Community Volunteer Ambassador – Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail
Length: Term of positions is 50 weeks; full-time 40 hrs/wk
Location: Tucson, AZ
Compensation: $565/week living allowance
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.
The CVA will play an important role in connecting existing volunteer groups and recruiting new volunteers along the Santa Cruz River corridor in southern Arizona. These include several volunteer groups supported by the Anza Trail and volunteers associated with partner sites and organizations that manage recreational trails and interpret this historically and ecologically rich corridor. There are collaborative opportunities to network with other NPS sites and partners to create a more dynamic and inclusive volunteer base. This work would 'call in' established and experienced volunteers and reach out to new volunteers from marginalized and underrepresented groups to create robust trail stewardship focused on tenets of the Anza Trail leadership: creating space for dialogue around colonial heritage through the Anza expedition history, focus on Native communities, and highlighting emergent culture along trail corridor.
This work is challenging and requires the CVA to focus on relationship and partnership building, which means being in-person at these places and building on the work of current and previous Anza Trail staff - which includes previous CVA contributions. This as an excellent opportunity to serve as a catalyst for greater volunteer engagement, communication, and community development along the Santa Cruz River.
Site Description:
Whether entwined with a city or isolated from civilization, the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail offers adventure, diverse cultural perspectives, multiple narratives, and an opportunity to experience history and landscape by linking the past with the present. The Anza Trail commemorates and interprets the route, complex story, and compelling landscapes of the 1775–1776 Anza Colonizing Expedition from Sonora, Mexico, to current-day San Francisco, California. Working with volunteer trail groups, trail managers strive to develop, maintain, and steward the trail for present and future generations to use and enjoy.
Position Responsibilities:
- Support and coordinate an existing volunteer program network in southern Arizona involving multiple groups focusing on diverse and dynamic projects.
- Recruit new volunteers with an emphasis on youth and diversity.
- Assist in the creation and implementation a volunteer recruitment, training and orientation strategy.
- In collaboration with Anza Trail partners and friends, identify methods to connect existing volunteer groups through volunteer events, collaborative trainings, or community-based projects.
- Assist and support the development of identified capacity-building projects to link existing groups and recruit new volunteers (i.e. support logistics for an Anza Trail specific training, support a youth program that would volunteer at multiple partner sites).
- In collaboration with Anza Trail staff, engage existing volunteer community in a program-wide evaluation to identify gaps in compliance with NPS Volunteer-in-Parks program requirements and work with volunteer leaders on compliance goals.
- Seek out and foster relationships with youth organizations to establish sustainable youth-based volunteer project(s) in the community that bridge youth and the existing volunteers.
- Research and coordinate participation in community events in southern Arizona to promote the Anza Trail, the National Park Service, and volunteer opportunities.
CVA Minimum Requirements:
- College degree in related field (humanities, liberal arts, history, planning, communications, conservation, environmental justice, etc.)
- People skills: ability to cold-contact people and organizations, identify and communicate shared goals, and build relationships thought consistency
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Superior organizational skills for tracking multiple projects, partner contacts, and planning logistics
- Self-directed and independent work ethic
- Participate in the CVA National Early Service Training in early November 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)
- 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 (Tucson, AZ and surrounding area)
- Experience working with the general public through service projects, community development, education, or arts/cultural activities
- Experience working with people of diverse backgrounds and ages
- Knowledge of interpretation and education techniques and methods
- Spanish language skills are encouraged
Additional Information:
- Driver’s license and access to a vehicle is required due to geographical distance of the various sites along the trail in southern Arizona.
- Work may include weekends and evenings depending on events and activities
- This position will require a combination of remote work (teleworking), working directly with Anza Trail staff in an office/in the field, and working with volunteers and partners in the field.
Benefits:
- CVA will receive a weekly stipend of $565
- 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.