#AmeriCorps

[directactionforhope]

"Starting this month [June 2024], thousands of young people will begin doing climate-related work around the West as part of a new service-based federal jobs program, the American Climate Corps, or ACC. The jobs they do will vary, from wildland firefighters and “lawn busters” to urban farm fellows and traditional ecological knowledge stewards. Some will work on food security or energy conservation in cities, while others will tackle invasive species and stream restoration on public land. 

The Climate Corps was modeled on Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Civilian Conservation Corps, with the goal of eventually creating tens of thousands of jobs while simultaneously addressing the impacts of climate change. 

Applications were released on Earth Day, and Maggie Thomas, President Joe Biden’s special assistant on climate, told High Country News that the program’s website has already had hundreds of thousands of views. Since its launch, nearly 250 jobs across the West have been posted, accounting for more than half of all the listed ACC positions. 

“Obviously, the West is facing tremendous impacts of climate change,” Thomas said. “It’s changing faster than many other parts of the country. If you look at wildfire, if you look at extreme heat, there are so many impacts. I think that there’s a huge role for the American Climate Corps to be tackling those crises.”  

Most of the current positions are staffed through state or nonprofit entities, such as the Montana Conservation Corps or Great Basin Institute, many of which work in partnership with federal agencies that manage public lands across the West. In New Mexico, for example, members of Conservation Legacy’s Ecological Monitoring Crew will help the Bureau of Land Management collect soil and vegetation data. In Oregon, young people will join the U.S. Department of Agriculture, working in firefighting, fuel reduction and timber management in national forests. 

New jobs are being added regularly. Deadlines for summer positions have largely passed, but new postings for hundreds more positions are due later this year or on a rolling basis, such as the Working Lands Program, which is focused on “climate-smart agriculture.”  ...

On the ACC website, applicants can sort jobs by state, work environment and focus area, such as “Indigenous knowledge reclamation” or “food waste reduction.” Job descriptions include an hourly pay equivalent — some corps jobs pay weekly or term-based stipends instead of an hourly wage — and benefits. The site is fairly user-friendly, in part owing to suggestions made by the young people who participated in the ACC listening sessions earlier this year...

The sessions helped determine other priorities as well, Thomas said, including creating good-paying jobs that could lead to long-term careers, as well as alignment with the president’s Justice40 initiative, which mandates that at least 40% of federal climate funds must go to marginalized communities that are disproportionately impacted by climate change and pollution. 

High Country News found that 30% of jobs listed across the West have explicit justice and equity language, from affordable housing in low-income communities to Indigenous knowledge and cultural reclamation for Native youth...

While the administration aims for all positions to pay at least $15 an hour, the lowest-paid position in the West is currently listed at $11 an hour. Benefits also vary widely, though most include an education benefit, and, in some cases, health care, child care and housing. 

All corps members will have access to pre-apprenticeship curriculum through the North America’s Building Trades Union. Matthew Mayers, director of the Green Workers Alliance, called this an important step for young people who want to pursue union jobs in renewable energy. Some members will also be eligible for the federal pathways program, which was recently expanded to increase opportunities for permanent positions in the federal government...

 “To think that there will be young people in every community across the country working on climate solutions and really being equipped with the tools they need to succeed in the workforce of the future,” Thomas said, “to me, that is going to be an incredible thing to see.”"

-via High Country News, June 6, 2024

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Note: You can browse Climate Corps job postings here, on the Climate Corps website. There are currently 314 jobs posted at time of writing!

Also, it says the goal is to pay at least $15 an hour for all jobs (not 100% meeting that goal rn), but lots of postings pay higher than that, including some over $20/hour!!

[reasonsforhope]

"Seven federal agencies are partnering to implement President Biden’s American Climate Corps, announcing this week they would work together to recruit 20,000 young Americans and fulfill the administration's vision for the new program. 

