This job posting was sent to us by Beth Truzansky of the Community and Economic Development Office.  If you have job openings you like Common Good VT to post, please email them to coordinator@commongoodvt.org

The We All Belong Program is currently hiring individuals who are committed to social justice to serve as an AmeriCorps member starting in September, 2012.  We are seeking individuals who are excellent communicators and can work across cultures to support the diversity and equity work in Burlington area non-profits, schools and city departments.

AmeriCorps members serve full or part time earning a living stipend of up to $12,100, an education award of $5,350, health coverage among other benefits.  This is an intensive personal and professional development opportunity. For more information go to: www.burlingtonvt.gov/cedo/ or apply by sending Resume and Cover Letter to Jeetan Khadka at Burlington’s Community and Economic Development Office, jkhadka@ci.burlington.vt.us, 802-865-7516.

We All Belong AmeriCorps*State Current Openings

Burlington School District

Cultural Competency Specialist (1 full-time position)

The member will assist the Director of Diversity Education and Engagement supporting diversity curriculum and professional development for teachers, staff and parents. The member will implement the Cultural Competency Professional Development Tool with teachers and administrators; distribute a monthly Diversity and Equity Digest; maintain a district-wide Diversity Calendar; and support web-based communications (Facebook, blog, online resource library). The member will also be involved in several programs including CourageousConversations about Race groups across district, supporting ECHO Center RACE exhibit opportunities for BSD; and helping coordinate Reading to End Racism, Cultural Diversity Series, and other student-focused programs (Kid Conversations about Race) across schools. The member will also work with the IT office implementing an Equity Report card; creating the tool, gathering feedback and eventually implementation.

Family-School Partnership Specialist (1 full-time position)

Family School Partnerships is a model bringing parents and teachers together to fully support student learning. The AmeriCorps member will join Hunt and Edmunds Middle Schools Family School Partnership Teams. They will help with communication for the teams including: meeting planning, facilitation, and recruitment of new members. The AmeriCorps will also help implement projects identified in the action plan projects at each school. They will coordinate activities and priorities with the Parent Teacher Organizations. They serve as a liaison to the community to help people understand the Family School Partnership model and its role with diversity and equity strategic efforts.

Community and Economic Development Office

AmeriCorps Team Leader (1 full-time position)

The We All Belong AmeriCorps Team Leader supports the Program Director in management of the We All Belong AmeriCorps*State Program to create a more welcoming and inclusive community.  The Team Leader serves as a peer support to the 13 member AmeriCorps team by meeting regularly, helping with outreach and designing projects. They will help the Program Director design and facilitate bi-monthly AmeriCorps member trainings.They play an essential role recruiting future AmeriCorps members for the 2013-14 program. The ideal candidate is very knowledgeable about Burlington’s ethnic and cultural diversity and can support We All Belong AmeriCorps team and Community and Economic Development Office how to more effectively engage with the community.

ECHO Lake Aquarium & Science Center

Community Education Coordinator (1 full-time position)

This Fall, ECHO will host an exhibit Race: Are we so different? The AmeriCorps member will work with ECHO’s education department to coordinate programs for this traveling exhibit including planning special events and facilitating discussions for groups visiting the exhibit. They will work with ECHO staff to prepare for the exhibit and continue to serve the diverse clientele through internal policies such as adopting an equity/diversity statement, continuing cultural competence skill building and formalizing relationships to organizations and communities cultivated through We All Belong and the Race exhibit. Following the exhibit, the member will develop a cultural competency and community engagement strategy that builds on the momentum and success of Race: Are we so different?  The member will serve as a general educator on ECHO’s Education Team helping to run daily activities. 

Fletcher Free Library

Youth Literacy Coordinator (1 full-time position)

 The Youth Literacy Coordinator establishes connections with young people in the community who are not already active Library users, particularly families from culturally diverse backgrounds.  The position requires a creative person who has a passion for learning, working with teens, and connecting youth and families with resources at the Library.  The AmeriCorps member is a part of the Library’s Youth Department and helps to staff the Youth desk, bring new families to the Library, deliver books to schools and youth centers, create a Teen Advisory Board, recruit and supervise youth for the Summer reading program, and help youth and families stay connected to the Library through online networking.  The member is also involved with helping the Library staff to better serve Burlington’s diverse community by gathering feedback from local teens, providing recommendations to the Library and helping to organize staff trainings.

