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| Available Positions
Although we are not currently accepting applications at this time, please peruse the position descriptions for the current 2009-2010 service year. Many of these same positions will be looking for a VISTA during the 2010-2011 year, with additional sites being added.
We begin taking applications in March 2010, so check back often for updates and start planning now!
Position Descriptions for 2009-2010
Alfred University – Alfred, NYThe VISTA member will serve as Alfred University's Service Learning Coordinator connecting Academic Affairs and Student Affairs to create and promote programming that links community service to curricular learning objectives. The position will build relations with community agencies and connect needs of the community to academic coursework that relates to these needs. A major component of this project will be assisting the 10 students living in the Horowitz Service Learning Center House in determining a service learning group project for the year and work with a faculty liaison to facilitate that project. The VISTA volunteer will also establish the Service Learning Center as a gathering place for service-learning related activities and events for the campus community, not just for the house residents. Ideally, the coordinator will help us identify and apply for sources of funding to grow the program. The VISTA volunteer will maintain office hours in the Career Development Center under the supervision of the Coordinator of Internships and Co-ops. Extensive student and faculty/staff outreach and collaboration are expected. This position requires that the coordinator live-in the Service Learning House or hold regular office hours within the Service Learning House as a support mechanism for the service learners. Housing (Single room rate for 08-09 is $6424), $500 meal plan (roughly 4 meals per week), fitness center pass and parking pass are included. The Service Learning program at Alfred is in its second year of existence. Though still in a foundational stage, we are looking for a VISTA to build capacity, sustainability and campus awareness as a structured program while inspiring our college students to make a difference in the local community and make an impact in the poorest county in New York State. Binghamton University – Binghamton, NYBinghamton is located in an urban area of southern New York that offers the excitement of city life within an hour of the Catskill Mountains and other outdoor recreation opportunities. The VISTA member will work with the BU Scholars Program to develop and implement Service-learning opportunities and assist with the logistical aspects of student placement. In addition, the VISTA will assist experienced Service-Learning faculty in sustaining their Service-Learning courses. Aside from service-learning, the VISTA member will organize other service projects on campus to promote civic engagement. A $1500 meal account, mass transit access, campus recreation pass and parking permit are provided.Broome Community College – Binghamton, NYBroome is located in an urban area of southern New York that offers the excitement of city life within an hour of the Catskill Mountains and other outdoor recreation opportunities. The VISTA member will work to develop and implement Service-learning opportunities for student with community partners Broome County, as well as the surrounding tri-county area. Housing assistance, parking permit and additional professional development opportunities are provided.
Specific activities include:• Assist in the promotion of Service-Learning to both faculty and students and in
the creation of promotional materials
• Work with appropriate campus staff to create and maintain a website and a database of community partners
• Assist in updating appropriate forms/manuals
• Assist Service-Learning faculty with linking students to Service Learning
opportunities offered by participating community projects
• Explore with appropriate campus staff possible student group Service-Learning
projects with community partners
• Work with appropriate campus staff in developing joint Service-Learning projects/collaborative activities with Binghamton University and Davis College
• Assist with the coordination of an Alternative Spring Break program
• Identifying exemplar Service-Learning students to be recognized at an annual S-L event
• Research /develop mechanisms for evaluation and assessment
• Search and become a clearing-house for Service-Learning workshop opportunities and professional development sessions for faculty/studentsBuffalo State College – Buffalo, NYBuffalo State College has approximately 11,000 students and has the largest enrollment of SUNY's comprehensive colleges. BSC is located in Buffalo's vibrant museum district, adjacent to the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and Delaware Park. The campus is surrounded by trendy cafes, restaurants, shops, and Victorian style housing. The primary activities of the VISTA will be to link BSC students, faculty, and staff with youth needs through exciting community partnerships. This first is with the Asarese-Matters Community Center, in which the VISTA member will identify appropriate ways to engage the campus and community in programming to benefit youth who attend the Center. The second is with the West Side Community Collaborative (WSCC) Youth Committee where the VISTA member will develop and implement Youth Committee projects. In addition to working directly with community sites, the VISTA member will act as a liaison between community organizations, faculty, VSLC Coordinator, and students to implement effective volunteer and service-learning activities as well as identify and troubleshoot potential concerns in program implementation. The VISTA will also assist in all other aspects of youth initiatives in the program including planning service events and activities and an annual volunteer recognition event. A two semester meal plan, recreation pass, and parking pass are provided.
