RESTORING RELATIONS YOUTH CORPS LEADER POSITION DESCRIPTION

AmeriCorps Position: Restoring Relations Youth Corps Leader (ages 21-25)

Living Allowance: Stipend $1690 per month

Service Term: May – August

Service Schedule: 40 hours per week, Monday-Friday (typical)

Reports to: Youth Outdoors Program Manager and Youth Outdoors Assistant Program Manager

Criminal History Check: NSOPR, State and FBI, due to recurring access to vulnerable populations

Location: This is not a residential program; participants must secure housing near the placement location.

  • Saint Paul, MN

Position Summary: The Crew Leader will motivate, supervise and coordinate a crew of young people in a rigorous program of work, education and training. The Crew Leader will be responsible for maintaining consistent standards and fostering positive crew morale by facilitating teamwork among youth participants. While co-leading, the Crew Leader will ensure safety procedures are followed, and serve as the liaison with project partners and Conservation Corps staff. The position seeks applicants who are members of Native American Tribes, or identify as American Indian/Native American.

Qualifications:

  • Ability to work hard in an outdoor setting in adverse conditions for a minimum of 40 hrs/week
  • Desire to lead the crew and complete service projects in a way that aligns with local American Indian culture and values (primarily Dakota and Ojibwe)
  • Ability to work with youth in conservation, education and recreation settings
  • Desire to teach and learn about local American Indian culture and values (primarily Ojibwe and Dakota)
  • Ability to foster strong work habits, environmental ethics, youth leadership and team unity
  • Positive attitude, interest in community service and desire to make a difference
  • Strong background in the sciences and/or American Indian studies preferred
  • Formal education in youth development and natural resource management preferred

Requirements:

  • Must be a US Citizen, US National, or Lawful Permanent Resident Alien of the US.
  • Must pass the National Sex Offender Public Registry and criminal history check defined as no positive hits on the NSOPW and no history of violent offenses on the criminal history check.
  • Must successfully pass medical review process.
  • Valid driver’s license and safe driving record (no major moving violations or DUI’s in the past five years).

Essential Service Functions: Ability to perform the *Essential Service Functions 40 hours per week

  • Working in extremes of heat or cold
  • Working, eating and camping outdoors in all weather conditions
  • Walking and working on steep or uneven terrain
  • Working long days, including nights and weekends

*Full list of essential functions for service available here:

*Adequately performing essential service functions is a requirement of this position. Reasonable accommodations are available upon request.

Position Responsibilities and Tasks:

Member must serve safely, effectively and efficiently to ensure that projects are completed to the satisfaction of SWCD hosts and the community. AmeriCorps members are expected to serve a minimum of 450 hours and complete the entire service term per the start and end dates listed on the Member Service Agreement. The service calendar outlines 470 available hours of service, with no service (and thus, no accrual of service hours) on Memorial Day and Independence Day. Therefore, absences (sick or vacation) beyond two excused days for full-time 450 hour AmeriCorps members are deemed excessive, jeopardizing the member’s ability to accrue the minimum service hours required for the education award. If a member has excessive absences, the member may need to volunteer with an external organization outside of regularly scheduled service days to earn additional service hours to complete the education award. These additional service hours must be pre-approved by Staff.