The goals spelled out in the memorandum of understanding include comprehensively tackling climate change, creating partnerships throughout various levels of government and the private sector, building a diverse corps and serving all American communities.

The agencies—which included the departments of Commerce, Interior, Agriculture, Labor and Energy, as well the Environmental Protection Agency and AmeriCorps—also vowed to ensure a “range of compensation and benefits” that open the positions up to a wider array of individuals and to create pathways to “high-quality employment.”  

Leaders from each of the seven agencies will form an executive committee for the Climate Corps, which Biden established in September, that will coordinate efforts with an accompanying working group. They will create the standards for ACC programs, set compensation guidelines and minimum terms of service, develop recruitment strategies, launch a centralized website and establish performance goals and objectives. The ACC groups will, beginning in January, hold listening sessions with potential applicants, labor unions, state and local governments, educational institutions and other stakeholders. 

The working group will also review all federal statutes and hiring authorities to remove any barriers to onboarding for the corps and standardize the practices across all participating agencies. Benefits for corps members will include housing, transportation, health care, child care, educational credit, scholarships and student loan forgiveness, stipends and non-financial services.

As part of the goal of the ACC, agencies will develop the corps so they can transition to “high-quality, family-sustaining careers with mobility potential” in the federal or other sectors. AmeriCorps CEO Michael Smith said the initiative would prepare young people for “good-paying union jobs.” 

Within three weeks of rolling out the ACC, EPA said more than 40,000 people—mostly in the 18-35 age range—expressed interest in joining the corps. The administration set an ambitious goal for getting the program underway, aiming to establish the corps’ first cohort in the summer of 2024. 

The corps members will work in roles related to ecosystem restoration and conservation, reforestation, waterway protection, recycling, energy conservation, clean energy deployment, disaster preparedness and recovery, fire resilience, resilient recreation infrastructure, research and outreach. The administration will look to ensure 40% of the climate-related investments flow to disadvantaged communities as part of its Justice40 initiative.  

EPA Administrator Michael Regan said the MOU would allow the ACC to “work across the federal family” to push public projects focused on environmental justice and clean energy. 

“The Climate Corps represents a significant step forward in engaging and nurturing young leaders who are passionate about climate action, furthering our journey towards a sustainable and equitable future,” Regan said. 

The ACC’s executive committee will hold its first meeting within the next 30 days. It will draw support from a new climate hub within AmeriCorps, as well as any staffing the agency heads designate."

-via Government Executive, December 20, 2023

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This news comes with your regularly scheduled reminder that WE GOT THE AMERICAN CLIMATE CORPS ESTABLISHED LAST YEAR and basically no one know about/remembers it!!! Also if you want more info about the Climate Corps, inc. how to join, you can sign up to get updates here.

[macgyvermedical]

Hi! I saw your post about the NCCC. Can you tell me a little bit more about what it was like? And maybe some certifications or skils I might want to have before applying that would help me be a shoe in? In a year or two I'd like to leave where I am and travel, and then maybe settle down somewhere else after, and this seems like a good way to go about that and simultaneously chase my interests and find things I enjoy. Basically- I've got time to build skills before I want to apply, and I think it'd be a great fit for me, so I'm just curious about any and all information that would help me be more informed and prepared.

What it's like: (note that I served in 2018, so some of this may be outdated information)

Once you're accepted, they place you at one of 4 campuses throughout the USA. You get a duffel bag mailed to you (anything you bring with you has to fit in this duffel) and a plane or train ticket emailed to you. You have to take that plane or train to the campus, because they pick you up in a bus or van from the airport or station.

Once you get to campus, you go through "in-processing" where you get your uniforms, gear, and PPE, get assigned a room and/or bunk, and meet your instructors for training. If you're a Corps Member, you are also assigned a team and meet your Team Leader at this time (though some campuses do this later in training).

