Length – 04/8/2024 – 11/8/2024, 32 weeks, full-time (40 hr/week)

Location – Smithers, WV

Living Allowance - $600/week

AmeriCorps Award – Position is eligible for an AmeriCorps education award upon successful completion of the program. Value of education award is $4,826, pre-tax. Still working on a degree at a West Virginia school? Learn how to maximize your education award!

Application Due Date – Preference will be given to applicants that submit their application by 3/22/2024

Title of Position – WV Rural Engagement Ambassador for Development and Youth (WV READY) – City of Smithers

Position Details

The City of Smithers, in partnership with Stewards Individual Placements (Stewards), seeks a WV READY Member to serve in a 32-week service term. The participant will make a concerted effort as an ambassador to advance the City forward in their many, already-funded outdoor recreation initiatives and seek new avenues to grow. This individual will play a pivotal role in propelling this fast-growing, outdoor recreation focused community towards its full potential. With so many grants in various stages and the great potential for more projects, this position is a powerful opportunity to gain highly marketable experience in all things grant related. A successful candidate will be goal oriented, a creative and innovative thinker, and be ready to build community connections!

Project Responsibilities

• Work side-by-side city leadership in initiating, managing, and formalizing numerous already grant-funded projects.
• Train and participate in all areas of Community Development, including ecotourism, city beautification initiatives, and economic development.
• Collaborate and coordinate with community stakeholders to achieve City goals.
• Community and volunteer event planning.
• Create a community asset map to determine best avenues to spur outdoor economy in assigned communities.
• Collaborate on securing additional grant funding to further enhance the local quality of life.

Benefits

• $600/week living stipend

• Paid training from March 11 - 14

• Segal Education Award upon completion of term $4,826 (pre-tax)

• Receive tuition and fee waivers at West Virginia institutions of higher education

• Professional development

• Access to all member and alumni benefits of Conservation Legacy – a national conservation non-profit

• Make a HUGE impact in your community

• Propel your career forward with intentional experience and professional connections

WV READY

Launched in 2022, the West Virginia Rural Engagement Ambassadors for Development and Youth (WV READY) is a new collaborative AmeriCorps program. Stewards Individual Placements, in partnership with Appalachian Conservation Corps, Volunteer WV and local community organizations, is working to support WV’s transition to eco-tourism, outdoor recreation, and increasing outdoor accessibility.

Although each WV READY member’s project will look different depending on host site needs, they will still be able to lean on a cohort-style model for support, shared experiences, and professional development. Ideal candidates for this initiative are young adults looking to build a career and be a part of this larger movement in the Mountain State! Find our current recruiting projects here.

City of Smithers

The City of Smithers, West Virginia municipality incorporated in 1938 on the site of multiple contiguous coal camps spanning the Fayette and Kanawha County line along the Upper Kanawha River in Southern WV to maintain public services, law, health, and safety and to promote the general well-being.

Due to its prime location and potential to harness tourism and the arts, the City has acquired millions of dollars from multiple partners including Congressionally Directed Funding, EDA, and USDA nationally and WV DEP (Department of Environmental Protection) et al. to fund developments underway or soon-to-be for enhancing local quality of life and providing tourist amenities. Trained and officially designated as a shared Gateway Community since 2015, Montgomery and Smithers are involved in that initiative under the auspices of the Appalachian Regional Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Stewards Individual Placements – A program of Conservation Legacy

Mission

Providing individual opportunities through service that build career-based experience, strengthen communities, and preserve our natural resources

**Values
**

1. We promote excellence in national service and strive to create the optimal service terms for our participants and organizational partners.
2. We strive for consistency, transparency, and efficiency in our organizational systems and processes.
3. We are committed to a collegiate environment that promotes personal development, individuality, professionalism, and fun.
4. We respect the legacy of our organization while embracing the need to adapt our systems to better serve participants and partners.
5. We are committed to actively participating in efforts to preserve and restore the global environment and ecosystem for future generations.

Required Skills

Qualifications and Skills

• Strong interpersonal skills
• Social Media Savvy
• Organizational and Time Management abilities
• Experience with Microsoft Suite
• Ability to work independently and with a team
• Strong Verbal Skills
• Grant or creative writing experience
• Self-Motivated
• Goal-Oriented

Required Experience

Minimum Requirements

• Must be a US Citizen, National, or Lawful Permanent Resident
• Able to commit to 32 weeks of service
• Must be 18 years old or older
• Bachelor Degree OR equal years experience
• Must be able to pass federal background check
• Willing to serve in West Virginia, West Virginia resident preferred

Stewards Individual Placements Program does not and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender expression, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all.

Qualifications and Skills

• Strong interpersonal skills
• Social Media Savvy
• Organizational and Time Management abilities
• Experience with Microsoft Suite
• Ability to work independently and with a team
• Strong Verbal Skills
• Grant or creative writing experience
• Self-Motivated
• Goal-Oriented