Position Title: Youth Engagement Summer Associate – VISTA Summer Associate

Conservation Legacy Program: Stewards Individual Placement

Site Location:

LEAD Agency

223 A St SE, Miami, OK 74354

Terms of Service:

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

Purpose:

• Much of the poverty in Ottawa County relates to geographical isolation (no city or 4-year college within approx. 20 miles) and the consequences of legacy mining, both of which make Ottawa County unattractive to industry and business. Lifting people out of poverty under these conditions is a long-term challenge that requires long-term goals. Accordingly, the VISTA's work will often be foundational to later improvements to poverty. This VISTA project will continue efforts to restore a healthier relationship with the natural world for area residents. By engaging with Ottawa County youth, the VISTA will lay the first stones in a path we hope will foster a community that understand how to safely interact with their environment and better communicates this knowledge, as well as inculcating in young people a dream for a cleaner, safer natural world. This VISTA project is premised on the belief that economic development and poverty reduction are directly tied to the extent to which local communities are personally invested in healing their local environment.
• We need new outreach materials for youth. We still have not recovered lost connections with young people lost during COVID. This VISTA's work will renew the cycle of ensuring our local environment has protectors and advocates. The materials and relationships this VISTA will create will last for years.

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.

Your work will focus on engaging with young people in Ottawa County through our two summer camps, designing and hosting summer outreach activities, and designing and distributing educational and outreach material (analog and digital). You'll also find and help us write (as time allows) grants to fund future work. Other tasks as needed.

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.