The City of New Orleans VISTA program is implemented by the Office of Mayor LaToya Cantrell and the Department of Parks and Parkways. The City is seeking passionate individuals to build capacity to break the cycle of poverty and empower our community. Chartered in 1909, the Department of Parks and Parkways mission is to manage, maintain, develop, beautify, and preserve over 2000 acres of public green spaces in New Orleans. Parkways is working to restore the urban forest, mitigate adverse effects of climate change, increase benefits for citizens, and meet community-driven master plan goals of green spaces.
Working with the team of professionals at Parkways, our VISTA team member will be able to use their own initiative and departmental resources to develop permanent outreach and engagement initiatives, building awareness of Parkways. This is not strictly an office job – there will be social media content to generate, community interaction, offsite events, and intergovernmental cooperative efforts. While managing and producing social media content for existing but underutilized platform accounts, the VISTA will develop offline and multi-lingual communications (think door-to-door printed materials, radio and television promotions, etc.) targeted to low to moderate income citizens.
Being involved in the community also means promotion of seasonal community tree planting and green events in conjunction with our non-profit partners, as well as working with our greenhouse crew to restart educational programming for the greenhouse complex. Your research skills will be needed for grant development and management to help fund outreach efforts.
Service Activities
Throughout one year of service, the VISTA member will work with the Department of Parks and Parkways to develop effective, inclusive, and innovative outreach and engagement initiatives that increase awareness of the services offered by the Department. Projects and activities will include:
-managing and producing social media content;
-developing offline print and other forms of communications targeting low to moderate income neighborhoods;
-translating in cooperation with city resources and promoting via multi-lingual communications to reflect the diversity of the city;
-promoting community tree planting and green events;
-managing grant development to fund expanded outreach efforts; and,
-assist in departmental emergency response to natural disasters or COVID-19.
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