Placement Site:
University of Minnesota Extension, Crow Wing County 4-H
322 Laurel Street
Brainerd, MN 56401
Contact: Heidi Haugen, Extension Educator,
hauge350@umn.edu, 218-828-2345
Position Overview
Minnesota 4-H Youth Development seeks to makes measurable impacts in the lives of Minnesota youth in out-of-school time and is seeking an AmeriCorps Promise Fellow hosted by the MN Alliance with Youth and the University of Minnesota Extension 4-H Youth Development, Crow Wing County with support from an Otto Bremer Foundation “Partnering On Promises” grant. The goal of the position is to develop year-round programming that fosters academic achievement and engages youth in meaningful leadership, research, and service to address community needs. Using a 4-H club structure, the fellow will help youth increase their civic engagement activities, experience academic gains (demonstrated by a .5 increase in their GPA), and involve community volunteers to expand the program.
Specifically, the fellow will work with Crow Wing County Youth Wellness Task Force stakeholders to develop a viable school-community partnership and to recruit volunteer mentors for youth. Afterschool and summer out-of-school time programming and community connection efforts will address long-term goals of the Youth Wellness Task Force, including, for example:
? Connect every youth in the program with a trusted adult;
? Support academic achievement among youth with a history of school failures and/or truancy;
? Provide meaningful opportunities for youth to provide needed service to their community;
? Facilitate projects that connect young people with nature and the environment;
? Provide character education, leadership development and coping skills; and
? Unlearn the culture of violence in the community.
Position Responsibilities
Essential Functions:
? Plan, organize, and coordinate after-school 4-H clubs with the goal that at least 25 youth (approx. 5th – 12th grade) will experience academic gains. Programs are determined by the School-Community partnership group in consultation with the Fellow and youth participants.
? Develop and organize projects that engage youth participants in at least 20 hours of civic engagement activities during the year as an additional strategy to improve academic success.
? Identify meaningful civic engagement activities with the youth, including community service, service-learning, and leadership experiences;
? Orient and train youth for their civic engagement experiences;
? Lead civic engagement activities with youth, including reflection components;
? Recruit and/or support community volunteers, including family members, to work with youth participants in areas such as mentoring, tutoring, civic engagement, and college/career exploration.
Marginal Functions:
? Support teachers and other School-Community Partnership (SCP) Team members to finalize the best local strategies for closing the achievement gap, including how community volunteers will help address the needs of the targeted youth;
? Assist supervisor and the SCP Team to keep program records and evaluate program outcomes, making changes as needed based on evaluation data.
? Participate in all Alliance and AmeriCorps required meetings and assignments
Position Requirements
? Must be 18 years old*
? U.S. citizen or U.S. National or have status as a Lawful Permanent Resident Alien
? Please note that final candidates will be required to successfully pass a background check before being officially enrolled by the Minnesota Alliance With Youth
Position Qualifications
? Interest in youth, service, education, and non-profit work
? Strong written and oral communication skills
? Able to deal effectively with ambiguity of tasks and able to take the initiative
? Self-motivated, able to work independently without daily supervision—strong organizational skills a must
? Able to present oneself in a highly professional manner and be an ambassador of the program
Desirable Characteristics
? Associates or Bachelor of Arts Degree in community or youth development, education, or related field
? Volunteer experience and desire to develop a strong ethic of service
? Experience working collaboratively with youth and adults
? Commitment to positive youth development
? Has initiative to see and follow through with “next steps” to be taken
? Knowledge of or experience with 4-H youth development programs
Typical Work Environment
? Able to work at a computer for up to 8 hours per day
? Able to work in environment that is noisy with many young people and adults demanding attention
? Able to work independently without much direction as well as on teams
? Work setting may include sharing office and computer with other members/staff.
Benefits
As a full-time AmeriCorps member, Promise Fellows serve 1700 hours between the date of employment and August 14, 2010 and receive: qualified student loan deferment; health insurance; modest living allowance (approx. $950/month, pre-tax); $4,725 education award upon successful completion of service; and ongoing, extensive support and training. Note: The combined living allowance and educational award makes this position’s monetary compensation is equal to approximately $9.50/hr. Also, the educational award can be applied to existing student loans or to future tuition.
