This position is charged with utilizing the existing initiatives and curriculum designed by the youth education staff of The North Carolina Arboretum to engage diverse audiences. This includes children of low-income families, Spanish-speaking families and others not traditionally served with outdoor and environmental education.
Community outreach will be accomplished within two key facets of Arboretum youth programming. The first is our Arboretum Explorations Field Trip programs, which attracts thousands of students in Title-1 schools annually. Content includes identification, life cycles, habitats and ecology of native plants and animals as well as measurement of environmental conditions including weather and water quality. The second facet is the new ecoEXPLORE citizen science initiative, which encourages children to get outdoors and submit photos and data of plants and animals they encounter.
Service Activities
In the spring months (February through May), the AmeriCorps Member will deliver Arboretum Exploration Field Trip programming to students in grades K-8, with a special emphasis on children from Tite-1 schools. The AmeriCorps Member will be required to deliver content in Spanish to children who are not proficient in English. In addition, the Member will be tasked with translating data sheets and other handouts into Spanish for use with these groups. The member will be required to maintain program materials and equipment including but not limited to live reptiles and amphibians, stream sampling equipment, soil probes, binoculars and air sampling equipment.
During the summer months (June through August), duties will shift toward recruitment and programming related to the Arboretum’s ecoEXPLORE initiative. The Member will schedule programming at local libraries, parks, nature preserves and other public resources in Buncombe and Madison Counties. The focus will be on entomology, and the member will lead programs related to the identification, photography and observation of a variety of insects. This will include familiarizing potential participants with the initiative, encouraging recruitment, and providing feedback and encouragement for participants to continue to submit observations.
Community Need Addressed
Increasing environmental education to at-risk populations, including English as a Second Language K-8th grade students.
Position Outcomes
10% of individuals educated will show a increase in their knowledge of environmental topics related to the NC ecosystem.
Benefits
Childcare assistance if eligible, Education award upon successful completion of service, Health coverage, Living allowance, Student loan forbearance, Training
Enrollment in the NC Environmental Education Certification program included.
Education Benefits
CPR / First Aid
Skills you will gain
Project management and public speaking
Competencies You Will Develop
Communication
Demonstrate sensitivity and empathy, Lead group discussion, Listen to and consider others' viewpoints
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, Stay positive and outcome oriented
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
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, 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