Training lasts about 2 months for Team Leaders and about 1 month for Corps Members. You are with the same cohort (called a "Class") for your whole service term, including training. Training includes how to get along as a team, physical training to ensure you're physically capable of the work demanded of you, and specific training on things like how to drive the van, how to use certain tools and PPE, and how to do any tasks associated with your particular role on the team.

Towards the end of training you go on a 1-2 day mini project, where you go through all the motions of a real project (called a "spike"), except that it's really near by campus and it's pretty much for practice.

Then you go on your first real spike. Depending on where it is and what time of year it is, you might live in a tent, in a dorm, in a half-built house, or any remotely suitable housing supplied by the hosting organization. We lived in a conference room once, and once in an old nursing home wing that wasn't being used.

Food is handled by giving a lump sum of money on a card to the team, and you have to figure out grocery shopping and cooking as a team. This is a challenge, but one that usually works out.

For transportation, the team has one 15-passenger van. Gas is paid for by NCCC. If you have a project that requires a lot of tools, you may have a pickup truck too, but this is rare, and you're not allowed to use it for anything other than project reasons. You keep a log of every time you use the van or truck, for any reason, and there is a 25-mile radius from housing that you're allowed to go.

Spikes are between 3-8 weeks long and you do 4-7 of them during a service term. In between you have "transition" where you go back to campus, debrief from your previous project, brief and train for your next project, and catch up with everyone else. At the end of the service term, you have a final debrief, have a life after americorps meeting, learn job skills like writing a resume, etc... and get your plane ticket home.

What you should do to get prepared:

You don't need certifications. If you need to know something for a project they will train you. If you want something I'd say get First Aid or Wilderness First Aid. Getting a little job experience and a lot of volunteer experience will help you a lot more.

[spacedoutsheepy]

I get stung by a lot of insects in my job, and it's fun how they're all different.

Yellowjackets are the most recent one I've gotten, and they're sharp. It feels very much like a nettle when you first get stuck, just a little Zap. But the tingling, prickling pain lingers for the next hour, coming in waves. It feels like getting tazed by a second grader who finds it so hilarious that he has to pause for giggles.

Fire ants feel spicy, but insistent, a surprising burning prick that turns to a hot itchiness quickly. Like getting slapped by a circus clown whose trying just a little TOO hard.

Wasps feel burning and scornful. Painful, but impersonal. Less acute on the initial sting, but with some real weight behind it. Like James Earl Jones putting our a cigar on your shoulder blade.

[annasellheim]

Look, sometimes you need to interrupt an ESOL lesson to ask the translator on the phone to tell one of our senior students that they look cool as hell.

[company-and-co]

So about Americorps-

How possible is getting hrt in Americorps? Is it covered in the health benefits or???? (Asking bc the health benefits website part is just- Not working??? Idk what to do with that)

I don’t have easy access to HRT where I live, meaning I’m not on it, so unfortunately I don’t have any direct experience with this. However, the health insurance they do provide only covers you while you’re working for them, and it’s very rudimentary. Like it only covers things that happen to you while on the job; I had gotten a spider bite and if I didn’t have my own insurance it would have covered the antibiotics.

Long story short, I don’t believe it would cover HRT, mostly because I think it would fall under “prior to AmeriCorps”.

[starsteemer]

Who gonna be in class 31A in SW americorps NCCC this fall 😁

[shining-dawn]

Hey, I hate to post anything political but he still so that you know, in the U.S. the GOP is threatening to cut funding to AmeriCorps and that's kind of a really important institution for non-profit organizations all over the country.

[mmysterious-skin]

snowy streets and alleyways like walking through heavens gates

[noodleypie]

A comic based off of my time with Americorps! I’ve learned a ton so far into my service, and I am SO GLAD I didn’t accidentally chop this baby in half with a fire rake. 

[megankoumori]

So I was doing a service project at another school last night. I popped into the Scholastic Book Fair for about ten seconds and...

Oh no. Oh no no no. Not you.

