This position is a full-time public service term lasting from October, 2024 – October, 2025.

Living Allowance: $79.79/day ($29,123.35/year)

FREE HOUSING

About Stewards:

Stewards Individual Placements (Stewards) provides individuals with service and career opportunities to strengthen communities and preserve our natural resources. Participants work with federal agencies, tribal governments, and nonprofits building institutional capacity, developing community relationships, and supporting ecosystem health.

For more information regarding Stewards, please visit our website. (https://stewardslegacy.org/)

About the Site and Position:

Gateway National Recreation Area was established in 1972 with the dream of bringing a National Park Service experience to the New York and northeastern New Jersey metropolitan area, with the belief that it would bring a better life to the 25 million people who called this area home. At GATE, the National Park Service was able to preserve large tracts of open lands on the edge of and inside the city in order to connect millions of people each year to the world-class natural and historic resources right on the city’s edge. Healthy parks lead to healthier communities and nearly 40 years of research evidence shows access to nearby nature - including parks, gardens, the urban forest and green spaces - directly contributes to economic growth and development, increased public health, lower crime rates, and improved social capital. In 2018-2019, Gateway was approached by the National Park Foundation (NPF) with an opportunity to improve access for 4th grade students to urban parkland in the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area. The goal of the NPF Open Outdoors for Kids Focus City Grant Program is to provide pathways for kids to enjoy, understand and connect with nature in exciting ways by facilitating outdoor activity, experiential learning, and cultural heritage exercises. NPF continues to value these aspects of GATE and has renewed the grant for the 2024-2025 school year. The AmeriCorps VISTA member has assisted in challenging poverty by helping GATE achieve its education mission by empowering partners deliver exceptional curriculum-based science programming and ensuring the long-term sustainability of the program by forming strong partnerships with the NYC Department of Education, schools, principals, and teachers. The AmeriCorps VISTA will also be delivering programs to students as they return to the park in large numbers.

For more information, please visit Gateway's website. (https://www.nps.gov/gate/index.htm)

Member Duties:

Continue previous work on:

• Manage Partnership Collaborative

• Act as liaison between park and partners in the collaborative

• Work with new partners in development of curriculum and coordination of programming

• Coordinate professional development opportunities for partners and park staff

• Support general education team programming as a presenter, photographer, etc.

• Establish partnership with New York City and New Jersey schools and teachers

• Conduct outreach to schools in the greater NYC area

• Coordinate professional development opportunity for teachers

• Develop education marketing plan for Gateway Education Partnership Collaborative

• Write and distribute education team newsletter quarterly

• Deliver quality education programming.

• Development of education volunteer program

• Update Volunteer education position description and recruit, hire and train volunteers in this position

• Develop a continuation plan before the member leaves

  Service Areas:

• Children/Youth

• Environment

• Community Outreach

• Education

  Program Benefits:

• Segal Education Award ($7,395.00) OR Cash Stipend ($1,800) upon successful completion of service

• Living Allowance ($79.79/day, disbursed every 2 weeks)

• Free Housing

• Relocation Allowance

• Regular Training and Professional Development Opportunities (free and virtual)

• Employee Wellness Program (access to a licensed, professional counselor and 24/7 in-moment support)

• Childcare*

• Healthcare*

• Non-Competitive Eligibility upon successful completion of the term*

• Networking and Mentorship

• Access to a nationwide cohort of like-minded peers

*For more information regarding the Segal Education Award, check out this link as well as alternative uses for the award here Segal AmeriCorps Education Award | AmeriCorps (https://americorps.gov/members-volunteers/segal-americorps-education-award)

*For more information regarding the AmeriCorps VISTA Childcare benefit, please visit AmeriCorps Childcare Program (https://americorpschildcare.com/)

*For details about AmeriCorps VISTA healthcare benefits, please visit VISTA Benefits | AmeriCorps (https://americorps.gov/members-volunteers/vista/benefits)

*For details about Non-Competitive Eligibility, please visit Non-Competitive Eligibility Overview (americorps.gov) (https://my.americorps.gov/trust/help/member_portal/non_competitive_eligibility_overview.htm)

*APPLY USING THIS LINK: My AmeriCorps - Home Page (https://my.americorps.gov/mp/listing/viewListing.do?fromSearch=true&id=123418)

For more information, please contact Addie Gilkerson (she/her) at agilkerson@conservationlegacy.org

Stewards Individual Placements does not and will not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, gender expression, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all. If you need assistance and/or reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application, interviewing, and/or onboarding process, please send your request to the hiring manager in your preferred method of communication.

Required Skills

(Recommended) Skills:

• Team Work

• First Aid

• Community Organization

• Teaching/Tutoring

• Leadership

• Recruitment

• Public Speaking

• Youth Development

• Writing/Editing

• Communications

• Computers/Technology

• Education

• Environment

Required Experience

APPLICANT MUST BE A COLLEGE GRADUATE.