Serve Philadelphia VISTAs are AmeriCorps members who fight the injustices and causes of poverty facing individuals and communities in Philadelphia by serving in City departments full-time for one year.
Service Activities
All Serve VISTA members perform indirect service to support City Departments that fight injustices and causes of poverty in Philadelphia. Each VISTA position is unique, but all Serve Philadelphia VISTAs focus on building capacity. Capacity building activities can include, but are not limited to:
• Creating tools, systems and materials.
• Generating resources through partnerships, volunteers and/or grants
• Developing, organizing and/or assessing programs, events and/or meetings.
• Supporting, establishing or strengthening cross-departmental and cross-sector partnerships.
Community Need Addressed
The VISTA projects will support address multiple areas of need. These areas include, but are not limited to: education, food access/hunger, employment, benefits access, homelessness, financial literacy, immigrant services and recidivism. The Serve Philadelphia VISTA Corps project supports City Departments who are working to fight the causes and injustices of poverty in Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia is a major city in the US facing many challenges. Currently 670,000 Philadelphians, or 43.3 percent of the city's population, live in distressed neighborhoods. There is an overall poverty rate of 22 percent, with 32% of Philadelphia's children living in poverty.
Position Outcomes
The Serve Philadelphia VISTA program goals are to a) Increase capacity for city government departments that serve low-income individuals and communities. b) Decrease poverty and the disparity of wealth and resources. c) Empower the Philadelphia community with tools to promote sustainable self-sufficiency. d) Engage all Philadelphians in lifelong volunteerism and service.
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, Training
- Monthly transportation support - Access to a vast network of non profit and municipal government staff - Emergency Fund Assistance - Hybrid work schedule
Skills you will gain
Project Management, Equitable engagement strategies & tools, Time Management, Basic Computer Skills, Program evaluation/feedback implementation, Public speaking & facilitation, Professional written & verbal communication, Data analysis & visualization, Networking, Partnership & Coalition building
Competencies You Will Develop
Communication
Demonstrate sensitivity and empathy, Listen to and consider others' viewpoints, Maintain open lines of communication with others, 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
Teamwork
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, 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 plan of action, schedule tasks so that work is completed on time, Demonstrate the effective allocation of time and resources efficiently
Service
Be pleasant, courteous, professional and respectful when dealing with internal and external customers or clients, Recognize the importance of maintaining privacy and confidentiality of those being served, Understand the importance of one's role in the functioning of the organization