Members serving with educational summer enrichment programs will serve between 8-10 weeks beginning May 30th. Education programs are offered in Dallas and Houston. Daily activities vary between sites but all share the common mission to educate and enrich our community’s youth. Applicants must be energetic, have an interest in working with school-aged youth and serve as a positive role model.
Members serve 30-40 hours per week over the summer. For these service hours, members receive a living allowance starting at $1,800 for the entire summer (broken down and paid in biweekly installments) and a minimum $1,222 education award (contingent upon successful completion of term).
AmeriCorps is not a job, it’s a chance to really make a difference in the community. Don’t miss this opportunity to make your world better! Applicants are considered on a first-come, first-served basis, and many sites fill up early. Final application deadline is May 19, 2017.
Service Activities
Members serve with one partner agency for the length of their term to provide enrichment and recreational activities to youth grades K-12, under the supervision of a site supervisor. Daily tasks will vary from site to site.
Before students arrive on site, members plan, gather materials and prepare their stations for the day’s activities. Based on the curriculum set out for the day, the member will assist or lead an academic enrichment activity. In the afternoon, members assist in the distribution of the daily lunch. Additionally, the member will ensure students are picked up safely by a parent or guardian. Workstations will be cleaned up and team meetings may take place at this time. Any required data collection will be completed at this time, including time sheets, student attendance records, meal counts and homework completion. Other data collection requirements will vary from site to site.
Members also assist with program-related special projects and events as determined by site staff, including field trips. Members are expected to help with program based events to help whenever possible, as long as these requests are within the AmeriCorps guidelines and do not take away time from essential functions. Examples of these activities include helping with program events, such as program registration, back to school fairs, Family Fun Nights, holiday events, etc.
Community Need Addressed
Most students lose about 2 months of grade level equivalency in math computation skills over the summer months. Low-income students also lose more than 2 months in reading achievement, despite the fact that their middle-class peers make slight gains. More than half of the achievement gap between lower- and higher-income youth can be explained by unequal access to summer learning opportunities. As a result, low-income youth are less likely to graduate from high school or enter college.
CitySquare AmeriCorps members serving in community-based educational summer day camps help prevent this "summer slide" by supporting structured summer programming and daily enrichment activities. These efforts will help students stay on track over the summer and improve their academic engagement.
Position Outcomes
Due to the service of CitySquare AmeriCorps members, youth will show an increase in academic engagement, measured via pre- and post-tests.
Benefits
Education award upon successful completion of service, Living allowance, Student loan forbearance, Training
Members receive a living allowance of $1,800 for the entire summer (broken down and paid in biweekly installments) and a minimum $1,222 education award (contingent upon successful completion of term). Members will also receive position-specific training, as well as professional development training, and will have the opportunity to participate in Nelson Mandela Day of Service.
Education Benefits
College Degree
Skills you will gain
Time management, conflict resolution, effective communication, project management
Competencies You Will Develop
Communication
Demonstrate sensitivity and empathy, 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
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, Anticipate the consequences of decisions, 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, 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