It's Karen. You can slap on a fresh coat of paint. She's still the same entitled, spoiled brat that everyone in-universe treats as "adorably quirky" and "so imaginative." By the power of American Girl, stay away, Demon Child.

[liquid-gold-expressions]

“Longing the cold breeze kisses on my cheeks. Wishing to be back hiking enjoying the high elevation in the early mornings. Missing all of your love”.

~L.M.~

[that-fema-corps-blog]

Day 329

June 27, 2023

Spent the morning cleaning data and doing laundry. We had a midsite meeting with the (new?) assistant unit leader to discuss our thoughts on the project and the overall program. The team leaders were told to leave partway through so Corps members could more comfortably criticize them, but we mostly ended up airing grievances about FEMA Corps in general (things in parentheses are things I have personally seen/experienced):

Lack of communication from FEMA Corps. Not knowing where we’d be sent. Having sudden team member swaps with little explanation, sometimes after being told nothing should change. Sharing constructive criticism only to never hear anything back. Not getting feedback on performance from team leaders’ end-of-round member evaluations (every round).

Not feeling as if AmeriCorps staff care about Corps members. Staff reaching out to team leaders but expecting Corps members to initiate almost any interaction. Team leaders having much longer feedback meetings with staff while Corps members’ feedback sessions are cut short. Chain of command and not knowing staff well enough to feel comfortable asking for help (round 2 especially). Very high turnover in AmeriCorps with little opportunity to get familiar with new staff. Notifying staff of dangerous driving behavior of members and nothing being done (a couple instances).

Team leaders not being properly vetted. Past team leaders getting multiple complaints but not being removed until months later. Completely unqualified team leaders being given a team; some past teams would have had a much easier time without a leader (end of round 2). So much tea.

Low stipends for Corps members. Team leaders making around three times our pay for not much extra work… We should get more than $11 or $12/day when our work is to a similar level as that of many FEMA reservists. Non-disaster food stipends of $6/day can be difficult in some higher cost-of-living areas. Congress sets the budget, so there’s not a ton we can do about that.

Lack of health care. Having to change virtual therapists/councilors every time a team moves to a different state. Going without mental health support because it is too much effort to find on one’s own. Not having mental health support back on campus. Not being able to access Teledoc in Puerto Rico (round 1/2).

Not having enough work. Being sent to a project only to find they have little plan for what FEMA Corps is going to do for them (this round is an exception). FEMA staff not seeing us as capable and leaving us with little to do, even when there is work that needs doing. Being given work that is inefficient or does not appear to accomplish much (round 1/2 PR).

Working without proper support. Lack of training upon arrival to new project (round 1 PR). Having to teach some paid FEMA reservists and tell contractors how to do their jobs. Having to advocate for oneself because staff are not regularly checking in.

Hurry up and wait. Being told to pack everything and get ready to move, only to be delayed for several days (round 1, DC->PR). Deploying to a new location, just to have no work or workstations to begin with (round 1 DC/round 3). Getting assigned a project and having to wait weeks to get access to certain files and permissions (round 1 DC).

Deploying the wrong teams. Sending people to Puerto Rico who do not speak Spanish and cannot do much useful work (round 1/2). Deploying a team that is occupied to a disaster project when there are teams with very little work who have to stay; disaster projects having priority even when little work is being accomplished at some of those project locations.

Nonsensical project transitions. Teams having to travel multiple days to spend a week on campus, only to drive straight back (transition 2). Having some of the same trainings as we recieved during onboarding, yet not receiving much information/preparation for life after AmeriCorps (transition 2). COVID restrictions shutting down campus gyms and socialization areas while multiple people from different teams are crammed in the same dorm rooms (transition 2/3). Virtual transitions worked well (transition 1).

Dealing with AmeriCorps operations on campus. Members being accused of stealing dishes on campus. Arriving for transition to find most washing machines are broken (transition 3). Vans not being automatically taken to the shop for checks and tune-ups (transition 2). Dorms missing blinds (onboarding/transition 2). Dorms having mold upon arrival. Being expected to clean to a higher standard than things were when we arrived (transition 2).

