youth they coach

Community Development ‐ PhillyRising (2)
PhillyRising is a new City initiative designed to team City agencies with non‐profit and for‐profit
entities who will work with residents to develop partnerships, leverage resources, and manage
volunteers to strengthen the capacity of local community groups to revitalize their neighborhoods.
Summer VISTAs will support a number of projects related to youth engagement and community
health in one of the City’s PhillyRising neighborhoods. Summer VISTAS will be responsible to do
significant neighborhood outreach, conduct surveys and focus groups, map neighborhood resources,
network with community leaders and plan neighborhood events and service projects.

Hunger Relief ‐ Meals on Wheels Partnership (1)
This Summer VISTA will work in partnership with City entities and their non‐profit partners to develop
a manual of volunteer opportunities across the City’s network of Meals on Wheels Programs and
other programs that provide food security for the City’s elderly population.

Special Requirements: Individuals interested in this Summer VISTA team should have a love of
research, writing and community outreach, and an excitement for working in diverse
neighborhoods around the city. In addition, individuals should have a passion for the specific topic
they will be focusing on – education, community development and/or hunger relief.

Program Development and Implementation Team for the City’s Freedom Rings Computing Centers (2)
Project Description
In the digital age, a computer and Internet access is a necessity, yet 41% of Philadelphians do not
have access. Formed to tackle this problem, the Freedom Rings Partnership is comprised of
grassroots organizations, government, and universities bringing internet access, training and
technology to communities citywide. For more info, please see: http://www.freedomringspartnership.com

This team of Summer VISTAS will develop and implement educational programming in the City’s new
Freedom Rings Computing Centers located in 20+ Recreation Centers around the city. The team will
design curriculum and lesson plans for a series of four‐week courses to be taught at one or more
small computer labs located in Recreation Centers across the city.

Special Requirements: Individuals interested in this Summer VISTA team should have a love of
technology, an interest in curriculum development and teaching, and an excitement for working in
diverse neighborhoods around the city.

Youth Environmental Stewardship Team (5)
Project Description
This team of Summer VISTAs will work on a variety of environmental stewardship projects in three
neighborhoods across the City. Each project will include a balance of community outreach and
environmental stewardship program development and support.

Hunting Park – in partnership with Hunting Park United
For more information, please read:
• http://huntingpark.org/
Francisville – in partnership with the Francisville Neighborhood Development Corporation
For more information, please read:
• http://www.francisvillendc.org/new/home.html
• http://www.planning.org/eda/spotlight/2009/sum.htm

Parks and Recreation ‐ District 5 (1)
For more information, please see:
• http://www.phila.gov/recreation/facilities/District_Five.html
Special Requirements: Individuals interested in this Summer VISTA team should have a love of
urban gardening, environmental stewardship, community outreach and an excitement for working
in diverse neighborhoods around the city.

Please request applications and then submit them by by Friday April 15th to Catie C. Wolfgang . Applications can be sent electronically to [email protected] or mailed to the Mayor’s Office of Civic Engagement and Volunteer Service, 112 City Hall, Philadelphia, PA 19107.

We are very excited to welcome our very first cohort of SERVE Philadelphia Summer VISTAs. If you
have any questions during the application process, please do not hesitate to contact us via email
([email protected]) or by phone (215.686.0317).