Leaders of Color Crew Member
Position: Leaders of Color Crew Member
Status: Seasonal, Full-time
Location: East Kentucky, near Richmond/Berea area.
Stipend: $400 per week + AmeriCorps Education Award upon successful completion
Ages: 18 – 30
Benefits:
- Paid time off
- Health insurance eligible
- $6,345.00 AmeriCorps Education Award
- Uniform shirts, personal protective equipment, group camping equipment and some individual camping equipment provided, $200 boot stipend
- Loan deferment for qualifying loans
- Food provided while in the field
- Public Land Corps Authority Certificate
- Paid certifications and trainings
Certifications and Trainings included:
- IS-100 (Intro to Incident Command System)
- IS-700 (Intro to the National Incident Management System)
- S-130 (Firefighter Training)
- S-190 (Into to Wildland Fire Behavior)
- L-180 (Human Factors in Wildland Fire Service)
- S-212 (Wildland Fire Chain Saws)
- Red Card via successful completion of the Arduous Pack Test
- Trail construction and Maintenance
- Mental Health First Aid training
- Wilderness First Aid certification
About Southeast Conservation Corps:
Southeast Conservation Corps (SECC), a program of Conservation Legacy, is a non-profit, AmeriCorps-affiliated organization. SECC selects young adults, ages 18-30, to complete conservation work projects on public lands throughout the Southeast. SECC programs encourage environmental stewardship, foster community partnerships, and emphasize experiential learning. SECC serves a diverse population that is representative of the Southeast, including youth, graduates, veterans, and a cross-section of ethnicities and income levels. SECC is also an active member of the AmeriCorps Disaster Response Team (A-DRT), and as such, selected crews may be deployed on Disaster response projects for up to 30 days.
SECC works with a variety of land management agencies throughout the Southeast region, such as the United States Forest Service, National Park Service, State Parks, and conservation-based non-profits. Projects vary but include trail construction and maintenance, ecosystem restoration, habitat restoration, fire fuels reduction, fencing on public lands, invasive weed removal, herbicide applications, and many others. The project work is manual labor based and most projects require a hike into and out of the project site daily carrying tools and a day pack.
Position Summary
Southeast Conservation Corps (SECC) is seeking crew members for its first ever Leaders of Color Crew. In this year long program, members will engage in a variety of natural resource management and disaster mitigation projects through fuels management and prescribed burn project work. The Leaders of Color crew provides an open and supportive space where BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) members work with, learn from, and grow alongside one another as members gaining leadership and technical skills, engage in professional development opportunities through trainings and certifications related to fire, natural resource management, and disaster mitigation.
This crew consists of 1 Crew Leader and 4 Crew Members.
As a member of the crew, you will perform manual labor, and complete conservation projects using a variety of manual and power tools. You will be engaged in the program as an AmeriCorps Member and will participate in environmental education and leadership development activities in addition to project work.
Risk management is of utmost importance, and all policies and procedures must be followed.
Projects may include but are not limited to prescribed burns, natural resource management, habitat restoration and fencing, re-vegetation, invasive species removal, trail construction and maintenance and a variety of other local environmental service projects. Crews may also complete technical and/or specialized projects depending on project partner needs, including disaster response if the opportunity arises.
Work Schedules
- 10-hour shift workdays with routine breaks on a flexible weekly schedule dependent on project specifics
- Examples of weekly schedules may include 9 days on and 5 days off camping “hitch”, commuting schedule of 4 days on and 3 days off, or similar schedule
- Depending on the project work and location, other variations may be implemented
- While staff at SECC work to provide consistency throughout the season, personal flexibility is expected and should be prepared for when entering the term, as schedules, times and work locations are subject to change per project needs
- Paid trainings are included in working hours and all crew members are expected to complete paid orientations and trainings related to this position
Minimum Qualifications:
- As an entry level position, no field or fire experience is necessary to participate in this program
- To qualify, you must be between the ages of 18 and 30
- Must self-identify as a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, Person of Color) community member
- A US citizen that has received (or on track to receive) a high school diploma or GED
- Full vaccination against COVID-19 by the first day of employment and ability to provide proof of vaccination before starting
- Ability to commit fully to the program and its mission
- Flexibility, adaptability, and capacity to work in a fluid, changing work environment
- Willingness to learn and be a part of a dynamic community of peer leaders
- Physically fit and able to work long days of manual labor in adverse conditions
- Must be able to pass the Arduous Work Capacity or “Pack” Test
- Regularly lift and/or move up to 50 lbs.
- All offers of employment are conditional upon completion of an acceptable check of the National Sex Offender Public Registry and federal criminal background check