AmeriCorps*VISTA Positions Currently Recruiting
For more information please call Jane Larsen, UCAN VISTA Coalition Project Coordinator at (541)492-3525 or email jane.larsen@ucancap.org.
Current Openings: | ||
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| We currently have no openings. Please check back later or contact Jane Larsen at (541)492-3525 for more information. | ||
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To apply for these positions visit the AmeriCorps website at my.americorps.gov.
Recruiting and Placement Process
We typically do at least one and sometimes two phone interviews before making a decision about our applicants. Once we have made our decision, we notify the member of our selection. When the applicant accepts one of our positions, we request final approve from the state office of the Corporation for National and Community Service.
New members will be given a pre-service orientation. We encourage new members to move to Oregon prior to attending the pre-service orientation so they can look for housing, apply for food stamps, and learn a bit about the community where they will live.
Members who relocate to the service site are reimbursed for mileage and given a $550 relocation allowance. CNCS also pays all costs related to pre-service orientation and makes all flight and hotel arrangements.
Why choose UCAN VISTA Coalition?
- We have a great VISTA Team that works together to support all members' projects, plays together, creates together.
- The Umpqua and Rogue Rivers are prime fishing and rafting territory.
- The scenic Oregon coast is an hour or less to the west.
- The snow is an hour or less to the east in the wintertime.
- The VISTA project sites are dedicated to helping their VISTA members succeed.
- There are many scenic hiking and biking trails within an hour's drive
- Our VISTA Team members are great cooks and love potlucks.
- Our VISTA Team has members of all ages and backgrounds which promotes diverse thinking and creative brainstorming.
Our team started in Douglas County in 2003 with just six people and now consists of 20 VISTA members placed with 13 different organizations in Douglas, Coos and Josephine counties.
The goals of the team are:
- to provide networking and support
- to provide training, and
- to work collaboratively to maximize community resources and minimize duplication of efforts.
What do VISTA members do?
At each individual organization, the work of VISTA members varies quite a bit, but all projects work to eliminate poverty. Most importantly, VISTA is the program development branch of AmeriCorps, so VISTA members do what is called "indirect service," meaning that they don't work directly with our organization's clients, but instead, build programs to help their host organizations serve more people. For example, where an AmeriCorps volunteer might be a tutor in an elementary school, a VISTA will create a whole tutoring program for the school. This makes VISTA service a great experience for individuals wanting to begin a career in a social service field or any form of program development.
How do VISTA members develop a whole program?
VISTA members are asked to start with the host site's vision and from that idea and some basic guidelines, create a program. This may include bringing community partners on board and coordinating their roles, creating literature, brochures, manuals, etc, writing grant requests, raising money, arranging publicity, organizing events, recruiting volunteers - you'll likely do a little bit of everything. Some people love that, others prefer the regular AmeriCorps program, which is working directly with those served by the host organization. There are definite advantages in both, so it's a good idea to examine your own preferences when deciding which AmeriCorps program to join. Most of all, to be happy in VISTA, it helps to enjoy taking the initiative and being very self motivated!
What is this part of the country like?
Douglas, Josephine, and Coos counties are all economically depressed. The area was hard hit by the decline of the timber industry, and nothing has yet replaced it. Unemployment hovers at about 12 percent and the area suffers from all of the social issues that go along with high rates of unemployment. There is a real need for the work that AmeriCorps*VISTA does. On a brighter note, southern Oregon is beautiful for hiking, camping, fishing, mountain biking, etc - that's actually what draws a lot of residents here. The cost of living is not as high as in the larger cities, which makes living on the VISTA stipend a bit easier.