City College – New York, NYThe Colin Powell Center of The City College of New York is a dynamic hub for civic engagement and service efforts at the College. The Powell Center’s mission is to develop a new generation of publicly engaged leaders from populations previously underrepresented in policy circles. The Powell Center seeks a VISTA to develop student leadership for civic engagement initiatives, expand outreach to community partners, and create sustainable programs. The 2009-2010 VISTA will continue the previous VISTA’s efforts to build service opportunities in our Harlem neighborhood, engaging City College students with low-income residents. Specific responsibilities include:
• Develop and deliver a student leadership curriculum and training series for all students whose community work is supported by the Colin Powell Center.
• Support student leaders of the Harlem 50 team as they seek to institutionalize their community-based college access program.
• Support student leaders receiving a Community Engagement Fellowship in the design and implementation of their community projects.
• Initiate new community partnerships by interviewing community organizations and creating organizational profiles for a new database.
Colgate University – Hamilton, NYColgate University seeks an AmeriCorps VISTA Member who will provide support for the missions of the Center for Outreach, Volunteerism, and Education (COVE) and the Upstate Institute. These established offices at Colgate seek to engage students and faculty in creating healthy communities and building capacity through active volunteerism (COVE) and through community-based research and service learning (Upstate Institute).
The Colgate’s VISTA Member will endeavor to strengthen and sustain COVE and Upstate Institute service learning and outreach initiatives, primarily in the Utica, N.Y., area, located 45 minutes north of Hamilton. While a small city, Utica is racially and ethnically diverse and, like many urban areas in the region, has been challenged by the loss of employers and population. The city is home to a large refugee resettlement agency, resulting in the need for English language training and other programs. The VISTA Member will work to (1) build Colgate’s outreach programs in Utica and (2) oversee and advise students on logistical issues in sustaining outreach programs in this location. The VISTA will (3) further develop a new initiative to promote mentoring programs for college preparation among high school students from low-income households in Utica and (4) provide support for a consumer bankruptcy assistance project in partnership with Legal Aid in Utica. Finally, the VISTA Member will (5) provide support to Colgate faculty who are integrating service learning into their courses in both the Utica and greater Hamilton communities. Colgate is a highly selective liberal arts university of approximately 2,750 undergraduates.
Daemen College/Western New York Service-Learning Coalition (WNYSLC) – Buffalo, NYThe WNYSLC seeks a motivated, community-minded individual willing to work hard to advance service-learning and community engagement in the Western New York area. As a VISTA with the WNYSLC you will serve as a critical link between the ten colleges and universities that make up the coalition and our 65+ community partners. Specifically, this VISTA position will work closely with our partners who serve refugee and immigrant populations. Buffalo resettles over 700 refugees every year, more than anywhere else in New York State. As a VISTA with the WNYSLC you will work with a diverse group of professionals and clients assisting agency staff in securing and placing service-learning students.
This VISTA position will serve as a key staff member for the WNYSLC, with offices at Daemen College in Amherst NY, but will have the opportunity to be placed directly in the community at one of our refugee community partner agencies. VISTA responsibilities include, but are not limited to, working with refugee and immigrant serving agency staff to identify and create appropriate service-learning projects for students, assisting service-learning coordinators and WNYSLC staff in placing students, sitting on a WNYSLC subcommittee, and more.
Additionally, there are a number of professional development opportunities available to the VISTA through the WNYSLC, including a two day professional conference hosted by the WNYSLC each fall, numerous faculty and community partner workshops and seminars offered for free to coalition members.Hamilton College – Clinton, NYCommunity Outreach and Opportunity Project (COOP)
As we transition into our second year running the COOP (Community Outreach and Opportunity Project) the VISTA worker will help us to move forward, bringing together the many volunteer initiatives at Hamilton, making new community connections, deepening relationships with existing community partners, and educating students about service opportunities and their role in alleviating poverty in nearby Utica and the Mohawk Valley.
In doing so, the VISTA worker will take part in further developing the following COOP programs:
• HAVOC, our student-run organization that creates and runs volunteer projects and special service days in the community
• Alternative Service Break (ASB) programs
• The COOP Internship program and other service internships for non-profit organizations
• ABC (A Better Chance) House tutoring program and other experiences with local schools
• Urban Service Experience (USE) pre-orientation program and Hamilton Serves! Orientation service experience
The VISTA worker will become a prominent person in the Utica area non-profit community, working closely with our community partners to help strengthen Hamilton's relationship with them. The VISTA worker will also develop relationships on campus with student leaders and administrators supporting the numerous volunteer service and internship activities which make up the work of the COOP.
