AmeriCorps Youth Community Livability Specialist

City of Dubuque, IA -
Iowa

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Job Details

Seasonal | Contract
$1,768 a month
14 days ago

Benefits

Health insurance

Qualifications

High school diploma or GED
Computer skills

Full Job Description

Position Summary

Youth Community Livability Specialist

Example Contract dates:

September 1st, 2026 – August 14th, 2027 (50 Week Contract)
September 14th, 2026 – August 28th, 2027 (50 Week Contract)
Contract start and end dates are flexible and rotate on a bi-weekly schedule

1700 Hour Contract - Minimum of 37 hours/week

Compensation: Living Allowance Total: $22,100 ($884.00 -taxes every 2 weeks over 50 weeks) + Education Award: $7,395.00

General Purpose

AmeriCorps is a national service program that takes a different approach to improve lives and fostering civic engagement. AmeriCorps Members commit their time to address critical community needs. In Dubuque, AmeriCorps Members serve at the intersection of education and mental health to help youth understand their emotions, reactions, and relationships through social-emotional learning to improve academic, career, and social success. City of Dubuque AmeriCorps Members implement key skill-building program to have the following impacts:

(1) Youth experience programs promoting healthy lifestyles resulting in decreased youth risk-related behaviors.

(2) Youth development skills to build meaningful and healthy relationships while experiencing being valued and respected.

(3) Providing every young person with the opportunity to grow up safely and access their best possible future.

The Youth Community Livability Specialist will play a pivotal role in the City's Sustainability Department, Engineering Department, and Parks Division by exploring and facilitating youth engagement in three important areas of municipal career development for teens in the Dubuque Community. Within the Sustainability Department important aspects: trees and greenspace; mobility; and pollution prevention. This position will lead and administer the Sustainability Department's Teen Resiliency Corps Program for high school students which involves classroom training, leading work crews, and natural resource job exploration in collaboration with the Branching Out Dubuque program through Parks Division. The AmeriCorps Member will also engage junior high students in similar activities that are targeted for a younger audience. This position engages with and builds relationships with youth at the Dubuque Multicultural Family Center and the Dubuque Community Schools, helping them connect their talents and interests to take action for the environment and other sustainability work, facilitating architecture/engineering/construction (AEC) career exploration, and developing City Parks and greenspace. By fostering connections and offering valuable learning opportunities, the Youth Community Livability Specialist will help students explore potential career paths in natural resources, sustainability, and public service, while also gaining hands on experience working on specific civic projects related to mobility, greenspace and mitigation efforts. The position would spend approximately 1/3 time on general sustainability efforts, 1/3 time on Teen Resiliency Corps and trees and greenspace work and 1/3 time on municipal mobility issues and AEC career interests.

Benefits:

Education Award received upon successful completion of their term of service.
Living Allowance
Healthcare
Childcare coverage, if the member qualifies.
Student loan forbearance and interest payments for eligible loans

