2023 Update: These positions have been filled.
Ready to put your environmental education skills to work at a national park?
For the 2022-2023 school year, NEEF continues to partner with the National Park Service (NPS) and the US Department of Education to deliver STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) programming that engages youth from under-resourced and/or underrepresented communities in citizen science, environmental monitoring, and other STEM activities at NPS sites across the country.
Nine national parks have been awarded grants to deliver Greening STEM programming for youth in their local communities. Funding from this grant will support place-based after-school education programs for students participating in 21st CCLC programs, which provide academic enrichment opportunities during non-school hours.
Six of these programs are actively recruiting AmeriCorps VISTA members to support their environmental education work within the Greening STEM program. AmeriCorps VISTA members will serve for one full year at the project site with robust hands-on experience including:
- Developing and implementing environmental education programming
- Digital community engagement efforts
- Performance tracking and reporting
- Grant proposals for sustainable funding
Sound like a job you would love? Learn more about each position and apply below.
Stewards VISTA: NEEF â Biscayne National Park
The Greening STEM project at Biscayne National Park will engage students in grades K-5 from Miami Dade County with the YMCA of South Florida. The AmeriCorps VISTA member will develop programming where student groups will assist with real time data collection and will help quantify marine debris found on the shoreline of Elliot Key.
Stewards VISTA: NEEF â Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
“Plants, Pollinators, and People: Piloting Citizen Science at Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (CAGR)” will engage students in grades 3-5 in a citizen science phenology monitoring program. The VISTA will work closely with the Education Coordinator and Park Guide at CAGR, and Imagine Coolidge Elementary School partners to research, develop and implement program plans that align with Next Generation Science Standards, Greening STEM principles, and relevant resource concerns significant to CAGR.
Stewards VISTA: NEEF â Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Cuyahoga Valley National Park is partnering with the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park and the Greater Cleveland Neighborhood Centers Association to engage middle school students in tree planting and soil monitoring. The VISTA member will work collaboratively to grow the citizen science project in to a well-established, replicable project that the park and partners can use in the future.
Stewards VISTA: NEEF â Gateway National Recreation Area
Gateway National Recreation Area (GATE) and the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy will engage middle school students and high school students in a phenological monitoring program, Seasonal Change: Monitoring the NYC Environment for Climate Change. The VISTA member will work closely with the education supervisory park ranger at GATE, the education team at JBRPC, and 21st Century Community Learning Center partners to research, develop and implement program plans that align with Next Generation Science Standards, Greening STEM principles, and relevant resource concerns significant to GATE.
Stewards VISTA: NEEF â Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The Greening STEM program will allow the Education staff at Great Smoky Mountains National Park to collaborate more intentionally with the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley in Tennessee and to incorporate more program content that is appropriate for both English and Spanish learners. The VISTA will work side by side with an NPS ranger to develop and implement programming for the Boys and Girls Club activities.
Stewards VISTA: NEEF â Homestead National Historical Park
Homestead National Historical Park's Greening STEM project is designed to fill gaps in the existing STEM program offerings by attending to the rich and diverse living resources available on the park grounds and further the collaboration among Homestead NHP, Beatrice Public School District, and ESU #5. The VISTA will develop and implement programming for the NPS-21stCCLC Grant Program and other Homestead NHP programs.
Contact mwillig@neefusa.org with any questions about the AmeriCorps VISTA positions.