The Community Outreach Coordinator will have office space in the COOP (third floor of the chapel) and will be supervised by the Director of Outreach and Orientation, Amy James. This position requires a person who has strong relationship-building skills, enjoys interacting with a large diversity of people, and who wants to make a difference in economic and racial injustice in the Utica area. Housing, campus recreation pass and parking permit are provided in addition to the AmeriCorps VISTA stipend. Hamilton College – Clinton, NYLevitt Center - West Side Project
This VISTA member will provide a second year of expansion in this neighborhood-based initiative: 1) increasing the number of service-learning courses offered at Hamilton College that address positive youth development and outreach to culturally diverse families and 2) academic enrichment that student volunteers bring to West Utica with youth and families, utilizing our international students and students engaged in cross-cultural studies of any kind. This is a project that brings the college’s presence to the West Side of Utica, which has long overdue attention recently from the City of Utica’s government and non-profit agencies.
This VISTA position will work with community volunteers and educators to bring support and outreach to parents and students in a neighborhood with many problems and few services. S/he will work to increase academic and cultural enrichment opportunities for youth and families by recruiting, training and placing Hamilton student volunteers; recruiting faculty and making class presentations for student participation in tutoring/mentoring activities in academic settings for youth and after hours for special events, or in community-based research courses for data collection and analysis of student or community needs. This year will also focus on the use of social networking tools eg. wikis, blogs, podcasts, website, throughout the community planning network.
The VISTA’s activities on campus will include firing up students for the opportunity to create and design interesting projects and events for students and parents; arranging and monitoring communication and feedback systems between the community and the campus and between the service learning office and students and faculty, tracking service-learning faculty, courses, placements, and hours. The VISTA will be responsible for publicizing the work that Hamilton does in the community both internally and externally in new and unique ways! This is a job for a creative go-getter!
The VISTA will be required to live in an apartment that Hamilton College rents in Utica and will share the apartment and the expenses of utilities with one other VISTA. Hobart & William Smith Colleges – Geneva, NYHobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, NY seek a dynamic, resourceful individual committed to civic engagement to join the experienced Center for Community Engagement & Service-Learning (CCESL) staff as an AmeriCorps VISTA. HWS Colleges is a liberal arts institution named “A College with a Conscience” by the Princeton Review and is located in the heart of the Finger Lakes region in Central New York. Assistance offered by the Colleges includes a furnished one bedroom apartment in an off-campus student apartment building with cable, local phone, utilities and internet access: a partial meal plan, attendance at a regional conference(s), access to audit a course, participation in a service trip(s) and full access to campus resources and facilities.
The VISTA will serve as an important liaison between HWS Colleges and the Geneva Community. The VISTA will take a leadership role in the Geneva Reads literacy initiative, which is an advisory committee consisting of leaders from the school district, public library, and non-profit agencies, who collaborate to promote reading to all ages of Genevans. The VISTA will work with city leadership to implement two Community Based Research projects (CBRP). CBRPs are collaborative endeavors between community partners who initiate the project, student researchers and faculty sponsors. Examples may include the creation of a community garden to address food access concerns, and supporting a “Geneva Neighborhood Engagement” strategy which would highlight unique identities of local neighborhoods. Additionally, the VISTA would be a key and valued member of the CCESL staff, assisting with the application towards Carnegie community engagement classification, advising the Community Service House, and supporting service groups/events including Days of Service, Alternative Spring Break, Habitat for Humanity, and Roteract.
Lehman College, City University of New York – Bronx, NYLehman College of the City University of New York is an urban commuter campus serving the Bronx, New York. Under the supervision of the Coordinator of Community Service, Service Learning and New Student Programs, the VISTAs main objective will be the enhancement of the Lehman L.I.F.E. (Leaders Involved for Everyone) alternative break program, aimed at combating global poverty and addressing the needs of an underserved community in the Bronx. The VISTA member will connect with a variety of agencies in the Metro-New York Area and globally to create connections for future projects. The VISTA member will create a solid model for the Lehman L.I.F.E. Alternative Break Program as well as organizing, planning and implementing all aspects of the Alternative Spring Break Programs. Overall, the VISTA member will maintain professional relationships with community agencies, faculty, staff and students and serve as a resource in regards to community service opportunities. A meal plan, mass transit access, campus recreation pass, and parking pass are provided.
