Stewards VISTA: Outdoor Education Program Development- AmeriCorps
Position Title: Stewards VISTA: Outdoor Education Program Development- AmeriCorps
Conservation Legacy Program: Stewards Individual Placements, East
Site Location: Beckley, WV 25801
City, State or Full Address: 330 Harper Park Drive, Suite I
Terms of Service:
Start Date: May 4, 2026
End Date: May 3, 2027
Must serve a 365-day (1 year) service term
Living Allowance: $68.39/day ($24,962.35/year)
Apply using this link: My AmeriCorps - Home Page
Purpose:
This position is part of an AmeriCorps Program designed to strengthen environmental education and workforce development systems that expand equitable access to conservation and outdoor career pathways for youth in southern West Virginia. The program serves middle and high school–aged youth in communities near the New River Gorge National Park, with a focus on inclusion, sustainability, collaboration, and long-term capacity building as guiding principles. Through partnership with local organizations, the program aims to create scalable educational infrastructure that connects outdoor learning, community engagement, and conservation careers.
As an AmeriCorps Position, the member will support Stewards Individual Placements by developing internal curricula, planning tools, and partnership frameworks that strengthen outdoor education programming and inform the future development of a youth conservation corps model. Through indirect service activities such as research, curriculum design, and systems development, the member’s work will enhance organizational capacity and help create lasting pathways for youth to access outdoor education and conservation careers.
The AmeriCorps VISTA member will build capacity and develop sustainable solutions to alleviate poverty in underserved communities.
Description of Duties:
The AmeriCorps member will engage in indirect service activities that build the organizational capacity of Stewards Individual Placements and its partners to expand outdoor education and conservation career pathways for youth in southern West Virginia. All duties focus on research, planning, documentation, and systems development in compliance with AmeriCorps guidelines. Duties include:
- Developing structured, staff-ready outdoor education curriculum frameworks to support middle school programming
- Creating planning tools and written documentation to inform the future development of youth conservation corps program models
- Researching best practices from comparable youth, conservation, and outdoor education programs and synthesizing findings into internal guidance materials
- Drafting partnership mapping tools and engagement frameworks to support staff collaboration with schools, community organizations, and conservation partners
- Creating frameworks for training, onboarding, and orientation resources for future staff-led implementation of outdoor education programs
- Documenting program workflows, timelines, and sustainability considerations to support long-term organizational use and scalability
- Participating in professional development activities to inform curriculum development, program design, and systems-building efforts
Qualifications:
· United States citizen, United States national, or a lawful permanent resident alien
· At least 18 years of age
· College graduate
· Agrees to provide information to establish eligibility and to complete a National Service Criminal History Check
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 full-time (35-40 hours), but exact schedules may vary.
· Member may be required to participate in national, state, or local service projects or events as part of their service term.
Orientation and Training:
· Member will receive an orientation that includes training on AmeriCorps prohibited and unallowable activities.
· Member will receive a Virtual Member Orientation (VMO) from VISTA on their first day of service.
Benefits:
· Segal AmeriCorps Education Award* of $7,395.00
o or choice of cash stipend of ~$1,800.00
· Living Allowance of $68.39 per day, disbursed every 2 weeks
· Relocation Allowance ($750) if Eligible
· Healthcare Coverage* if Eligible
· Childcare Coverage* if Eligible
· Loan forbearance if Eligible
· Interest Payments if Eligible
· Training and Professional Development Opportunities
· Employee Wellness Program (access to a licensed, professional counselor and 24/7 support)
· Non-Competitive Eligibility* (NCE) status upon successful completion of the term
· Networking and Mentorship
*For more information regarding the Segal Education Award, check out this link as well as alternative uses for the award here.
*For details about AmeriCorps VISTA healthcare benefits, please visit http://www.vistacampus.gov/healthcare.
*For more information regarding the AmeriCorps VISTA Childcare benefit, please visit https://americorpschildcare.com/.
*For details about Non-Competitive Eligibility, please visit https://my.americorps.gov/trust/help/member_portal/non_competitive_eligibility_overview.htm.
Evaluation and Reporting:
As an AmeriCorps VISTA member, performance will be evaluated on whether the member has completed their required year of service; 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, accomplishment tracking, and quarterly reporting.
Supervisor Name and Contact Information:
For VISTA related information, contact Addie Gilkerson, agilkerson@conservationlegacy.org
For site related information, contact April Badtke, april@conservationlegacy.org
Conservation Legacy is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, 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 reasonable accommodations due to a disability during the application or recruiting process, please send a request to the hiring manager.