The Bonner Center for Service Learning & Civic Engagement at Carson-Newman College is seeking an Americorps VISTA volunteer to fill the position of staff Coordinator of Community Connections

The Bonner Center at Carson-Newman College is searching for the right person to fill a newly funded, 1-year (with possible renewal for a second year) VISTA position that involves developing strong partnerships between the college and selected community organizations and schools; program development aimed at youth literacy, empowerment, and college readiness; and mentoring college students to be community leaders and entrepreneurs for the common good.

Please help us get the word out.  We need interested candidates to get in touch with us as soon as possible in order to qualify for our preferred start date (August) because the person hired must undergo VISTA training before starting.  A September start date is also possible but our preference is August. Thank you.

• Americorps VISTA volunteers receive a modest living allowance, reimbursement for work-related travel, health insurance, and an educational or cash award at the end of 1-year of service
• Applications begin immediately and continue until the position is filled
• The position is funded for 1-year with the possibility of renewal for an additional year
• The ideal candidate will:
  • Have an interest in working in a church-related, liberal arts college located in a small town 
  • Be committed to excellence and self-improvement
  • Not be afraid of a work schedule that sometimes involves long and odd hours
  • Have a college degree
  • Have experience in working through the citizen and nonprofit sectors to effect positive social change in the world
  • Be committed to social justice as well as compassion in working with the community
  • Have experience in mentoring and supervising youth and young adults
  • Be able to access and understand research for designing effective programs for at-risk youth, especially in the areas of youth literacy, empowerment, and college readiness
  • Work well as a team member in a participatory environment, helping to create and sustain collegial relationships in a small, diverse Center that is frequently under deadline pressures
  • Be able to provide your own transportation
  • Understand and affirm the mission of the College to "offer a Christian, liberal arts education in an environment that encourages open intellectual inquiry and deeper spiritual maturity [and seeks] to instill Christian virtues in our students and inspire them to use their unique gifts for a lifetime of service."

To apply, send a letter of application, resume, copies of academic transcripts, and names and contact information for 3 - 5 references as soon as possible to:

Ms. Karina Fox

(ATTN: VISTA application)

Bonner Center for Service Learning & Civic Engagement / Bonner House

Carson-Newman College

Jefferson City, TN 37760 USA 

(phone 865.471.3594 / fax 865.471.3502 / email kfox@cn.edu <mailto:kfox@cn.edu> ) 

About the Americorps VISTA position at Carson-Newman College:

Position:  We are seeking a VISTA volunteer to serve as Coordinator for an important initiative of the Bonner Center called, Community Connections.    

Project goals:

1. Develop strong, sustainable community partnerships, especially with local middle- and high-schools and after-school programs for at-risk youth
2. Recruit, mentor, and coordinate/sustain a student staff of five who receive scholarships to help lead Community Connections
3. Recruit, screen, train, mentor, and monitor student volunteers and facilitate their placement in appropriate positions of community service
4. Address community needs related to poverty and educational attainment by engaging college students as mentors for at-risk youth to enhance their reading skills, probability of staying in school and graduating, and readiness for college
5. Maintain and improve the Community Connections website intended for Carson-Newman  students and faculty seeking volunteer opportunities (http://www.cn.edu/community/default.htm) as well as a community website that lists volunteer opportunities in Jefferson County available for use by the general public (http://www.myjeffcounty.org/defaultj.asp).   

Overview of the activities for the VISTA:

1. Serve as the Community Connections Staff Coordinator, working effectively with the student leadership, the professional staff of the Bonner Center, student volunteers, and community partners to accomplish the mission of Community Connections
2. In terms of the primary service Community Connections will promote, the VISTA volunteer will provide leadership to carry out two initiatives in partnership with the community:
   1. Youth Literacy Program:  There are four low-income housing projects within 1 - 2 miles of our campus.  The VISTA worker will develop Literacy Programs at these service sites for economically disadvantaged youth.  The goal is to move our student volunteers beyond simple tutoring to create a well-planned, engaging, workable, and research-based program to increase literacy and a love for reading among at-risk youth in our county.
   2. Youth Empowerment and College Readiness Program:  The VISTA will help us launch our other major initiative which is to create a mentoring program wherein college students (not just Bonner Scholars but any interested college student) mentor middle and high school youth who come from families unlikely to see college as a possibility for their children.  The drop-out rate at our county high school is too high and the number of students who go on to college is too low.  Our goal is to create a program in our local middle schools and high school that provides at-risk youth with the one-on-one attention they need in order to believe that they can go on to college and to acquire the kinds of skills, attitudes, and experiences they need in order to prepare for this possibility.   The idea is to combine one-in-one mentoring with regular group meetings to explore college options, talk about how to get into college, what college is like, how to finance it, make campus visits, etc.  We will work with local guidance counselors in the county high school and two county middle schools as well as an after-school program, the Boys and Girls Club, with whom we have a good relationship.