Isolation from both FEMA and AmeriCorps. Sometimes unclear who to reach out to when there is an issue or question; asking for help and being told to go to someone else, sometimes until arriving back where one started. Not being connected with / told about other AmeriCorps teams in the area; could be a good opportunity for independent service projects when work is slow.

The assistant unit leader does not have the power to do much at the moment, but it is nice to feel like we’re actually being listened to. That being said, I’ll believe it when I see it. We were told that most of the changes going forward will be for the upcoming class, since our class only has a month left (understandable). Both teams met for dinner along with the assistant unit leader.

[macgyvermedical]

Hello! I wanted to ask about Americorps. :) First off, are they always taking people? Given the difficulty of finding a job as of late, I was wondering if hiring/the acceptance of applications has slowed any. Second, what's the pay like? Is it just enough to live on, or enough that you could put some towards college debt or savings? Third, where could you apply; are there recruiting centers or is it all online? Fourth, what's life like in the corps, per your experience?

Here are the programs currently accepting applications (6/4/24). The applications are pretty much always open for at least one entry time (there are 3 entries per year- Fall, Winter, and Summer). I know that the acceptance rate changes with the number of applications, and some years they take everyone, while other years they take fewer applicants. The only way to know if you get in is to apply.

You can use the search feature below to see what programs are available. Make sure the "AmeriCorps NCCC" and "AmeriCorps NCCC Team Leaders" buttons are clicked, click nothing else, and hit "search".

Since it's service, the pay is a stipend. When I was in NCCC in 2018, the stipend for CMs was $300/month and the stipend for TLs was $800/month. I think it's more now so if anyone knows please let me know so I can give more updated info. Keep in mind that:

All your basics- food, transportation, lodging, etc... is covered in full

Any federally backed student loans you have go into forbearance and the interest is paid by AmeriCorps

You get an education award of about $7,000 per service term (up to 2) that can go toward future education, job training or to pay off existing student loans

Basically the only thing you pay for while in NCCC is your cell phone bill and any personal care items, personal clothing, etc...

I saved about half of my stipend while I was in NCCC

Other AmeriCorps programs, like VISTA, pay essentially the local poverty line, since part of the program is learning to live on very little.

You apply online. Call 1-800-942-2677 if you need any help with the application.

[spacedoutsheepy]

i attended a fundraising gala for the non profit I work at last night

it was my first time at that sort of event, and my first time actually being around real life rich people. Talking to them, hearing them speak, seeing how they behave from up close, rather than through a screen or retelling. They're mostly decent and nice people, but there were one kinda quirky observation I had.

Rich people love to clap. I swear to God their favorite passtime is clapping for each other. And even when they were applauding for the actual Americorps workers who actually did the labor for the nonprofit (and were waiting on the event), it had such an air of condescension. Like "ah yes, good job poors!" Every time I heard them break into self-satisfied applause during a speech by either a staff member or corps worker, it had the undertone of "I didn't do any work or make the world a tangibly better place and this lack of genuine impact on the world despite my mountain of horded wealth has left me feeling existentially unfulfilled and inexplicably guilty, but I'm clapping for the people doing the work so I get to feel just as good, and satisfied in myself!" It's all just self gratification and naval gazing. Like they want to be justified in being a rich parasite

[thisblogisboundforglory-blog]

#16 - Peace is for Foreigners. America Needs Cheap Labor

Americorps is like the Peace Corps, only for America. Americorps Volunteers are young adults who serve their country by doing whatever the government reckons needs doing, wherever it needs doing, for no money down and a bit of college tuition later. The young people get a living stipend. It amounts, Petra has been told, to about three dollars an hour for the average Americorps work day. 

Americorps volunteers tend to live together in smelly clumps near all-you-can-eat buffets.