Position Title: Youth Ambassador and Civic Leadership Intern – AmeriCorps

Conservation Legacy Program: Stewards Individual Placements

Site Location: Gulf Islands National Seashore

3500 Park Road, Ocean Springs, MS 39564 

Terms of Service:

• Anticipated Start Date: 2/24/2025
• Anticipated End Date: 8/15/2025 (25 weeks)
• AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 675 Hours 

Purpose:

Stewards Individual Placements is an AmeriCorps Program which provides individuals with AmeriCorps service and career opportunities to strengthen communities and preserve our natural and cultural resources. The National Park Service (NPS) is part of the United States Department of the Interior. The NPS mission is to preserve unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. Today the NPS manages over 430 national parks and monuments located across the United States. One of those parks is Gulf Islands National Seashore (GUIS), the nation's largest national seashore. GUIS stretches along the northern Gulf Coast in Florida and Mississippi. GUIS preserves and interprets an interconnected system of coastal defense fortifications, barrier islands, wilderness, and coastal and marine ecosystems.

The Youth Ambassador and Civic Leadership Intern is an AmeriCorps Position which will promote sustainability and increase climate change awareness, with a focus on sea level rise, through interpretive nature-based talks and walks and recreation-based kayaking and fishing activities. The service member will assist GUIS staff in developing natural resource focused public programming highlighting the importance of site resources both locally and regionally and the various benefits these resources provide for the public as well as highlighting the conservation challenges these site-specific resources face. The service member will also assist staff in developing cultural resource focused public programming. The goal of these programs will be to build appreciation and stewardship among our visitor base. Through these programs, the service member will tie together the risk climate change and sea level rise poses to both the site's natural resources, such as the Mississippi Barrier Islands, and the site's cultural resources, such as historic Fort Massachusetts, located on Ship Island. The service member will assist staff in facilitating public programming once developed through a diverse set of offerings delivered through mediums including guided hikes, stationary talks, water-based programs via kayaks, living history and historic weapons programs.

 Description of Duties:

• Assist and support in researching, creating, and delivering regularly scheduled historical talks, tours, and demonstrations.
• Facilitate opportunities for people to explore the significance and meanings of historical and cultural resources.
• Conduct original research related to the Underground Railroad and the United States Colored Troops at Gulf Islands.
• Provide immersive interpretive and educational experiences through living history and historic weapons demonstrations.
• Manage program property such as living history uniforms and historic weapons.
• Assist and support in researching, writing, and creating digital interpretive and educational content for virtual audiences to the park website and social media channels.
• Plan and support video or live-streaming efforts highlighting under-told park stories, people, and places.
• Learn visitor services operations and assist park staff in the operation of visitor services areas.
• Attend offsite events such as expos, conferences, festivals, and/or other events hosted by organizations with likeminded values and goals to prompt the park's resources and interpretive offerings through tabling and interpretive presentations.

Qualifications:

• United States citizen, United States national, or a lawful permanent resident alien.
• Between the ages of 18 – 30, or up to age 35 with Veteran status.
• Has received a high school diploma or equivalency certificate; or has not dropped out of elementary or secondary school to enroll as an AmeriCorps participant and agrees to obtain a high school diploma or its equivalent prior to using the education award.
• Agrees to provide information to establish eligibility and to complete a National Service Criminal History Check.
• Must have a valid Driver’s License.
• Bachelor’s degree in related coursework such as American history, science, public speaking, parks and recreation, education, or communications.
• Ability to work independently, as part of a team, and accept supervision.
• Excellent customer service skills, public speaking skills, and interpersonal abilities.
• Ability to work enthusiastically with diverse audiences.
• Ability to read, remember, and transmit accurate content.
• Sound judgment in response to challenging situations.
• Positive attitude and ability to build respectful working relationships.
• Ability to tread water or swim in large bodies of open water.

Physical Requirements:

Conservation Legacy is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals and will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to perform essential functions. Some positions may require periodic overnight travel, non-traditional hours, ability to move across varied terrain, use program-specific tools and a range of technology on an infrequent or frequent basis. Exerting up to 25 pounds of force occasionally to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects. Ability to safely drive an organizational vehicle may also be required for some positions. 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.

Time Requirements:

• Typically, this position is expected to serve Tuesday to Sunday, but exact service schedules may vary. A half hour lunch break will not be counted towards AmeriCorps service
• Member may be required to participate in national, state, or local service projects or events as part of their service term.
• This position requires the member to serve fully in person on site.

Orientation and Training:

• Member will receive an orientation that includes training on AmeriCorps prohibited and unallowable activities.
• Direct supervision and mentoring will be provided through two weeks of training and orientation followed by weekly one-on-one check ins, opportunities for cross training, and regular access to first line and second line supervisors.
• National Park Service (NPS) historic weapons safety training, American Canoe Association coastal kayak training, Eppley Center for Parks and Public Land and NPS interpretation training, Operational Leadership training. 

Benefits:

• Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $2,817.14
• Living Allowance of $550 per week.
• Additional Benefit of $170 per week.
• Available Professional Development Funds of $500.
• Loan forbearance if Eligible.
• On site housing.   

Evaluation and Reporting:

As an AmeriCorps member, performance will be evaluated on whether the member has completed the required number of hours, the member has satisfactorily completed assignments, and if the member has met other performance criteria that were clearly communicated at the beginning of the term of service.

Reporting requirements include, but are not limited to, bi-weekly timesheets and accomplishment tracking.

Recruiter & Program Coordinator Contact Information:

Meaghan Hall

Stewards Individual Placements Program Coordinator

mhall@conservationlegacy.org

681-666-3266  

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. This program is available to all, without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity or expression, political affiliation, marital or parental status, genetic information, and military service. Where a significant portion of the population eligible to be served needs services or information in a language other than English, the recipient shall take reasonable steps to provide written material of the type ordinarily available to the public in appropriate languages.

We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with AmeriCorps 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.