SpeakFirst Varsity/Novice Team Leads- Birmingham Office AmeriCorps Member
Now offering a $1,000 sign-on bonus!
$500 will be distributed after the enrollment period. The remaining $500 will be distributed halfway through the service term for this position.
Summary: The SpeakFirst Varsity and Novice Team Leads implement the SpeakFirst high school debate program in the Birmingham area with a focus on lesson planning, debate instruction, practice logistics, and tournament attendance and support. The SpeakFirst initiative enriches the academic experience of talented and motivated students from Birmingham-area high schools through participation in a competitive debate team. This highly collaborative initiative addresses a wide array of needs including tutoring and academic support, college admissions and financial aid guidance, standardized test preparation, and youth development activities. The team consists of approximately 7 varsity and 5 novice students for the 2022-23 program year.
Location: Two positions available in Birmingham, AL - one will be assigned to the Varsity Team and one to the Novice Team.
Primary Responsibilities:
● Manage and coach debate practices two evenings per week
● Implement weekly ACT prep, college prep, and academic support sessions one evening per week
● Collaborate on lesson planning, including creating objectives, power points, cases, and block
assignments, and supporting with research
● Provide detailed research instruction, thorough editing of student work, and one-on-one
research and brief and case writing instruction
● Engage in independent topic research and analysis
● Serve as main point of contact for student participants and their parent(s)/guardian(s), including
organizing parent/guardian meetings and communication
● Responsible for practice logistics and coordinating with other Team Lead, where necessary
● Develop and implement transportation plan for students to practices and tournaments as
needed
● Coordinate registration and participation in 8-12 weekend tournaments throughout the
academic year
● Travel to, judge, and coach at those tournaments
● Keep track of data from how students do at tournaments
● Organize extracurricular events to expose the students to important cultural and historical
learning opportunities
Expectations
● Positive attitude and rapport with Service Members
● Collaborative spirit with the whole leadership team, especially the other SpeakFirst Team Lead
● Flexibility in a dynamic service environment
● Strong self management skills and willingness to take initiative
● Participate as requested in leadership team meetings and other program-specific meetings
● Ability to build positive professional relationships with high school students and families
● Enthusiasm for and prior experience working with high school students
● Prior experience with debate and/or education strongly preferred
Time Commitment: August 2022 through August2023
Team Leads will be enrolled as an AmeriCorps member in August and will have one year from the date of enrollment to serve 1700 hours and complete their term of service. Precise enrollment date will depend on the state in which the member is serving and the start date of the AmeriCorps grant in that area
Term of Service: Full Time
Skills Required: Successful members will demonstrate the following skills: leadership, teamwork, strong written and verbal communication, advanced computer literacy, positive attitude, flexibility, ability to work independently, punctuality, honesty, integrity, cultural sensitivity, commitment to individuals living in poverty.
Academic Qualifications: Members must have completed a college degree or have plans to complete the degree within the first six months of the term of service (this exception may be made on a case-by-case basis with prior approval).
Service Conditions and Time Requirement: This position may include an irregular schedule and seasonal shifts in workload. It sometimes requires weekend, evening, early morning, and off-peak hours. Work will involve conducting direct service in communities of need, outside of an office setting as well as sedentary physical activity requiring sitting for periods of time. 50% or more time is spent looking directly at a computer. Some travel is required.
Member Benefits: Living stipend and health insurance available at the start of pre-service. Childcare allowance and student loan forbearance eligibility will start with AmeriCorps enrollment.
Bi-weekly Living Stipend for Leadership Team Members First Term: $950.00 biweekly
Health Insurance A health benefits policy is administered by The Corps Network/CIGNA and is available to members upon request. If the member currently has other coverage (through a spouse, parent, or individual plan), they must sign a waiver of health insurance coverage which indicates that they have been made aware of the availability of health benefits and have chosen not to enroll.
Childcare Allowance The allowance will be provided directly to a child care provider determined by AmeriCorps, if the member qualifies for the allowance. The child care allowance will distribute this allowance evenly over the term of service on a bi-weekly basis.
Education Award Upon successful completion of the member’s term of service, the member will receive an education award from the National Service Trust. For successful completion of a full-time 1,700 hour term, the member will receive an education award in the amount of $6,495. The member understands that their failure to disclose to the Program any history of having been released for cause from another AmeriCorps Program will render them ineligible to receive the education award. The member is entitled to two (2) full time education awards in the course of their life, even if they serve for more than two terms of service.
Student Loan Forbearance If the member has received forbearance on a qualified student loan during the term of service, the National Service Trust will repay a portion or all of the interest that accrued on the loan during the term of service. Note: The term of service may differ from your time commitment with the program.