Outreach Coordinator VISTA Member

Position details

Term Date: Flexible Start Dates for Year-Long Position

Location: Farmington, ME

Focus Area: Community Outreach, Economic Development, Poverty, Restorative Justice, Social Media

Build community awareness for the importance of literacy and promote access to adult literacy services by increasing the capacity and sustainability of our Book Sharing program in Franklin County!

The mission of Literacy Volunteers of Franklin and Somerset Counties is to promote literacy in our community while empowering adults through learner-based tutoring in reading, writing, math, and technology. We are the sole service provider in our region with infrastructure offering free, accessible, and quality individualized adult education services to specifically meet the needs of people with lower literacy levels. Our tutoring programs include tutor training, in-person and virtual individualized tutoring services for adult literacy learners, weekly hybrid classes for adult literacy learners, and community collaborations bringing literacy centered activities to the existing programming of local service organizations. Impacting 300 adults in 2024, our community literacy programming includes events, an annual poetry contest, and a book sharing program in which volunteers accept, sort, and distribute donated books through fifteen free bookshelves in the community and monthly book give away events. LVFSC’s Book Sharing program is uniquely situated to support increased adult, community, and family literacy in Franklin County by first and foremost providing free books to the community, with almost 6,000 provided in 2024. We not only share free books in the community – we also use our book sharing program as a platform to share the importance of adult literacy in overall community wellbeing. LVFSC’s Book Sharing and Adult Literacy programming work together to end both generational low literacy and generational poverty. Learn more at https://www.westernmaineliteracy.org/!

The VISTA Member will support and build the capacity of Literacy Volunteers of Franklin and Somerset Counties to carry out our mission, increase impact, and build community awareness for the importance of literacy. The main focus of the VISTA will be to promote access to our services by increasing the capacity and sustainability of our Book Sharing program by building and maintaining a volunteer pool for the Book Sharing Program; Designing and implementing strategies to make the Book Sharing Program more efficient and sustainable; and utilizing the Book Sharing Program as a platform to build community awareness for the importance of literacy and promote access to our services. Responsibilities may include social media management and campaigns, fundraising, in person and virtual volunteer recruitment, and community outreach. 

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
• Phone and Laptop Provided
• Extensive Training

*Individuals are limited to two full Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards in their lifetime

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