Marymount Manhattan College – New York, NYVISTA member works with faculty, students, and staff to strengthen campus-community partnerships, promote service-learning activities at MMC, and encourage new ways to increase collaboration with community partners. VISTA will implement infrastructure for service-learning and for a student-run college-access program, including training and assessment. On/Off campus housing, $2000 meal plan and an unlimited metro card are provided.Morrisville State College (SUNY) – Morrisville, NYMorrisville State College is part of the State University of New York and is set in a rural village amidst the rolling hills of central New York about 30 miles from the cities of Syracuse and Utica. Morrisville is seeking an AmeriCorps VISTA Member to coordinate and enhance community service efforts of Morrisville State College students, faculty, and staff. The VISTA member will have the opportunity to address issues of poverty and disadvantage in a rural community by researching and identifying local community and working with campus community to coordinate and initiate service opportunities. In addition to this first year project, the VISTA will research and develop policies and procedures for campus community service initiatives. A 1-bedroom apartment, $1,200 meal plan stipend, parking pass, and a yearly fitness center pass are provided.
Nazareth College – Rochester, NYThe primary goal of the VISTA member at Nazareth College will be to enhance the partnerships with the community anti-poverty/anti-hunger organizations established the VISTA and Nazareth College civic engagement efforts. There are two major service activity focus areas:
For the on-campus work the VISTA member will support and develop Nazareth College's role in reducing poverty and supporting anti-poverty/anti-hunger efforts in the larger community, specifically related to resettlement programs. The VISTA member will work in conjunction with students, faculty and staff to facilitate and coordinate the diverse anti-poverty activities related to resettlement. For the community collaboration work the VISTA member will work in conjunction with college personnel to coordinate involvement in three on going projects: The community development of grassroots anti-poverty organizations, Refugee resettlement and the response to reduction of poverty driven violence through grassroots organizing. A meal plan ($1000), mass transit access, campus recreation pass, and parking permit are provided.Rochester Institute of Technology – Rochester, NYThe VISTA position at the Rochester Institute of Technology is unlike any other in the state. At the heart of the project is a year-round learning community created and reinforced by both RIT faculty and local organizations. Through this community, teens from the northeast neighborhoods of Rochester work directly with students from RIT. Individuals from both groups gain invaluable experience in dealing with people from extremely varied backgrounds, and the responses to the program over the past years have been overwhelmingly positive.
The third year VISTA will be primarily responsible for cementing these relationships, thus enabling long termsustainability of the project. One of the most interesting facets of this learning community involves the Vineyard, a 2.7 acre farm located in the heart of northeast Rochester. Here both city youth and RIT students not only learn about health and nutrition, but are involved in the entire process of growing fresh fruits and vegetables. From planting to harvest, the VISTA augments the learning community with developmental workshops and projects, focusing on youth leadership potential to help create the leaders of the future. Nowhere else can a VISTA cultivate a tomato bed in the morning, and a mind in the afternoon. A campus recreation pass and several professional workshops are provided.SUNY College at Old Westbury – Old Westbury, NY (Long Island)SUNY Old Westbury offers the best of both worlds ‐ a quiet atmosphere dedicated to learning yet just 20 miles from the heart of New York City. The NYCC VISTA member will help build the capacity of Community Engagement and Partnership Center and the First‐Year Community Engagement program to embed Old Westbury’s historic social justice mission in its institutional structure and required curriculum. As the first Coordinator, the NYCC VISTA member will help address community needs by acting as a liaison between the
college and the community, laying the groundwork for strong partnerships and bringing student involvement to the next level. This work will not only serve under‐resourced communities in Long Island, but will also ensure the program’s development and sustainability, at a time when the resources of the college and community are challenged by the present economic crisis. Overall, our NYCC VISTA member will help Old Westbury leverage its resources to play an active role in community revitalization, literacy, mentoring and tutoring initiatives through public service projects and instructional programs. Housing, meal plan, and travel assistance are provided.