Job Duties

Service Responsibilities

Program Development and Implementation:
- Support the development of the City's Teen Resiliency Corps (TRC) Program by enhancing existing natural resources and professional development educational content.
  - Develop a timeline of activities quarterly with milestones and target due dates for events and projects with 2-4 weeks advance of the quarter.
  - Assist with recruitment of TRC members (write press release, create posters and distribute, supporting the interview process from recruitment to hiring)
  - Develop bi-weekly postings to seek youth engagement and participation.
  - Create at least 1 outreach method monthly for the organization’s media to announce events and promote attendance when public input is encouraged.
- Supervise seasonal TRC work crews (up to 8 youth) to increase the canopy of the city tree canopy – Fall, Spring, Summer.
  - After a training period for member, provide training and coaching to teens in program to carry out basic tree planting work, trail maintenance, parks clean up, weeding, surveys, and other environmental work needed for community projects.
  - Maintain work plan for the day derived from site supervisor’s plan for planting season. Check in weekly and as needed to adjust plan based on progress with teen group.
- Schedule a variety of natural resources career exploration activities (at least 5) Examples include: parks management, tree planting and care, environmental technician, conservation, sustainability coordinator, soil specialist, GIS, water quality expert, etc.
  - Schedule once weekly meetings with professionals from the natural resources community to establish connections and partnerships.
  - Develop quarterly municipal careers events to highlight the various types of careers.
  - Plan quarterly trips to better understand city municipal services and their impact/role function within the community.
  - Work individually with students to gain insight for career interests and plan quarterly and weekly professionals, events, and trips with those teen goals in mind. Support and training for this will come from City and County professionals to highlight roles of natural resources in local projects.
- Develop and share educational content aligned with district curriculum standards as informed by educators, illustrating STEM and AEC concepts and their application in sustainability and municipal efforts.
  - Build 1 hour educational segment per week for Summer Teen Resiliency program (8-9 week program)
  - Build and share educational segments for Dubuque Community Schools. This is by request and fulfilled on a need basis.
- Table at 4 already scheduled outreach events during the year utilizing existing and researched Sustainability-Themed Exploration Sessions to promote youth interest in taking action for the environment (focused on mitigation, greenspace and mobility).
  - Develop career like environmental and AEC hands-on activities to share with youth at each of these events.
  - Develop and distribute flyers to promote events to teens at least 2 months prior to each event. Share on social media, local youth serving organizations, and schools.
Collaboration and Partnership:
- Collaborate closely with City staff to develop engaging classroom presentations, hands-on activities, field trips, job shadowing opportunities focused on sustainability for high school students.
  - Meet bi-weekly with 1 new city staff
  - Set up job shadowing as necessary, quarterly classroom presentations, monthly hands-on activities, and at least 2 fields trips annually.
- Collaborate with key partners, such as the Dubuque Community School District, Dubuque Trees Forever, Wanderwood Gardens, The National Mississippi River Museum, and the Multicultural Family Center, and other potential partners to enhance program content and expand green engagement and AEC career opportunities.
  - Outreach to schools to develop understanding of heat mapping and tree cover at each DCSD school. (3 High Schools, 3 Middle Schools, 11 Elementary Schools)
  - Utilize partnerships to inquire and brainstorm activities and projects for TRC. These projects will come from community need. The vast majority of these activities will take place in the Summer 9 week TRC program. This program meets Monday-Thursday daily.
Teen Coaching and Support:
- Support and coach TRC members and other youth interested in natural resource careers by linking to resources, service opportunities and existing networks in the field.
  - Assist supervisor with implementation of walkability studys in connection with Parks and Engineering capacity building projects. Member reasonability after being trained with be to guide students,
  - Create a board for teens to access job and volunteer opportunities in various natural resources fields. This board should meet quarterly and be comprised of at least 5 teens, and assisted by member and field professional.
- Engage junior high students through tailored activities in schools (as requested) or via Multicultural Family Center teen nights at least 1x month while in session, designed to introduce them to City sustainability efforts, especially related to mobility initiatives or teen-led topics of interests.
  - Develop and lead monthly municipal career exploration activities.
Volunteer Management:
- Assist supervisors to recruit, manage, monitor, train, and document volunteer involvement with projects involved with teen programming.
- Coordinate with volunteers to support the implementation of activities and ensure a safe and supportive environment for participants.
- Collaborate with local colleges and community leaders to recruit volunteers and mentor to support Teen Empowerment programming throughout the school year and summer months.
Volunteers recruited and/or managed by AmeriCorps members will not participate in prohibited activities as outlined in the approved grant.

Impact Assessment and Documentation:
- Document and maintain records of the impact on area youth who participate in the youth programs.
- Collect data and feedback to evaluate program effectiveness and identify areas for improvement.
- Conduct the DESSA assessments to measure students' social-emotional competencies.
Disaster Response (AmeriCorps-Disaster Response Team)
- Participate in A-DRT training(s) to ensure the member has knowledge and ability to respond to disasters.
- Complete other training necessary to support disaster deployments, including but not limited to Volunteer Reception Center (VRC), first aid, mental health first aid, and chainsaw training.

