Stewards VISTA: Energy Communities VISTA Leader WV

About Stewards:

Stewards Individual Placements (Stewards) provides individuals with service and career opportunities to strengthen communities and preserve our natural resources. Participants work with federal agencies, tribal governments, and nonprofits building institutional capacity, developing community relationships, and supporting ecosystem health.

For more information regarding Stewards, please visit our website.

This position is a 365 day (1 year) public service term lasting from August 12, 2024 – August 11, 2025.

Living Allowance: $69.27/day ($25,283.55/year)

Housing Stipend: $400/month

Required Experience

Must have previously served as a VISTA (full year term), OR completed a 1,700-hour AmeriCorps term, OR served a full Peace Corps term.

APPLY HERE: My AmeriCorps – Home Page  

For more information, please contact Shelby Street at sstreet@conservationlegacy.org 

About the Position:

For generations, the individuals working in America’s energy communities fueled the nation’s prosperity. Since day one, the Biden-Harris Administration has committed to support these communities by providing leadership, funding, and support through the Energy Communities Interagency Working Group. Energy Communities AmeriCorps will advance Biden-Harris Administration priorities to support energy transition communities, advance the President’s American Climate Corps, invest in America, and build workforce pathways to good-paying clean energy and climate resilience jobs. VISTA members will support each Energy Community’s local economic development and workforce goals through grant writing, outreach, community engagement, and other capacity-building efforts. The VISTA project will collaborate with nine (9) high-priority areas out of the 25 Rapid Response communities identified by the President’s task force (www.energycommunities.gov). The President’s Task Force identified Rapid Response communities by assessing employment data, metrics of community economic need, cumulative impact data, and economic development and diversification pathways. Stewards will place VISTA members in local not-for-profit organizations and government agencies to develop anti-poverty programming specific to the needs of each community. This approach allows E-CAP VISTA members to solicit the involvement of low-income communities to develop, implement actively, and support community-led projects. VISTA members serve in these communities as capacity-building resources to ensure community-developed programs have the resources and support needed to continue after the VISTA resource is gone.

VISTA participants receive training, practical experience, and career advancement opportunities to equip them for various roles, including positions within federal agencies. They enjoy noncompetitive eligibility for federal employment, a privilege many agencies utilize to integrate skilled and mission-oriented VISTA alumni into their teams.

Member Duties:

Be part of a new AmeriCorps VISTA project focused on building the capacity of energy communities to implement locally driven environmental remediation and economic development plans in communities impacted by energy transitions! As one of the newest American Climate Corps programs, Energy Community VISTAs will focus on equity and environmental justice – prioritizing communities traditionally left behind, including those energy communities that powered our nation for generations.

• The VISTA Leader will support the field-focused Energy Community AmeriCorps VISTA members through recruitment, training, resource generation, and outreach.
• The VISTA Leader will be the public relations representative who will tell the story of the work happening on the ground to funders and the general public.
• The VISTA Leader will work alongside Stewards Leadership and the federal partners to identify and deliver resources available to communities impacted by energy transitions.

Join the leadership team to build the program model for future members including training, site development and creating a strategic plan for the program!

Service Areas:

• Community and Economic Development
• Community Outreach
• Neighborhood Revitalization
• Environment

Program Benefits: 

• Segal Education Award ($7395) OR Cash Stipend (~$1,800) upon successful completion of service
• Living Allowance ($62.69/day, disbursed every 2 weeks)
• Housing Stipend ($400/monthly)
• Relocation Allowance
• Regular Training and Professional Development Opportunities (free and virtual)
• Employee Wellness Program (access to a licensed, professional counselor and 24/7 in-moment support)
• Childcare*
• Healthcare*
• Non-Competitive Eligibility upon successful completion of the term*
• Networking and Mentorship
• Access to a nationwide cohort of like-minded peers

  *For more information regarding the Segal Education Award, check out this link as well as alternative uses for the award here. *For more information regarding the AmeriCorps VISTA Childcare benefit, please visit https://americorpschildcare.com/ *For details about AmeriCorps VISTA healthcare benefits, please visit http://www.vistacampus.gov/healthcare *For details about Non-Competitive Eligibility, please visit https://my.americorps.gov/trust/help/member_portal/non_competitive_eligibility_overview.htm. 

Stewards Individual Placements does not and will not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, gender expression, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all. If you need assistance and/or reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application, interviewing, and/or onboarding process, please send your request to the hiring manager in your preferred method of communication.

Required Skills

(Preferred)

• Environment
• Public Speaking
• Communications
• Leadership
• Fundraising/Grant Writing
• Recruitment
• Conflict Resolution
• Counseling