The City of New Orleans VISTA program is implemented by the Office of Mayor LaToya Cantrell. The City is seeking passionate individuals to build capacity to break the cycle of poverty and empower our community. The Mayor’s Office delivers excellent service to its citizens with courage, competence and compassion. We facilitate partnerships, link strong leaders and new ideas and leverage critical resources to move New Orleans forward. Our decisions are informed by effective communication and active citizen involvement.
The goal of the VISTA project is to build the capacity of the Mayor’s office to better serve our community. The member will build out and update tracking, contact and data management systems ensuring effective communication and coordination between departments, constituents and community partners. The VISTA member will have the opportunity to learn more about how city government operates, to participate in data management activities, and to find creative digital solutions to overcome communication and data tracking barriers. The VISTA project will create a impact data toolkit that will be used for years to come. The project will better support New Orleans residents, particularly those that have been historically underserved and hard to reach, to keep community members better informed.
Service Activities
Throughout one year of service, the VISTA member will work with the Mayor’s Office to create an impact data toolkit to move the City forward with our recovery efforts and make progress more accessible to the community. The member will create the following:
-Constituent services contact list
-Accomplishments and goals tracking and visual representations
-Archival data management system
-Effective communications for strategic initiatives
-Website rebranding and relevant updates
-The VISTA member will also work on strategic projects in the Mayor’s office as needed.
Community Need Addressed
The CNO VISTA Program supports City Hall by implementing sustainable capacity building projects to increase the effectiveness of each department.
Position Outcomes
Our VISTA members help the City strengthen existing services and provide more services for underserved and disproportionately impacted communities.
Benefits
Childcare assistance if eligible, Education award upon successful completion of service, Health coverage, Living allowance, Non-competitive eligibility (federal jobs), Relocation allowance (if applicable), Student loan forbearance
Education Benefits
College Degree
N/A
Skills you will gain
Professional Development
Competencies You Will Develop
Communication
Listen to and consider others' viewpoints, Maintain open lines of communication with others, Write cleary and effectively
Creativity & Problem Solving
Communicate the problem to appropriate personnel, Provide relevant expertise, Select and implement well-considered solution
Teamwork
Develop constructive working relationships and maintain them over time, Interact professionally and respectfully with supervisors and co-workers, Use appropriate strategies and solutions for dealing with conflicts and differences to maintain a smooth workflow
Decisions
Identify and prioritize the key issues involved to facilitate the decision making process, Involve people appropriately in decisions that may impact them
Tools
Carefully consider which tools or technological solutions are appropriate for a given job, 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 plan of action, schedule tasks so that work is completed on time, Demonstrate the effective allocation of time and resources efficiently, Set goals
Service
Be pleasant, courteous, professional and respectful when dealing with internal and external customers or clients, Honor the privilege of being able to work with and for those being served, Understand the importance of one's role in the functioning of the organization