Position Title: Middle/High School Adventure Recreation – VISTA Summer Associate

Conservation Legacy Program: Stewards Individual Placement

Site Location:

Raleigh County Parks and Recreation Authority

117 N. Heber Street, Beckley, WV 25801

Terms of Service:

• Start Date: 6/1/2026
• End Date: 8/9/2026
• AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 300 hours (Minimum-Time)

Purpose:

• This project helps alleviate poverty by providing structured, no-cost outdoor programs that build confidence, leadership skills, and stronger connections to school and community—key protective factors against long-term poverty. By creating sustainable systems, partnerships, and youth programming, the VISTA strengthens community capacity and expands opportunities for young people who face the greatest barriers.
• This project builds capacity by creating the systems, materials, and partnerships needed to sustain a youth outdoor adventure program long after the Summer Associate’s term ends. The Associate will help develop activity plans, safety procedures, outreach tools, and organizational processes that strengthen the program’s structure. They will also support data collection, documentation, and community engagement efforts that the organization currently lacks the staff capacity to complete. By the end of the project, the organization will have clearer systems, organized resources, and stronger partnerships—allowing the program to serve more youth each year and operate more effectively with existing staff.
• The Summer Associate will support the launch of our youth outdoor adventure program by helping plan, prepare, and facilitate activities for middle and high school students. Over 10 weeks, they will assist with organizing gear and logistics, supporting hikes and outdoor skills sessions, tracking participation, and helping ensure safe, positive experiences for all youth. They will also contribute to outreach efforts, strengthen partnerships with local schools and community groups, and help create simple materials for future programming. By the end of the term, the Summer Associate will produce a brief summary of activities, organize program resources, and provide recommendations that strengthen the long-term sustainability of the outdoor adventure program. Their work will directly expand access to meaningful outdoor experiences for local youth.

Description of Duties:

The Summer Associate will focus on capacity-building activities that produce internal planning resources, documentation tools, and community engagement materials. Duties may include compiling labor market research summaries, developing workforce resource inventories, creating community asset maps, organizing environmental data sets, drafting partnership coordination frameworks, designing planning templates and resource guides, and assisting with public-facing informational workshops, outreach campaigns, or site observations. Activities are designed to strengthen host organizations’ capacity, guide long-term workforce and environmental program development, provide tangible connections between planning tools and community needs, and support measurable outcomes in workforce access, environmental stewardship, and community engagement.

The VISTA will help build a sustainable outdoor adventure program for middle and high school students by developing curriculum, creating safety and training materials, and establishing partnerships with schools, youth organizations, and outdoor recreation groups. They will research best practices, design systems for recruitment and communication, and support pilot activities that introduce students to hiking, camping skills, environmental education, and team-building. The VISTA will gain experience in program development, community engagement, and nonprofit operations while living in a region known for the New River Gorge, small-town community life, and world-class outdoor recreation. This role is ideal for someone creative, organized, and passionate about expanding youth access to the outdoors.

Qualifications:

• Car recommended;
• Desired education level: High School Diploma
• Language requirement: English
• United States citizen, United States national, or a lawful permanent resident alien
• At least 17 years of age
• Has received a high school diploma or equivalency certificate; or has not dropped out of elementary or secondary school to enroll as an AmeriCorps participant, and agrees to obtain a high school diploma or its equivalent prior to using the education award
• 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 per week, but exact service schedules may vary. A half hour lunch break will not be counted towards AmeriCorps service
• Permits working at another job during off hours;
• Permits attendance at school during off hours

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 $1,565.08
• Living Allowance of $957.46 (taxable) every other week.
• Healthcare Coverage if Eligible
• Childcare Coverage if Eligible
• Loan forbearance if Eligible
• Interest Payments if Eligible
• Recreational Opportunities
• Professional Development Opportunities

Evaluation and Reporting:

As an AmeriCorps VISTA Summer Associate, performance will be evaluated on whether the Summer Associate has completed the required number of hours, whether the Summer Associate has satisfactorily completed assignments, and if the Summer Associate 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 and accomplishment tracking.

Supervisor Name and Contact Information:

Erin Adams

eadams@conservationlegacy.org

330 Harper Park Drive

Beckley, WV 25801

(304) 860-0578

Host Organization Contact:

Jodi Miller
jmiller@raleighcountyparks.gov
(802) 503-5763

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.