Apply now to become a paid Preserve WV AmeriCorps member for a year!

The Preserve WV AmeriCorps program is recruiting members for full-time and half-time service at sites throughout West Virginia, starting August 2018 and ending August 2019 (with the possibility of renewal until August 2020). Among other benefits, members will receive a biweekly living allowance and an educational award (payable toward tuition or federal student loans).

The Preserve WV AmeriCorps program is the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia’s statewide service initiative where members help main streets thrive, help communities capture their local history, and help preserve beloved West Virginia landmarks. The purpose of the Preserve WV AmeriCorps program is to implement historic preservation and heritage tourism projects throughout WV by way of historic resource reuse, improvement, and interpretation. A historic resource could be a building, museum/archival collection, structure, landscape, or historic district / downtown commercial district. Members' service will emphasize community development and revitalization through projects focused on historic preservation, volunteer management, and cultural heritage tourism development.
 
Members will be placed with individual sites across the state, ranging from museums and archives to Main Street organizations and city agencies. Preserve WV AmeriCorps offers 2 main categories of site placements for members: Museums, Archives, and Heritage Sites; and Historic Districts, Revitalization Sites, and Thematic Regional Sites. Within those categories, each site has individual needs. A detailed description of all sites and their specific task lists (plus more information about the program) will be provided to applicants upon receipt of the initial application; alternately, you can email [email protected] for a copy in advance.
 
All members’ duties will include some combination of the following:

•  Increase site capacity by recruiting and training volunteers.
• Preserve and enhance site quality through collections management, collections care/maintenance, and preservation activities.
• Increase sites’ public utilization by creating new exhibits; developing tours; conducting living history demonstrations; assisting patrons with research; planning/managing events; organizing beautification or public art projects; and creating walking tours.
• Provide assistance to sites by creating/revising policies; performing outreach marketing; researching/writing Clio entries; creating interpretive or wayfinding signage; completing preservation needs assessments; completing National Register of Historic Places nominations and state Historic Property Inventory forms; completing multi-building inventories; and doing project-specific, non-federal fundraising (10% of time or less).
• Required: Propose (and, if approved, organize and fundraise for) a hands-on, preservation-oriented, group project.
• Required: Participate in 3 community-oriented, Civic Service Projects.

 
Application process:

1. Complete the My AmeriCorps application at https://my.americorps.gov/
2. Complete a questionnaire at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6WFJ6MN  
3. Each applicant must review the site descriptions and task lists (supplied via email on request or after receipt of the application) & email a cover letter to [email protected] explaining sites of interest & why he/she would like to serve at those sites & be a good fit for service. Applicants can apply to more than one site at once, using the same letter. If desired, applicants can attach a resume or CV.
4. Once the My AmeriCorps application, questionnaire, and cover letter have all been submitted, the applicant will be considered for a phone interview.

 
For more information, see http://www.pawv.org/americorps.html