SUNY Enviromental Science & Forestry (ESF) – Syracuse, NYThe VISTA member will be responsible for continuing in its facilitation of a campus Office of Civic Engagement in order to connect community-identified needs to the curricula of SUNY-ESF. Our goal is to bring ESF’s energy and expertise in the fields of science, engineering and sustainability to benefit the Syracuse community as we seek to make ESF more proactive and responsive to community needs. As Coordinator of the office, the VISTA Volunteer will cultivate multiple community partnerships as on-going service-learning collaborators and educate community members and ESF faculty about service-learning and help to develop and implement strategies to employ service-learning. Along with education, the VISTA member will continue to coordinate and facilitate workshops on service-learning, as well as service-learning volunteer activities. The relationships built by the Coordinator will focus on those agencies, neighborhoods, and populations that, without volunteer assistance, would otherwise not have access to the help and good work provided by an initiative such as this. Housing, food assistance, campus recreation pass, and parking permit are provided.SUNY Fredonia – Fredonia, NYThe VISTA member will serve in the SUNY Fredonia Office of Volunteer and Community Services to link community needs with campus resources. He/she will help design and coordinate programs for SUNY Fredonia students to serve as positive role models to low-income youth and develop programs to help guide and inspire youth to pursue higher education and thereby leading them out of poverty. By building relationships with student clubs and residence halls, the VISTA member will recruit student volunteers and foster leadership development among students through work with the SUNY Fredonia Leadership Corps members and professional staff. In addition, stronger relationships will be built with current community partners such as the Volunteer Program Coordinators at the United Way of Northern Chautauqua County, the Boys and Girls Club of Chautauqua County, and local nursing homes for the elderly. Coordination and follow-up on student group-community partnerships will ensure that needs of both parties are being met and will assess outcomes. On-Campus housing, $4000 meal plan, and parking permit are provided. A car is required for this position.
SUNY Geneseo – Geneseo, NYThe SUNY Geneseo VISTA will serve as a professional staff member in the Center for Community. The VISTA will continue the third year of the development of a mentoring program with SUNY Geneseo students and area high schools students to encourage low income students to go to college. The VISTA will supervise the students engaged in the program and will work with our academic departments to establish an internship and/or graduate assistantship to sustain and mange the program in future years. The VISTA will serve as a member of the Livingston County CARES administrative team working on the development of the non-profit humanitarian community-based organization. The VISTA will be involved in expanding volunteer service work trips beyond the current work trips to Mississippi as well as developing local service initiatives in Livingston County. The VISTA will also be involved in a service learning project to create and administer a needs assessment tool with the community partners in the Livingston County area, develop a system of evaluation and reflection for service learning students and community partners, and create a volunteer tracking database for the college community.
SUNY Oswego – Oswego, NYSUNY Oswego’s AmeriCorps VISTA member will work to alleviate poverty in the city of Oswego through supporting and developing programs through the college’s Center for Service Learning and Community Service. A strong focus will be on reaching out to faculty and getting new service-learning courses started, specifically ones to address poverty in Oswego, in various academic departments at the college. This will include researching service-learning resources, speaking with faculty members, and coordinating meetings with community partners and faculty. The VISTA will also recruit, train, supervise, and work to sustain student group leaders who will coordinate service programs in the community at sites already identified, including those serving the elderly, people with disabilities, and children. Finally, the VISTA will organize meetings with current and potential community partners, the Coordinator of Service Learning and Community Service, faculty members (if appropriate), and students. The purpose of these meetings will be to hear the needs of the poverty-serving agencies in the community and develop the most effective way students and representatives of the college can help alleviate the problem. On campus housing, parking pass, and fitness pass are provided.
SUNY Upstate Medical University – Syracuse, NYThe VISTA member serves as the Program Coordinator for the Office of Community Outreach and Global Health Education at SUNY Upstate Medical University. The University is located in the city of Syracuse, adjacent to the scenic Finger Lakes region in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains. The Colleges of Medicine, Health Professions, Nursing, and Graduate Studies have a collective enrollment of 1400 students. SUNY Upstate, the largest employer in Central New York, has a strong commitment to working with the large populations of underrepresented, disadvantaged, and underserved individuals in the community of Syracuse. Because our city is a destination for refugees from a number of different countries, there is a compelling need to provide health care as well as quality educational services and programs for these individuals. The VISTA serves as a liaison between the university and community, establishing sustainable and well defined programs with the Syracuse City Schools, the Syracuse Housing Authority, the Center for New Americans as well as with a variety of well-established family oriented agencies and centers. These initiatives are designed with built in flexibility to insure that the disparate and changing needs of the low-income populations are addressed consistently and effectively. The position requires a person who has strong relationship-building skills, enjoys working with students, individuals of diverse socioeconomic and cultural background and community leaders. Housing will be provided in the student residence hall together with a two-semester meal plan, access to campus recreation facilities and a parking permit.St. John’s University – Queens, NYCombining urban excitement with suburban tranquility, the campus is located in a leafy, residential area of Queens, one of the five boroughs that make up New York City. Though students at St. John’s often travel into Manhattan on weekends, they also enjoy shopping and fine restaurants within blocks of the campus. St. John’s University’s Vincentian Institute for Social Action (VISA) supports university‐wide efforts to explore the causes of and develop solutions for poverty and social injustice throughout the world. VISA has formed strategic partnerships with service organizations that have a recognized history of successful implementation of sustainable projects that have significantly impacted the lives of the disadvantaged. VISA’s efforts are focused on addressing the four themes of hunger, homelessness, health and education. The AmeriCorps VISTA member will assist in efforts to maintain and strengthen relationships by serving as an on‐site liaison with the University’s community partners.
