Our Illinois Safe Schools Alliance program seeks five AmeriCorps VISTA members to support our statewide work and contribute to the Safe Schools Consortia pilot. 
The Safe Schools Consortia pilot, a cohort-based learning program for high-level school system decision-makers, aims to develop champions to support LGBTQ+ students in preK-12 schools through policy, public education, and youth organizing and leadership. VISTAs can help be a part of it through a year of dedicated service with the Alliance program.
This is a great learning and professional growth opportunity for people who may want some real-world experience before starting college, grad school, or a new career in the non-profit sector. It is a full-time position for 40 hours each week, although it is possible to attend classes or work part-time outside of that schedule.
For more information on the VISTA program, including its benefits, you can visit the AmeriCorps VISTA website or check out this step-by-step guide to submit a VISTA application.
Applications are open until July 15, 2022.
Following are brief role descriptions for each of the five VISTA member positions.
Youth Leadership VISTA
Youth leadership and organizing is a critical component of the Alliance’s work. The Alliance coordinates the statewide network of gender and sexuality alliances (GSAs). These student-run organizations unite LGBTQ+ and allied youth to build community and organize around issues impacting their schools and communities. Within this network, the Alliance recruits applicants for its Youth Committee, which acts as a steering committee for the statewide network, and develops and facilitates large-scale youth leadership programming through a peer education model.
The Youth Leadership and Organizing VISTA will support the Alliance’s youth development work and help to pilot and implement the Safe Schools Consortia pilot in northern Illinois. Specifically, they will support the management of youth leadership events and activities, the development and implementation of a Training of Trainers (TOT) model and toolkit, and the creation of youth-facing workshops.
Professional Development VISTA
The Alliance offers professional development workshops to youth and adults within school systems to ensure all youth spaces remain places where all young people can thrive as learners because their identities are not merely supported, but affirmed and celebrated. These sessions offer best practices for educators, student support staff, and other youth-facing adults in creating spaces within their school communities that model positive social norms and hold an increased sense of physical and psychological safety for LGBTQ+ students.
The Professional Development VISTA will support the Alliance’s professional development work and help to pilot and implement the Safe Schools Consortia pilot. Specifically, they will support the development and implementation of a Training of Trainers (TOT) model, strengthen the Alliance’s adult education offerings and ways to measure impact, create promotional and supplemental materials to support the TOT model, and support the creation of new workshops.
Policy and Advocacy VISTA
Advancing LGBTQ+ affirming policy is an essential strategy for creating safer schools for LGBTQ+ youth in Illinois and is a critical component of the Alliance’s work. The Alliance provides individualized advocacy support to LGBTQ+ youth experiencing discrimination and/or harassment and works to advocate for and implement state, school district level, and local policies that affirm LGBTQ+ identities.
The Policy and Advocacy VISTA will strengthen organizational processes, participate in coalitions to inform strategy and approaches, and support the Safe Schools Consortia pilot. This may include supporting/tracking advocacy requests, utilizing district-specific policies and procedures to build relationships with stakeholders, refining Consortia toolkits and supplemental materials, surveying partners to understand best practices to inform the Training of Trainers (TOT) model, and supporting the development and implementation of TOT model.
Development and Outreach VISTA
Development and outreach opportunities within the Alliance program and PHIMC as a whole are critical to achieving the organization’s mission and increasing impact. The Development and Outreach VISTA will help strengthen the public health system and create safer schools for LGBTQ+ youth in Illinois by supporting initiatives that build capacity for the organization and partners.
The Development and Outreach VISTA will strengthen PHIMC’s development and fundraising processes, participate in networking opportunities, create and implement communications activities, and support the Safe Schools Consortia pilot. They will focus 50% of their time on the Consortia project and 50% on fundraising support. This includes maintaining the PHIMC donor database, assisting in event planning, continuing the development and implementation of Consortia toolkits and other materials, and assisting school leaders with development and outreach strategies to cultivate LGBTQ+ affirming schools.
Data Collection and Analysis VISTA
Evaluating the quality, outcome, and impact of programs and processes is a critical component of the Alliance program and PHIMC as a whole and is essential to achieving the organization’s mission and increasing impact. The Alliance program uses the results of these evaluation activities to identify opportunities for improvement, inform decisions, and confirm all activities contribute to achieving the overall desired outcomes and impact.
The Data Collection and Analysis VISTA will be supporting PHIMC, the Alliance program, and the Safe Schools Consortia pilot. Specifically, they will be supporting the development of quality, outcome, and impact metrics, development of an evaluation plan and tools to capture metrics, analysis and tracking of metrics, development of data visuals to aid in data-informed decision making, and development of compelling data to share for fundraising and outreach efforts.
If you have trouble finding the positions on the AmeriCorps VISTA website, we recommend you include the following criteria in the search portal:
Program Type: AmeriCorps VISTA
State: Illinois
Program: Alliance
Please share.
Questions? Please contact William Collier.