Adult Literacy Coordinator (1 full-time position)

The Adult Literacy Coordinator will assist the Outreach Librarian in providing library services to underserved populations in Burlington, including New Americans, the elderly and economically-marginalized communities.  Services include weekly English classes, computer classes taught in four different languages, Citizenship test preparation, language conversation groups, outreach visits and off-site programming for youth and adults. The AmeriCorps Member will coordinate all classes and conversation groups including volunteer teacher recruitment, training, room reservation and ordering materials. The Member will work with other AmeriCorps members and professionals in related social service agencies to best serve Burlington’s changing community. The AmeriCorps member will also assist the Outreach Librarian with We BTV – Arrivals and Departures: Perspectives on What Makes a Community, a series exploring Burlington’s diversity in collaboration with ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center for the RACE: Are We So Different? Exhibit beginning in October.

Greater Burlington YMCA **Recently Added Position**

Early Learning Readiness Associate, (1 part-time position)

The Y was recently selected to run a program called Early Learning Readiness.  The goal of the program is to close the educational gap between low-income and middle-income preschool children. In many low income families the caregiver may be a friend, aunt, grandparent or neighbor.  The program will run two twice-a-week playgroups to children (birth to 5) and adults, one in Burlington and one in Winooski, to help the children enter school prepared and ready to learn. The AmeriCorps member will support this program by interacting with program participants, help set up for each playgroup, participate and help lead activities under the direction of the facilitator.  The AmeriCorps member will support the program by recruiting parents and adult caregivers to participate in the program, help translate during the playgroup sessions (4 a week) and provide support to caregivers inside and outside of the playgroups.  The AmeriCorps member will also help the Y infant toddler program diversify the families they serve by recruiting families eligible for childcare subsidy into their infant toddler childcare program. 

Local Motion

Cultural Liaison (1 full-time position)

The Cultural Liaison will help Local Motion bridge to diverse communities as they promote biking, walking and healthy communities. The AmeriCorps will attend community gatherings and cultural events, recruit volunteers and members from diverse communities, collect information about people’s experiences walking and biking, and plan diversity and equity training for Local Motion staff. The AmeriCorps member will also help deliver bike safety and skills workshop and training in the community. The member will help create services which are culturally relevant to everyone; ensuring outreach materials are translated and culturally relevant.

Vermont Energy Investment Corporation

VEIC’S Cultural Competency Assessment Specialist (1 full-time position)

The AmeriCorps member will support Vermont Energy Investment Corporation create a welcoming and inclusive workplace. The organization is growing – it now has offices in four states, and the staff is becoming more diverse as it expands.  The member will work with VEIC’s founder, Beth Sachs, and staff committee members to conduct an organizational assessment of their current cultural competence, develop a list of recommendations that the organization can consider, and create an action plan for implementing the recommendations to enhance our cultural competence. The member will also be responsible for implementing and measuring the effectiveness of some of the recommendations that come from the organizational assessment.

Visiting Nurses Association -VNA Family Room

Community Worker (2 part-time positions)

AmeriCorps members at the VNA Family Room provide a cultural bridge connecting families with limited and developing English skills with Family room programs. The AmeriCorps members serve as role models, translators and cultural liaisons for new families many of which are newly arrived as refugees or immigrants to Burlington. AmeriCorps members help staff understand cultural practices, food preferences, and any unique needs new families are facing. The members also help translate so families can develop relationships and conversation between participants and staff. Activities that members will be responsible for includes, storytelling, cooking, gardening, games, exercise and childcare. The members help VNA staff and greater agency understand how to better serve the newest members of our community.

Visiting Nurses Association – Administrative Office

VNA Cultural Competency Assessment Specialist (1 part-time position)

AmeriCorps members at the VNA Family Room provide a cultural bridge connecting families with limited and developing English skills with Family room programs. The AmeriCorps members serve as role models, translators and cultural liaisons for new families many of which are newly arrived as refugees or immigrants to Burlington. AmeriCorps members help staff understand cultural practices, food preferences, and any unique needs new families are facing. The members also help translate so families can develop relationships and conversation between participants and staff. Activities that members will be responsible for includes, program planning, resource and referral, storytelling, cooking, gardening, games, exercise and childcare. The members help VNA staff and greater agency understand how to better serve the newest members of our community.

United Way of Chittenden County (1 part-time position)

Assessment Specialist

The AmeriCorps member will support the implementation of the United Way of Chittenden County Diversity Plan.  The member will work with all of the Board committees to develop benchmarks for progress toward achieving the goals outlined in the Diversity Strategic Plan. The member will gather information and research to guide the creation of an on-going professional development training program for UWCC employees and volunteers to improve the recruitment and retention of individuals from diverse backgrounds. The member will review and revise job descriptions, recruitment and hiring procedures to better incorporate cultural competency into the performance evaluation, screening and interview processes. The member will also conduct an analysis of United Way’s community investment process to determine how to integrate cultural competence into the decision making process. This will involve creating an assessment, speaking with agency staff, volunteers and program users.  Once the assessment is complete, they will work with our Community Investment Committee to develop benchmarks for United Way to monitor cultural competence progress by its member agencies.