Communities In Schools of Central Texas places AmeriCorps Mentors on elementary and middle school campuses across Central Texas to meet students where they are at and provide wraparound support for students and their families to thrive. When students have the support of a caring adult relationship, they have the power to unlock their potential. AmeriCorps Mentors build deep relationships with their students and families, working with them to remove barriers to success in school and life. AmeriCorps Mentors work with students one-on-one and in small groups as an integrated support to campus community, in service of equitable access to education opportunities.
Service Activities
As a CISCT AmeriCorps Mentor, you'll provide weekly mentoring for elementary or middle school students through 1:1 meetings or small group facilitation. Mentoring sessions aim to increase academic engagement and social emotional skills, as well as provide academic support focusing on literacy and math skills. You'll manage a caseload of 14-15 students, including documentation and data entry to capture services provided. You will also proactively build relationships with teachers, campus staff, community partners, and families for a student-centered approach to support.
Mentors serve as a productive member of the CISCT support team on campus, and meet with the Program Manager at least once per week for supervision and caseload support. You'll collaborate with the CIS Program Manager to implement school-wide services to foster a positive school climate and address school-level risk factors. You'll also implement a student-led service-learning project during the school year to build civic engagement by connecting what students are learning with real-world activities and issues.
During the month of June, you'll support summer enrichment activities including group supervision, lesson planning, and activity support during CISCT summer programs.
Mentors also attend a variety of professional development activities, including pre-service and bimonthly trainings and Life After AmeriCorps training and activities. You'll receive ongoing support from your campus-based Program Manager, as well as the AmeriCorps Member Experience Specialist.
Community Need Addressed
The Texas Education Agency estimates there are more than 34,000 students in the Central Texas region who are at-risk of dropping out of school. Most students who drop out of school are dealing with multiple problems that present barriers to their education: poverty, unattended health needs, hunger, an unemployed parent, domestic violence. A national, 40+ year dropout prevention program, Communities In Schools uses an integrated student support model to provide wraparound support services to students to ensure they stay in school and achieve in life.
Position Outcomes
Communities In Schools of Central Texas AmeriCorps Mentors surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. Our evidence-based approach, adapted to meet the unique needs of Central Texas children, is the basis for our success. Of the students intensively served by Communities in Schools, 99% stay in school and 84% improve grades, attendance, or behavior.
Benefits
Childcare assistance if eligible, Education award upon successful completion of service, Health coverage, Living allowance, Student loan forbearance, Training
Student Loans: You may place most existing federal student loans into forbearance while you serve (meaning you do not have to make payments on them).
Interest Accrual: AmeriCorps will also pay off some or all of the interest accrued on qualified loans during your year of service (upon successful completion of your service year) for the loans placed into forbearance through AmeriCorps. Giving a year of service is like getting 10 interest-free months on your loans.
Nutrition Benefits: Finally, you may also qualify for SNAP nutrition benefits, which can be used to supplement or replace your food budget. Many AmeriCorps members use these funds to stretch their incomes farther. Full-time members may qualify for as much as $189 a month for the purchase of food. If you have dependents you may be eligible for additional funds.
Access to Employers of National Service: Employers of National Service connects AmeriCorps and Peace Corps alumni with employers from the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. Through this initiative, employers have increased access to a dedicated, highly qualified, and mission-oriented pool of potential employees, and national service alumni have additional opportunities to apply their skills in the workplace. Here is a list of current employers: https://www.nationalservice.gov/special-initiatives/employers-national-service/search-network
Access to nation-wide AmeriCorps alumni network: AmeriCorps Alums is dedicated to getting things done for AmeriCorps alums and members actively serving. The only national network that connects the nearly
1 million alumni of all AmeriCorps programs to the people, ideas, and resources that support our commitment to a lifetime of service. Network, find a job, find – and finance – a school of your choice, serve, and get benefits: http://www.americorpsalums.org/?WhyJoin
Everyone has different financial needs, and only you can decide whether the compensation and benefits will work for you and your family. Ultimately the decision to serve is not an economic one. You already understand that what drives people to serve is intangible. It is their desire to share knowledge, be a role model, reach into communities and create something genuinely good. If you are dedicated to making a direct impact on children’s futures, be sure to also consider all the tangible benefits that AmeriCorps offers.
Education Benefits
CPR/First Aid certification, tutoring and mentoring skills, service learning, conflict resolution, group facilitation, professional skills.
Skills you will gain
Mentoring, Tutoring, Group Facilitation, Youth Development, Conflict Resolution, Communication, Data-Entry, Leadership, CPR/First Aid
Competencies You Will Develop
Communication
Demonstrate sensitivity and empathy, Lead group discussion, Listen to and consider others' viewpoints, Maintain open lines of communication with others, Speak clearly, in precise language and in a logical, organized and coherent manner, Write cleary and effectively
Creativity & Problem Solving
Able to identify and define the problem, Capable of generating possible solutions, Communicate the problem to appropriate personnel, Improvise, Provide relevant expertise, Select and implement well-considered solution
Teamwork
Derive consensus, Develop constructive working relationships and maintain them over time, Establish a high degree of trust and credibility with others, Interact professionally and respectfully with supervisors and co-workers, Stay positive and outcome oriented, Use appropriate strategies and solutions for dealing with conflicts and differences to maintain a smooth workflow
Decisions
Accepts responsibility, Identify and prioritize the key issues involved to facilitate the decision making process, Involve people appropriately in decisions that may impact them, Quickly respond with a back-up plan if a decision goes amiss
Tools
Seek opportunities to improve knowledge of tools and technologies that may assist in streamlining work and improving productivity
Planning
Able to prioritize various competing tasks, Create environment of contribution, Create plan of action, schedule tasks so that work is completed on time, Demonstrate the effective allocation of time and resources efficiently, Drive decision making, Effectively delegate tasks, Facilitate group planning, Set goals
Service
Be pleasant, courteous, professional and respectful when dealing with internal and external customers or clients, Evaluate customer or client satisfaction, Honor the privilege of being able to work with and for those being served, Provide personalized, prompt, and efficient service to meet the requirements, requests and needs of customers, Recognize the importance of maintaining privacy and confidentiality of those being served, Understand and anticipate the needs of others, Understand the importance of one's role in the functioning of the organization, Understand the significance of maintaining a healthful and safe environment