Community Engagement

The latest community engagement opps are out! Included: leading Feb Break ’15 MAlt trips, chaperoning ACT dance party this Friday, Page One’s Reading Carnival and more!

http://eepurl.com/R8qDr

The Community Engagement office is looking for a full-time 2014-2015 Poverty Initiatives Coordinator, SerVermont Americorps*VISTA member to join our team!

The Program:

The SerVermont AmeriCorps*VISTA Program is a statewide national service program in its third year. 27 members will be placed at community-based organizations and state and municipal agencies whose mission and VISTA assignments cover focus areas including Veterans, Economic Development, Healthy Futures, and Education. Each VISTA makes a year-long, full-time commitment to serve on a specific project at a host site and  receive a modest living allowance that is linked to the poverty level in their community, as well as professional development training throughout the year.

The Position

As Community Engagement’s new Privilege & Poverty (academic) program begins, we seek a VISTA member for a one-year position from August 2014 – August 2015 to work with the Community Engagement Director to weave together co-curricular poverty-related programs in a more cohesive and intentional manner, while also deepening our collaboration with participating community partners. We aim to (a.) engage more Middlebury College students & faculty, (b.) focus on building a more solid infrastructure that will strategically increase our capacity to help meet local needs, deepen the impact of our efforts, identify opportunities for growth and development, and establish a sustainable program, (c.) to provide support, as needed, to participating P&P faculty members.

The Poverty Initiatives Coordinator will organize events and activities that will mobilize others in service to low-income families and individuals and work with organizations on projects aimed to help alleviate poverty (e.g., through mentoring initiatives, ELL and translation services, financial literacy efforts, and more).

The Benefits:

-A modest living allowance: $946 per month

– $300/month rent assistance

– 10 days of personal leave, 10 days of medical leave

– Childcare subsidies are available for members who qualify.

– Relocation allowance: Up to $550 stipend if member relocates 50 miles or more to serve in addition to up to $1,000 in mileage reimbursement from your home of record.

– After successfully completing your service year you can choose to receive either: An education award: $5,645 that can be applied to student loans or future education. This amount is taxed and must be used in 7 years OR a stipend: $1,500 cash, which accrues at $125 per month and is taxed.

– For one year after service, members receive non-competitive eligibility for federal jobs meaning they can apply for without competing against the general public (as long as they they meet basic requirements for the job).

Qualifications:

-Must be a United States citizen, United States National or Legal Permanent Resident of the United States.

– Must pass a criminal background check by CNCS. CNCS investigates for past sexual offenses and violent crimes. Minor offenses, unless directly relevant to service, will not bar someone from service.

– Must have a bachelor’s degree or three years of related volunteer/job experience

Qualified and interested? See the full job posting and apply on MOJO.

This week’s volunteer opportunities are out! Included: salamander escorts, Parent Child Center, empathy in the face of crisis, deadlines galore and more!

http://eepurl.com/RzsGv

The Service Cluster Board is seeking individuals passionate about community service to serve as Coordinators for the 2014-2015 academic year.

Founded in 2009, the Service Cluster Board is an umbrella organization whose goal is to support student-run service organizations and initiatives on campus. Duties of this position include:

• Managing the leadership development and finances of 17 student-run service organizations and continuing initiatives;
• Advising the Flex Fund Review Committee, which screens service project proposals and approving award allocations;
• Working closely with service leaders, Community Engagement staff, and other students interested in service work;
• Orchestrating and conducting yearly trainings, monthly meetings, and regular audits of organizations’ budgets;
• Proposing a budget annually on behalf of the 17 service groups before the SGA Finance Committee.
• Weekly paid office hours in the Community Engagement office.

