Year Long National Park Service Internship: Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument

Site Information Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument (BICR) was founded in 2017 to preserve and protect the stories of the 1963 campaign to desegregate the city. Only ½ of one building – the AG Gaston Motel – is owned by the NPS. Everything else within the boundary is independently owned and operated. Affiliated sites include: Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, St. Paul United Methodist Church, The Historic Bethel Baptist Church, 16th St. Baptist Church, Kelly Ingram Park, The Masonic Temple Building, and the AG Gaston Motel. The role of the park service is to elevate these partners’ voices and seek opportunities to collaborate. This ethic of collaboration is also key to our volunteer program, launched in 2022. Since then, our current CVA has successfully onboarded close to 30 volunteers who assist the sites as docents, researchers, translators, landscapers, and more. Our current CVA has created pipelines with local colleges and universities, and has determined that some of the best methods for growing the volunteer program include one-time events such as landscaping beautification. This may be the direction the future CVA takes, but we are also open to their ideas. Position Summary Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument seeks a Community Volunteer Ambassador (CVA) to assist in growing our volunteer program. The position requires excellent communication skills (written and oral); organization skills (keeping track of volunteer hours, records, etc.); and lots of creativity (developing flyers, taking photographs of volunteer events, coming up with innovative volunteer opportunities, etc.). Given the program is small and new, there are many different directions the CVA could take the program, dependent upon their individual skills and career aspirations. We are excited to find mutually beneficial ways to support the CVA in their professional development, assist our partners in serving the public, and providing meaningful engagement opportunities for the public with these incredible places and stories. Updated 5/9/2022 Position Responsibilities: CVA's responsibilities include: • Participate in community events to promote park volunteer and educational events, such as college career fairs, Juneteenth programming, etc. • Leverage existing and/or create new partnerships at the local, regional, and national levels. • Research and develop resources and tools, which support volunteer management functions. • Fill staffing needs at the AG Gaston Motel scheduled to open to the public January 2023. • Help us develop volunteer docent programs for St. Paul United Methodist Church, the site with the greatest need. • Help us establish an effective senior employment program. This July we established a relationship with Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), however recruitment has not yielded any takers so far. Our partners have pointed out that the restrictions create insurmountable barriers to interested applicants. • Coordinate and lead landscaping and beautification projects for our partners with large groups. • Grow our existing volunteer base for field trip programs which will run during the school year. • Assist in maintaining effective communication with partner sites. • Assist in securing volunteers for forthcoming events commemorating the 60th anniversary of Project C, forthcoming Spring 2023.Assist with large volunteer service days and outreach events CVA Minimum Requirements: • Friendly • Hard-working • Excellent oral and written communication skills • Creative • Excited to learn • Open-minded • Participate in the CVA National Early Service Training in early April 2023 • Be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident • Be 18-30 years old at time of service (veterans up to 35 years old) • High School Diploma/GED • Be able to provide proof of a driver’s license and complete a MVR check - Must be over 21 years old or have had license for at least 3 years to be insured in this position. • Pass fingerprint-based FBI, state criminal, and a national sex offender checks. • Have reliable form of transportation. Preferred Qualifications • Public speaking skills • Local applicants • Bachelor's degree Benefits: • CVA will receive a weekly stipend of $500 (additional $65/week, if housing is not provided) • Limited health care/childcare benefits • The position is eligible for an AmeriCorps Education Award $6,495.00 (pre-tax) upon successful completion of the program • Professional development funds • Networking opportunities within the National Park Service and partnering organizations Updated 5/9/2022 • Public Land Corps Hiring Authority • Week-long in-person training at NPS site with travel/meal expenses covered. Additional Information BICR is a unique park in that it is urban, and founded upon collaboration with our partner sites. We are also unique in that our park is very new, having only been founded in 2017. Finally, this year is an incredibly special one, with the 60th anniversary of Project C in April-May 2023, and the AG Gaston Motel scheduled to open to the public winter 2023. There will be weekend and evening work required on an occasional basis. We do not provide housing. However, given that Birmingham is a college town, affordable housing is plentiful in the area due to the large student population. We also hope to hire a local applicant already living in the commuting area. The position does require a driver’s license.