Community Volunteer Ambassador - Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
Community Volunteer Ambassador – Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
Length: Term of positions is 50 weeks; full-time 40 hrs/wk
Location: Bushkill, PA
Compensation: $500/week living allowance, additional $65/week housing allowance, if housing is not provided.
Start Date: September 11, 2023
Application Review: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis with first review beginning on June 5th.
Application deadline is Friday, July 21st.
Position Title Community Volunteer Ambassador
Position Details:
Stewards Individual Placements provides individuals with service and career opportunities to strengthen communities and preserve our natural resources. The Community Volunteer Ambassador (CVA) Program combines the strength of a national leader in conservation service with the National Park Service to train a diverse group of emerging leaders to assist park units in building lasting connections to communities.
A CVA at DEWA will become an intergral part of a supportive, creative, and inclusive team. The CVA will work alongside park staff in multiple divisions to reach park goals for volunteer engagement. Examples include strengthening volunteer recruitment, special event planning, social media coordination, providing volunteer supervisor training, supporting ongoing park projects, and assisting with interpretive programming.
The CVA will work closely with our Volunteer Coordinator to learn best practices and lessons learned from past years and events. The CVA will also work with the Volunteer Coordinator to schedule volunteer events, trainings, and learn how to implement all the necessary volunteer paperwork.
The CVA will collaborate with seasonal staff to attend outreach events and programs with the intent of recruiting community volunteers. The CVA will also be enriched through working with the following park partner volunteer groups: Friends of Delaware Water Gap, Millbrook Historical Society, Montague Association for the Restoration of Community History (MARCH), Montage Grange, and Walpack Historical Society.
Site Description:
Situated within the most densely populated region of the United States, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area provides a unique opportunity to experience tranquil landscapes, rich human history, and striking scenery along 40 miles of the longest free-flowing river east of the Mississippi. The park offers year-round recreation including hiking, paddling, fishing, and hunting. DEWA has over 435 volunteers who support the park including River Ambassadors, Park Ambassadors, Bark Ranger Ambassadors, trail crews, natural and cultural history interpreters, and more.
Position Responsibilities:
- Work with supervisors across the various divisions of the park to identify target areas that would benefit from additional volunteer efforts.
- Develop new and creative ways that volunteers can expand the park’s capacity to meet specific project goals.
- Develop a standardized training process for volunteer supervisors. This training would be presented to new and returning volunteer supervisors to ensure consistency between divisions and continuity from year-to-year.
- Build best practices and SOPS that can be easily picked up by a new CVA, Seasonal Volunteer Assistant, or the Volunteer Coordinator.
- Conduct outreach for the park during large community events such as: Library Programs, The Festival of Wood at Grey Towers National Historical Site, Port Jervis Harvest Festival, Earth Day Event at Pocono Environment Education Center, Zane Grey Festival at the Zane Grey Museum, Spring Fling Day at Montague Grange, and Marie Zimmermann Day.
- Work with existing volunteer partner groups to expand their capacity to recruit volunteers.
- Work with park partners to bolster their membership and add longevity to the partner groups. Identify ways to highlight the work that partners do, including increasing public awareness for the organizations, expanding their online presence, and assisting with outreach and recruitment events.
- Explore ways for partner groups to become relevant to a younger generation.
- Develop social media content highlighting park, partner, and volunteer work.
CVA Minimum Requirements:
- Adaptability and Flexibility
- Enthusiasm and Positivity
- Collaborative
- A good fit for a fun, inclusive learning environment where safety and hard work is highly valued.
- Participate in the CVA National Early Service Training in early November 2023
- Be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident
- High School Diploma/GED
- Be 18-30 years old at time of service (veterans up to 35 years old)
- Pass fingerprint-based FBI, state criminal, and a national sex offender checks.
- 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.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Local applicants
- Public speaking skills
- Values teamwork and collaboration
- Ability to work with multi-generational visitors and park partners from a variety of backgrounds and cultures.
- Proficiency with basic computer programs like Word and Adobe Acrobat
- Proficiency with social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook.
Additional Information:
Weekend and sometimes evening work is required. There will be the possibility for cross-training with other divisions of the park outside of interpretation, and the opportunity to collaborate with neighboring national park units.
Benefits:
- CVA will receive a weekly stipend of $500/week living allowance, additional $65/week housing allowance, 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
- Public Land Corps Hiring Authority
- Week-long in-person training at NPS site with travel/meal expenses covered.
How to Apply
Please visit Community Volunteer Ambassador (cvainternships.org) to review “Member Positions” by region and find instructions on how to apply.
The CVA position will start on Monday, September 11th, 2023, and run for 50 weeks until Friday, August 23rd, 2024. Applicants will need to apply here: https://form.jotform.com/StewardsIPP/sept-23-cva-application. Application form requires a resume, cover letter, professional references.
Please ensure your cover letter addresses how your experience aligns with the CVA program, your experience working with diverse populations, and position details for this park/position. You may submit one application for multiple positions by selecting all sites you are interested in.
Applications Deadline
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. First review will occur in early June. Final deadline is Friday, July 21st, 2023.
For Application Questions:
Please contact Geoff Elliot, Program Director at gelliot@conservationlegacy.org
Conservation Legacy is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to hiring a breadth of diverse professionals and encourage members of diverse groups to apply. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, political affiliation, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during application or recruiting process, please send a request to the hiring manager.