AmeriCorps jobs offered by SAO

For students who want to make an impact beyond campus, the Student Activities Office’s LEAD IU program is offering AmeriCorps positions for the 2011-12 school year.

In exchange for 300 hours of community service  — 10 hours a week during fall and spring semesters — students will receive an education award of $1,132, according to the SAO website. The program is funded by Indiana Campus Compact, a state network that promotes civic engagement.

The deadline to apply for the 2011-12 school year is 5 p.m. Feb. 11. The application can be found on the SAO website. It asks for basic information and also contains a short-answer section.

“I’m focusing on getting students who maybe haven’t had community service before,” said Colleen Rose, assistant director in the Student Activities Office and supervisor of the AmeriCorps program.

Rose said students fulfill their hours mainly at one community agency, although service-learning courses, domestic service trips and leadership retreats also count toward the requirement.

Rose said she helps match a student’s interests with an agency in need. Both the student and the agency have to “want” each other before the work begins.

Members of the program also attend one-hour training sessions with Rose every other week. Rose said during those trainings, members talk about the differences and similarities of their respective experiences.
 
Student members in the program are expected to do one thing during the year.

“Bottom line is they need to finish those 300 hours because that’s how they’ll get that educational award,” Rose said. 

The Student Activities Office staff provides a lot of support to ensure that students fulfill their requirements, Rose said.

There is a “ripple effect” that comes from being involved in a program like this, Rose said.

“They should expect to see a lot of rewards,” she said.

Molly Newell, a sophomore majoring in French and international studies, is a current program member. Though she also competes in Irish dance in Indianapolis and is involved in the Timmy Foundation on campus, she volunteers in a first grade classroom at Fairview Elementary.

However, she said her efforts with Timmy do not count toward the AmeriCorps program because the Foundation has an international focus. Newell said she really enjoys her efforts at the school despite the behavioral problems some kids exhibit.

“Knowing you’re actually helping these kids makes it worth it,” she said. “I want to go back to Fairview and volunteer even if I’m not in AmeriCorps.”