Climate Action Leader (AmeriCorps Member)

Join the first nationwide AmeriCorps program solely dedicated to campus-led, community-based partnerships to address climate change!

• Are you ready to answer the urgent call to address climate change? 
• Are you committed to advancing climate justice for all communities?
• Are you looking for on-the-ground experience in applied environmental education and action?

Campus Compact is recruiting Climate Action Leaders (Three-quarter-time (TQT) AmeriCorps Members) to lead the charge in building climate-ready campuses and communities. 

Campus Compact has recently launched the Campus Climate Action Corps (CCAC). We seek energized and passionate leaders to become TQT (1200-hour) AmeriCorps members who will serve as Climate Action Leaders. CCAC Climate Action Leaders will serve at one of our campus host sites in the Midwest, Northeast, and Southeast regions.

CCAC Climate Action Leaders will work closely with CCAC staff, their host site supervisor, AmeriCorps members, community partners, and campus staff and students to design and implement a community-driven Climate Action Plan. CCAC Climate Action Leaders serve as the team lead at their campus host site. They will develop campus and community partnerships to increase energy efficiency and improve at-risk ecosystems for underserved households and communities. Climate Action Leaders will recruit and coordinate campus and community partners and volunteers to support CCAC activities.

Position Responsibilities

Community Education and Public Awareness:

• Coordinate and facilitate environmental education events in underserved communities to provide strategies for reducing energy use and carbon emissions
• Develop and disseminate outreach materials
• Launch public awareness campaigns to highlight individual energy costs and conservation strategies, home energy assistance programs, and CCAC opportunities

Home Energy Efficiency:

• Conduct basic home energy assessments with low-income households and in campus dorms
• Provide households with energy conservation strategies and resources that reduce carbon emissions and increase cost savings
• Implement low-tech interventions to reduce energy use and increase cost savings for underserved households based on community needs (e.g. weatherization, LED light bulbs, window-insulation inserts)
• Serve as a home energy navigator, educating low-income households on government programs and assisting households to apply for rebate and subsidy programs

Ecosystem Health:

• Plan and execute a community-driven project that improves a local at-risk ecosystem (e.g. removal of invasive species, tree planting, installation of rain gardens)

Green Jobs Training:

• Participate in specialized green job career development
• Increase green career development training resources that generate workforce pathways for CCAC AmeriCorps members and the wider community, at times

Term of Service: The term of service will run from November through July 31, 2024. As TQT AmeriCorps members, CCAC Climate Action Leaders must complete 1200 hours during the service term. Depending on the exact start date, we anticipate this will come out to approximately 33-35 hours per week.

Location: CCAC Climate Action Leaders will be placed at one of our campus host sites in the Midwest, Northeast, and Southeast regions. We are currently recruiting for our host sites at Colby Sawyer College (NH), Middlesex Community College (MA), Southern Maine Community College (ME), St. Lawrence University (NY). Additional host sites are forthcoming.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:  

• Must be at least 17 years old
• Must hold one of the following citizenship statuses: U.S. Citizen, National, or Lawful Permanent Resident
• Must be located in or willing to relocate to a host site area
• Must pass a national service criminal history check
• Bachelor’s degree preferred; high school diploma or equivalent is required
• Valid driver’s license and car, and/or dependable transportation  
• Must have a personal commitment to climate action and environmental stewardship
• Motivated team leader with exceptional organizational skills 
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and comfortable with public speaking

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience engaging community partners and/or college students 
• Experience with outreach, volunteer recruitment & management, or event planning
• Experience in environmental education, environmental stewardship, sustainability, or home energy efficiency

Training:

All CCAC Members must attend a comprehensive week-long hybrid orientation at the beginning of their service term. Orientation will take place both in-person at the host-site and virtually via Zoom. Additionally, members are expected to engage in ongoing training sessions throughout their service. These sessions will cover a wide range of topics, including but not limited to climate change, outreach and public awareness, volunteer recruitment, fostering community partnerships, enhancing home energy efficiency, organizing community education events, promoting Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB), understanding ecosystem health, and exploring green job opportunities

Benefits:

The CCAC Climate Action Leader will receive AmeriCorps benefits, including a living stipend and Segal Education Award. The living stipend is $12,000 total for the service term. It will be distributed evenly in bi-monthly installments and is taxable income. The $4,826.50 Segal Education Award is contingent upon the successful completion of the program and can be used to pay for college or technical school or to pay back qualified student loans.

• Service Type: Three-quarter-time
• Total Hours: 1,200
• Total Living Stipend: $12,000
• Education Award: $4,826.50

Additional benefits include:

• Childcare assistance for qualifying members
• Student loan forbearance and interest payments for qualifying members
• Professional development, including green jobs training, support in developing a personal career action plan, and an enhanced professional network 

To Apply

Please submit your application here. For more information, please email us at ccac@compact.org. The application priority deadline is October 20th. Applications are received on a rolling basis after that. 

About AmeriCorps: AmeriCorps is the federal agency connecting individuals and organizations through service and volunteering to tackle the nation’s most pressing challenges.

About Campus Compact: Campus Compact is a coalition of colleges and universities dedicated to advancing the public purposes of higher education and an intermediary sponsor for an AmeriCorps VISTA program. We support our member institutions—helping them build the knowledge, skills, and capacity needed to enable a just, equitable, and sustainable future.

Campus Compact does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, height, weight, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, parental status, genetic information or characteristics (or those of a family member), or any other basis prohibited by law.