  • Co-lead and mentor youth
  • With a co-leader, lead a crew of up to ten youth in both residential and non-residential settings. The majority of the program will occur in the Twin Cities area and the youth will return home each night. However, overnight and multi-week project trips with the crew are possible, during which time food and lodging are provided. The project trips may include camping.
  • Lead, teach, mentor, and learn in such a way that supports local American Indian culture and values (primarily Dakota and Ojibwe).
  • Facilitate educational and recreational activities during the week, and after workdays and on weekends as applicable.
  • Provide consistent standards and positive crew morale, build teamwork among crew members, enforce standards of Conservation Corps behavior and adhere to program goals and mission.
  • Encourage development of good work habits and present on basic skills such as work safety, environmental education and leave no trace.
  • Work on crew projects
  • Co-lead crew to complete projects such as trail construction and maintenance, boardwalk building, planting, campsite development, invasive species removal, etc.
  • Coordinate daily service project logistics for crew.
  • Ensure safety practices are followed on service site.
  • Provide feedback to members to foster growth and skill development.
  • Develop cohesion within crew to maintain crew morale and ethic of service.
  • Training
  • Provide trainings such as tool use and safety.
  • Conduct on-the-job training demonstrations for youth participants starting new projects.
  • Safety
  • Promote and follow all safety requirements of OSHA, project hosts and the Corps.
  • Distribute safety messages to youth participants.
  • Ensure youth participants are wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
  • Ensure adequate PPE and first-aid kit available on all service projects.
  • Work projects and contracts
  • Inform youth participants of schedules, daily plans, tasks, and responsibilities.
  • Help youth participants make mental connections between service project goals and local indigenous values (primarily Ojibwe and Dakota).
  • Ensure proper equipment and training in place before youth projects begin.
  • Relay work progress and completion to project host and Program Staff.
  • Complete required paperwork weekly.
  • Administration
  • Complete and submit work project reports and attendance records to Youth Outdoors program staff.
  • Submit expense reports and receipts to Youth Outdoors program staff for coding and signature.
  • Submit timesheets twice monthly (note: lunch time does not count toward total service hours).
  • Public relations
  • Represent the Corps during travels and work throughout summer.
  • Equipment
  • Keep work areas, offices, shops and vehicles neat and orderly – conduct repairs, clean, oil and grease equipment as needed.
  • Assure proper use, safety and maintenance of vehicles, tools and camping equipment.

In accordance with 45CFR 2520.65, AmeriCorps members may not perform prohibited service activities directly or indirectly by recruiting, training, or managing others for the primary purpose of engaging in the activities. Prohibited service activities are outlined in the Service Agreement section VII and AmeriCorps member manual.

Training: Training is provided for all equipment and tools used.

  • Hand tools: Pulaski, loppers, hammers, shovels, wheelbarrows, pick mattock, ax mattock, hazel hoe, rock bar, bow saw, hand saw, pole saw and other conservation hand tools.
  • Vehicles: 12-Passenger vans, trucks with canoes trailers and other vehicles as needed.

Role Clarification: This is an AmeriCorps Corpsmember level position, NOT a staff member. While serving in this AmeriCorps volunteer position, corpsmembers need to abide by the below restrictions:

  • Corpsmembers may NOT sign/approve official documents such as AmeriCorps paperwork, member timecards, performance evaluations, disciplinary contracts, project contracts or any similar documents.
  • Corpsmembers may NOT be directly involved in project acquisition or contracting.
  • Corpsmembers may NOT discipline other AmeriCorps members. While they may provide guidance, facilitate crew meetings, motivate, reward and uphold safety policies on the service site, all policy violations and disciplinary action must be directed to and handled by a staff member.

CONDITIONS OF AGREEMENT: AmeriCorps members will be subject to all state and federal laws, and the rules and regulations of OSHA and Conservation Corps. The member is expected to fully understand and adhere to the rules, regulations and code of conduct as described in the AmeriCorps member manual. Policy violations will result in disciplinary action according to program guidelines, including written warnings, fines, suspension without stipend, and/or termination. The AmeriCorps member is accountable for meeting or exceeding the responsibilities of this position as described above, and will be evaluated at mid-term and end-term by Corps Program Staff, with input from project hosts. Successful completion is contingent on both AmeriCorps education award hours and service through the agreed upon term end date.

This program is available to all, without regard to disability, race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, political affiliation, or other non-merit factors. The Conservation Corps engages AmeriCorps members, ages 18-25, as defined under the American Conservation and Youth Service Corps Act, a subtitle of the National and Community Service Act of 1990. Reasonable accommodations available upon request.

I have read and fully understand the above position description that reflects the service activities that I will perform during the AmeriCorps term.

AmeriCorps member Signature: ______Date:

Approval Signature:______Date: