Rural Action's Environmental Education Program seeks 3 AmeriCorps members to implement our hands-on, experiential education programs. Our team values connecting people to local ecosystems through meaningful outdoor experiences; dynamic, effective, inquiry-based teaching; and deepening our own understanding of the natural world.

Members will work with Rural Action's Environmental Education Program Director to plan and implement environmental education activities in schools, libraries, at summer camps, and community events. This includes planning, facilitating, and evaluating EE programs as a team, as well as taking individual leadership on specific lessons and projects. School-based EE programs are closely tied to state academic standards.

Members increase their own environmental literacy throughout the term through training opportunities and through individual experiences. Our program operates in rural Appalachian Ohio, a beautiful region of hollows and forests that has also been impacted by coal mining.

The member will address the following:

• Promote watersheds at the local level with staff, host site supervisors and other AmeriCorps members;
• plan and implement environmental education opportunities including day camps, library programs, behavioral healthcare collaborations, after-school activities, and/or large conferences and festivals
• perform some fundraising activities for environmental education activities
• recruit, train and coordinate volunteers to participate in environmental education activities throughout the year
• Coordinate and teach environmental education lessons for local schools, using their labs and other local outdoor resources as appropriate
• Assist in developing teacher training curricula and workshops using nationally recognized modules such as Project Learning Tree, Project WET and Project WILD
• Assist teachers in local school districts in utilizing outdoor classrooms to teach academic standards.

Typically, each of the 3 members takes leadership on a certain project area, such as:

• organizing large events (the Appalachian Green Teacher Conference and the Birds in the Hills Festival)
• citizen science (such as the Wayne National Forest BioBlitz)
• ongoing after-school programs, or
• Zero Waste education

All members participate in planning and teaching school lessons for the Appalachian Green Teachers Project. Learn more about our programs at: https://ruralaction.org/our-work/environmental-education/

 Although we try to accomodate member's needs, members should be prepared to work flexible hours, as program times vary. One day you might be visiting an evening club at 6pm, another you might start at 7:45am for first period at the high school. Members use personal vehicles to travel to programs, then are reiumbursed for the mileage.

Appalachian Ohio Restore Corps

The Environmental Education members are just one position in the larger Appalachian Ohio Restore Corps (AORC). The AORC is a program administered by Rural Action that places 31 AmeriCorps into communities throughout Appalachian Ohio to perform direct service related to watershed restoration, environmental education, economy building through heritage tourism, and zero waste. Members are placed with Rural Action programs and local partner organizations to serve the needs of the region. Through their direct service and the volunteers they mobilize, AmeriCorps members help build the capacity of local communities while gaining valuable certifications and experience for the future. To see additional positions in the Corps, visit the AORC website.

Commitment 

Rural Action OSRC AmeriCorps members serve a term of 12 months, accumulating a total of 1700 hours of service during that time period (on average, members work 35 hrs/week). The term runs from August 16, 2021 to August 15, 2022. The positions permit outside employment or attendance at an institution of higher learning while serving.