News Release
News Release Date: October 27, 2022
Contact: Volunteers-In-Parks Program
The Volunteers-In-Parks Program is now recruiting paid interns for the 2023 February Cohort of the Community Volunteer Ambassador program!
As a fifty-week professional internship, the Community Volunteer Ambassador program is managed in partnership between the National Park Service Volunteer-In-Parks Program and the Stewards Individual Placement Program of Conservation Legacy.
For the February 2023 cohort, we are excited to have young adults (ages 18-30 or 18-35 if veterans) from diverse backgrounds who aspire to a future career in service and conservation stewardship head to fifty-five national park sites.
Last year, 67 young professionals served as Community Volunteer Ambassador members across two cohorts at national park sites across the country, from Guam to New York and Alaska to Florida. In that year, program participants got 22,208 volunteers involved at their parks, contributing over 280,000 hours to the volunteer program.
Through this unique program, Community Volunteer Ambassadors are placed in park sites throughout the country to provide capacity-building services focused on connecting communities to parks through engagement and volunteerism activities. Upon completion of their term of service, members will be eligible for the Public Land Corps hiring authority and the AmeriCorps Segal education award.
Do you know someone interested in advancing equity and inclusion in the National Park Service, conservation, and community organizing? Help us spread the word and encourage them to apply to the Community Volunteer Ambassador program through Conservation Legacy, where they will support the Volunteers-In-Parks program and park units in building lasting connections to local communities.
Learn more about the Community Volunteer Ambassador program and apply by December 9th: Community Volunteer Ambassador (cvainternships.org)
Stewards Individual Placement is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all and prioritizes recruitment of individuals who reflect the demographics of the nation from underrepresented communities including black, indigenous, people of color, and LGBTQ+.
For application questions, please contact Geoff Elliot, Stewards Program Director at gelliot@conservationlegacy.org.
Meet members from last year’s program below:
Meet Kristyn, a Community Volunteer Ambassador
As a Community Volunteer Ambassador at Vicksburg National Military Park Kristyn helped to revamp the VIP Program Manual, support community engagement, build volunteer engagement, and support ongoing programs. Among this work, she helped sup-port American Battlefield Trust's Park Day. In partnership with the American Battlefield Trust, Kristyn met with the Friends of Vicksburg National Military Park to recruited volunteers to help clean tablet markers in the South Loop of the park. Despite having to reschedule the event due to weather, the event was still a success with volunteers completing all of the work and being eager to return for future opportunities.
Meet Cameron, a Community Volunteer Ambassador
Cameron was a Community Volunteer Ambassador at Cuyahoga Valley National Park. In this role, Cameron helped organize, schedule, prep, and run dozens of events including 32 Junior Ranger Fishing programs reaching 526 people, 2 virtual volunteer programs, 32 native tree planting volunteer events that included multiple events for National Days of Service, 21 invasive plant removals, 7 native wildflowers and grasses plantings, 5 native seed collections. In total she supported 888 volunteers who served 4,393 hours. Cameron was the Volunteer Management Office representative on the Digital Strategy Team where she created dozens of social media posts that reached thousands of people, wrote 2 web articles, and was interviewed on NPR and Spectrum 1 News about the volunteer program in the park.
The project Cameron is most proud of is the relationship and event held with Abundant Love. She helped facilitate this new relationship between the Volunteer Office and Abundant Love Community Outreach. This organization works with locals and provides family support. The founder and Cameron connected over the phone and set up a full day program to provide organized recreation opportunities for fathers and their children from the Abundant Love community. Volunteers fished with the fathers and their children, and a local African drummer taught them how to play the drums. In response to this event, Cameron noted, “This event made a strong impact on me and showed me how I can help make a positive change in the community.”
Last updated: October 27, 2022