St John’s VISTA member will spend a significant portion of their time supervising projects, providing support to students and site staff to achieve service project goals that directly impact the populations being served. This position requires regular visits to partner sites to ensure program integrity, maintain positive relationships and support the development of meaningful service projects.
Stony Brook University – Stony Brook, NY (Long Island)The SBU VISTA member will act as the team coordinator, providing training, technical assistance, resources and support to the SBU VISTA program participants. S/he will assist in organizing service activities and will help to promote and facilitate those activities as needed. The SBU VISTA member will also assist faculty in developing the service-learning components of curricula and provide support to other SBU initiatives and programs that benefit the VISTA project and members. Mass transit access and a parking permit are provided.Syracuse University – Syracuse, NYThe Mary Ann Shaw Center for Public and Community Service (CPCS) is the centerpiece of the Syracuse University’s community engagement initiatives. Opened in 1994, CPCS promotes, supports, facilitates and recognizes public and community service as a fundamental part of the teaching and learning experience for students, faculty and staff.
CPCS helps faculty integrate community based service learning and research into academic coursework by facilitating and creating partnerships with the local community, arranging student placements, conducting community orientations, providing ongoing support, and developing assessment frameworks for evaluation of the community based learning experience.
The Syracuse University NYCC VISTA member tasks and activities will be to:
1. Provide support for existing Service Learning courses and assist with the development of new components for additional courses each semester. The program currently consists of 20-30 courses per academic year from all colleges on campus, involving approximately 400 – 600 students, as well as providing support for previously established service courses on campus.
2. Maintain existing as well as create new partnerships with organizations that serve
Low-income/at risk populations in Syracuse and Onondaga County.
3. Oversee and assist members of the Syracuse University Volunteer Organization, a student organization that plans and implement campus‐wide service events.
University at Buffalo (SUNY) – Buffalo, NYUB is a premier, research-intensive public university dedicated to academic excellence. As the largest and most comprehensive campus in the 64 campus SUNY system, our thinking, research, creative activity, and people positively impact and change the world. The UB Center for Educational Collaboration (CEC) was established in 2007 to serve as the hub for UB’s pre–K–16 initiatives and to direct our institutional partnership with the Buffalo Public Schools (2nd largest district in New York State). By organizing outreach efforts in a way that is both strategic and aligned with district needs, the center seeks to maximize the university’s collective impact and strengthen the pipeline between pre–K–12 and higher education. The CEC frames its work within four key areas of focus: Research and Evaluation; Academic Acceleration; Pathways; and Capacity Building. The Pathways focus area is in turn comprised of “University Pathways” and “Civic Pathways”. The VISTA member will serve as Program Coordinator for Civic Pathways, providing support for Kids Voting Western New York; The Buffalo Tanzania Education Project; and the UB Speakers Bureau. The VISTA member will assist with the development and implementation of Civic Pathways programs, working with area teachers, parents, and students. The VISTA member will also serve as a liaison with University faculty, students, and staff, helping to facilitate connections with the various university communities.Wagner College – Staten Island, NY The Wagner College AmeriCorps VISTA project will serve low-income, at-risk youth on Staten Island. It will allow us to maintain and expand many existing partnerships-in-learning, and create news ones. Many issues surrounding the local low income, at-risk population on Staten Island have already been identified as the focus of initiatives spearheaded by the college in past/upcoming years. Through the recruitment and training of students, coordinating with faculty and staff, and work with various agencies and community partners, the VISTA member will identify, coordinate, promote and expand tutoring and mentoring programs to at-risk youth. Through the provision of support to low-income, at-risk youth, the VISTA member will contribute to the furtherance of leadership and civic engagement on the campus. Wagner College students and faculty, aided by the AmeriCorps VISTA member, will meet specific community needs of at-risk youth by partnering with specific community based organizations and tutoring and mentoring disadvantaged youth while encouraging pro-social behaviors. These youth in turn will develop leadership skills and become positive role models in their own communities and advocates for change. Housing, meal plan, mass transit access, campus recreation pass, and parking permit are provided.
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