Qualifications

Physical Requirements:

Walk and carry materials up and down steps.
Stand and walk for extended periods of time.
Lift 30 pounds.
Bend, squat and kneel.

Desired Skills/Qualifications:

Exhibit experience and/or interest to become competent in working with at-risk youth, teenaged youth, and communities facing barriers.
Applicant must have reliable transportation.
Applicant must be creative, energetic, dependable and a self-starter.

Eligibility Criteria:

Must have a high school diploma or equivalent OR agree to obtain one while under service to the AmeriCorps Program
Be 17 years or older at the start of service (no upper age limit).
Pass a national service criminal history check prior to first day of service due to recurring access to vulnerable populations.

Hold one of the following citizenship statuses: US citizen, US national, or Lawful Permanent Resident.

Supplemental Information

Service Schedule

The Youth Community Livability Specialist’s scheduled hours may fluctuate based on Teen Programming scheduled throughout the year. Typical schedule: Mon - Friday: Serve flexibly between the hours of 9am - 8pm, with four days/week served during the 8am - 5pm timeframe, with one day from 12pm to 8pm; Opportunities for weekend hours or special events may become available during the year.Member will serve at least 37 hours per week.

Example schedule for illustrative purposes:

Monday: 8am - 5pm
Tuesday: 12pm to 8pm
Wednesday: 8am - 5pm
Thursday: 8am - 5pm
Friday: 8am - 5pm
Saturday: Off
Sunday: Off

Sick leave, personal leave, and holiday leave is allowed, but such time off does not count towards the required number of hours needed to successfully complete the term of service. There are additional benefits offered if the member has a compelling personal circumstance.

Disaster Deployments: Member who opt-in to be engaged in disaster deployment/activities will need to ensure availability for the term of the disaster deployments, generally 2-4 weeks. Make plans for pets, family members, other employment and responsibilities that need regular attention.

Evaluations and Alternative Service

AmeriCorps Members are required by the program to complete Self-Evaluations.

Mid-Term Evaluations: At the member’s halfway point during their term of service, the member will complete a self-evaluation and their Site Supervisor will complete an evaluation on the member through AmericaLearns. The member and site supervisor will meet, with or without Program Staff, to discuss the evaluations in-depth. These evaluations must be submitted to the AmeriCorps Program.

End-Term Evaluations: Upon the completion of their AmeriCorps Contract, all members will complete an End-Term Evaluation through AmericaLearns. The End-Term Evaluation must be completed, signed, and submitted to the AmeriCorps Program within 30 days of the member’s final date of service. Non-submission of this document within the 30-day timeframe will lead to the member being exited for cause (see section 9 of the Member Service Agreement) and will forfeit the member’s right to the Education Award.

Members may engage in other allowable activities that are not specifically outlined in the position description, but that support the AmeriCorps program design, and which will help the Program meet its goals. Under no circumstances will members be asked to perform prohibited activities. Volunteers recruited and/or managed by AmeriCorps members will not participate in prohibited activities as outlined in the approved grant application.

APPLICATION:all applications are submitted electronically via this website.

Questions? CONTACT: City of Dubuque AmeriCorps Program

Phone: 563.690.6171 Email: [email protected]

AmeriCorps member will receive education award in the form of an electronic payment through myamericorpgs.gov. Education award may be used to pay educational costs at eligible post-secondary educational institutions or qualified student loans. Members who are 55+ years of age can transfer award to child or grandchild under specific conditions.

Note: AmeriCorps Members are compensated through the national AmeriCorps program and are not considered employees of the City of Dubuque.

Our Commitment to You
The City of Dubuque is committed to using a merit-based system in which recruiting, selecting, and advancing employees is based on their relative knowledge, skills, and abilities, in compliance with all applicable federal and state laws. Our organization provides equal opportunities for all individuals, fostering a workplace that values innovation, collaboration, and work-life balance. We offer job stability, a comprehensive benefits package, and an opportunity to serve and support our growing community. In accordance with legal obligations our policies and practices are designed to ensure fair treatment and foster a respectful workplace where all are encouraged to apply.

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Position Summary

Job Duties

Qualifications

Supplemental Information

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