It is requested that the Coordinators serve through Spring 2015. Please submit this SCB_Coordinator Application 2014-2015 (Microsoft Word Doc) and your resume to scboard@middlebury.edu by Sunday, April 6, 2014. Successful applicants will be contacted for an interview during the week of 7-15. Questions? Contact current SCB Co-Coordinators Mackenzie Walsh and Daniela Barajas at scboard@middlebury.edu

–
Serving you serving others,
Service Cluster Board
Daniela Barajas and Mackenzie Walsh

This week’s opportunities are out! Included: AOE grants, Stone Soup, the Parent Child Center, and more!

http://eepurl.com/Qzref

This week’s opps are out! Included this week: social change in post-3.11 Japan, Addison County Parent Child Center, Midd Buddies, the Sustainable Living Expo and more!

http://eepurl.com/P6kCj

This week’s opps are out! Included: Butch’s Team, Latin tutor, VAW goes to Guatemala, and more!

http://eepurl.com/PAuvv

Addison County Shepherd Internships offer meaningful opportunities to spend summer fighting poverty in Vermont. This year the paid internships will take place with the Charter House Coalition, DREAM, John Graham Homeless Shelter, Open Door Clinic, and United Way of Addison County.

Charter House Coalition: The Charter House Coalition is a volunteer, non-profit providing basic food and housing for local residents who need assistance. Community Lunch and Community Supper together provide over 18,000 meals each year, and with the participation of the Nash farm, as well as church, student and community organizations. The intern will gain firsthand experience in how food, housing and other poverty challenges of low-income families in Addison County are being supported, will learn operational and management aspects of a volunteer-based non-profit organization, and will gain experience in supporting the needs of members of our community who are housing or food insecure.

John Graham Homeless Shelter: The John W. Graham Emergency Shelter has provided food, shelter and hope to homeless individuals and families for thirty-one years. The Shelter offers its services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to individuals and families with children. Many are the hardest to house including survivors of abuse, violence and rape; people with disabilities; people in recovery; and people suffering with mental illness. The John Graham Shelter summer intern will be a key team player in providing food, shelter and hope to Addison County’s homeless population, with a special emphasis on helping the Shelter to manage its community mentor program.

DREAM: The DREAM Program, Inc. is a mentoring organization that pairs college students with youth from affordable housing neighborhoods. Our mentoring relationships empower mentees to lead healthy, productive lives. The intern will work with a young, passionate group of people to provide awesome summer programming to youth ages 5-18 living in affordable housing communities across Vermont.  Each intern is responsible for programming with one housing community throughout the state, but also collaborates with other communities outside their region.  In addition to developing and implementing youth programming, each intern also works closely with families to build and support strong community relationships.

Open Door Clinic: Open Door Clinic (ODC) is a free medical clinic based in Middlebury, VT, providing healthcare to low income, uninsured and underinsured Addison County adults. This full-time, 10 week internship experience will provide the intern with a unique perspective on healthcare, public health, and provision of services to marginalized and low-income communities. A particular focus of the internship will be on supporting the healthcare needs of Limited English Proficiency (LEP) patients, especially Addison County’s Latino Farmworker population, through medical interpretation, document translation, and building culturally and linguistically appropriate local healthcare infrastructure.

United Way of Addison County: United Way of Addison County is a community change organization that has been working in Addison County for almost 45 years.  United Way invites all community members to be part of enhancing the common good, improving lives and strengthening the community by giving, advocating and volunteering.  They focus on three important building blocks to strengthening lives:  Health, Education and Financial Stability. The intern will research the “benefit cliff” and help formulate possible new initiatives to meet improve financial stability for individuals and families in Addison County.

How do I apply?
Find our more information and apply through MOJO! Log in here, search for “Addison County Shepherd Internships,” and follow the instructions to submit a cover letter, resume, and unofficial transcript (can be unofficial). Applications are due on March 10, 2014. Interviews will be held in mid-March and successful applicants will be notified before spring break.

What if I have questions?
Attend the information session:
Monday, February 24, 2014 at 4:15 p.m.
Community Engagement @ 118 South Main Street (light green house behind Davis Family Library)
OR Contact Ashley Calkins, jcalkins@middlebury.edu

Benefits
Interns will earn $9.35 per hour, 35 hours per week. Students can choose to reside on campus with meal plan included for a weekly fee (paid by the intern).

This week’s community engagement opportunities are out! Included: teaching languages at Monkton Central School, paid fellowships with the Partnership for Public Service, and Butch’s Team and more!

http://eepurl.com/OCrKL