Community Outreach Coordinator
Rippleffect Community Outreach Coordinator AmeriCorps VISTA Member
Term Date: Flexible Start Dates for Year-Long Position
Location: Portland, ME
Focus Area: Community Outreach, Outdoor Education, Youth
Rippleffect is a non-profit youth and community development organization operating outdoor adventure programming out of Portland and Cow Island, Maine.
Rippleffect is a non-profit youth and community development organization, serving over 4,500 youth annually. We own Cow Island, a beautiful 26-acre eco-campus in Casco Bay, Maine, where we run many of our youth and adult programs. We also have developed a mainland facility, the Rippleffect Outdoor Community Center, that is a central piece in Rippleffect’s vision to provide equitable access for all Maine youth, starting in our backyard of Portland. This site will be a launching point for groups to make connections, challenge themselves, and foster the next generation of outdoor adventurers. Our mission is to promote youth development and leadership through adventure, healthy communities and living sustainably. Check out our website to read more: https://www.rippleffectmaine.org. Rippleffect’s primary purpose is to provide all Maine youth with low to no barriers access to life changing outdoor experiences. While we are a program of opportunity for any child in Maine, much of our efforts focus on Portland metro-based youth. While the poverty rate in Maine is about 13%, that of Portland is significantly higher with over 20% of families living at or below the poverty line. While Portland/southern Maine is an economic driver of the state, there remains a significant population of youth that have limited access to enrichment and educational opportunities outside of school. Rippleffect serves over 4,500 Maine youth on an annual basis with nearly 3,000 of those students coming from the greater Portland metro area.
Rippleffect’s Community Outreach Coordinator will conduct outreach to community partners to design custom strategy to develop relationship with youth & families, coordinate information/community sessions where families and prospective participants can get to know Rippleffect guides & learn about program opportunities, and coordinate Rippleffect guided “experiences” at community partner sites. These experiences will provide families/participants with hands-on, facilitated understanding of what to expect from a Rippleffect program. The Community Outreach Coordinator will also create a message calendar specific to outreach into underserved communities, collect and curate content that promotes these opportunities to prospective participants, edit and/or facilitate translation of print/digital collateral, distribute materials to community partners, solicit feedback, make changes as needed.
Benefits
- Bi-Weekly Living Allowance of $957.46/Biweekly
- Relocation Allowance of $750 plus $.40 per mile (for those moving more than 50 miles)
- Health Benefits
- Childcare Reimbursement if Eligible
- Student Loan Forbearance for eligible federal loans (interest paid by AmeriCorps)
- SNAP Eligibility (depending on financial situation)
- Training and Professional Development
- Life Navigator (on-staff licensed counselor for members)
- Choice of Segal AmeriCorps Education Award ($7,395) or an end-of-term bonus ($1,800) upon term completion
- Non-Competitive Eligibility for federal employment for one-year post-term
- Spending summer days on beautiful Cow Island and Casco Bay!
- Opportunity to learn from well-established environmental practices
- During work time meals (in summer)
- Immersion in an inclusive, supportive community of over 40 guides, wilderness educators, operations, food service staff
- Personal use (with permission) of Cow Island and recreational equipment