Volunteer Coordinator, YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School

Posted by on June 22, 2009

[emailed 6/19/09]

YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School

Volunteer 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 Volunteer Coordinator will work to develop and expand a trained volunteer base that works to impact YBPCS’s mission. This person will create a volunteer recruitment plan, create necessary documents, and work with our staff to identify both qualified and suitable pools of volunteers, as well as opportunities within the program for volunteers to connect with students and staff. As the program develops, the VISTA member would be responsible for recruiting volunteers, producing a volunteer newsletter, maintaining contact with volunteers, and facilitating volunteer recognition events.  YBPCS has never had a staff member to focus on volunteer opportunities and therefore this is something that has not been developed to its full potential.  By planning for these opportunities we hope to exponentially increase the impact of volunteers in our program. Establishing a strong volunteer program will have long-term benefits for our students (who will receive an additional source of support), our program (that will receive assistance in its work) and our relationship with individuals and community groups (stronger relationships could result in financial contributions, internship/job sites, mentors, resources, etc).  For this position, we are seeking a college graduate, with great communication skills and a commitment to community engagement and education.

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