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The RFP to host an Ambassador for 2010-2011 is available - apply now.
Introducing the 2009-2010 Highland Street Corps
Most of the Ambassadors started their year of service in August, and they are hard at work at their programs around Massachusetts! See what they're up to in their new blog. This blog is updated on a regular basis by current Highland Street Ambassadors, and is a great place for alumni and others to interact and get a more personal feel for the program.
This year's Ambassadors comes from a wide range of backgrounds in service, and they've taken on challenging new roles at their host programs. Get a glimpse of their experience, as well as what they're currently tasked with, on their bios page.
What are Highland Street Corps Ambassadors of Mentoring?
Ambassadors are AmeriCorps members who are placed at mentoring programs and youth-serving organizations statewide to help capacity-build in the following program areas: mentoring program development and support; mentor/mentee training; match support; and mentor recruitment/marketing.
What do programs get for hosting Ambassadors?
As hosts of Highland Street Corps Ambassadors of Mentoring, programs will benefit from dedicated members who receive intensive professional development trainings to specifically benefit mentoring programs. Members receive training based on the Elements of Effective Practice in areas such as program development, mentor/mentee training, match support, and marketing and mentor recruitment, along with ongoing technical support like no other AmeriCorps program in the state. Hosting an Ambassador is a cost-effective way to help programs serve more youth.
What about the Ambassadors - what do they get?
As an Ambassador, you can start a youth mentoring program; develop and implement marketing and mentor recruitment campaigns and special initiatives; lead statewide public awareness projects; develop Web-based systems to raise awareness about mentoring or train volunteers; create, develop and facilitate trainings for youth and mentors, and much more!
Ambassadors will:
- Learn skills to build their lives and the lives of others
- Develop project management and program development skills
- Learn capacity building, organizational and communication skills
- Become leaders by heading their own projects
- Build their passion for national and community service
- Learn skills that will prepare them for the real world or future employment
- Build systems to help youth in need
As compensation, Ambassadors receive:
- A $13,000 taxable living allowance ($541/bi-weekly)
- Monthly travel stipend of $59
- Health insurance
- Over 100 hours of ongoing training and professional development including nonprofit leadership and project management
- A $4,725 educational award upon completion of service
- Additional educational benefits
- A built-in network of corps members
If you are interested in learning more about the Highland Street Corps Ambassadors of Mentoring Program, contact Mallory St. Brice, program manager, at 617.695.2440 or mstbrice@massmentors.org.
For more on AmeriCorps: www.americorps.gov.
Brief descriptions of 2009-2010 site locations and service projects
ACCESS Boston
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Franklin County
BBBSFC is dedicated to helping children reach their highest potential through professionally supported one-to-one mentoring relationships with volunteers. The ambassador will devise new methods of reaching out to the public by producing a newsletter, and completing and maintaining the Web site. He/she will also build relationships with leaders in the business community and develop a long-term marketing and recruitment plan.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay
The Old Colony YMCA-Big Sister Big Brother Program
BSBB serves 28 towns and communities throughout southeastern Massachusetts. BSBB provides two types of mentoring: community- and site-based. The ambassador will head the creation and development of programming for site-based, after-school, one-to-one mentoring, among other support duties.
Boston Area Health Education Center (BAHEC)
The Boston Area Health Education Center (BAHEC) offers innovative enrichment programs for 9th - 12th graders with the goal to increase the racial, ethnic and linguistic diversity of Boston’s health-care workforce. A program of the Boston Public Health Commission, BAHEC works in partnership with the Boston Public School system, hospitals, community health centers, colleges and universities. Students come from more than ten racially and ethnically diverse Boston neighborhoods and speak over a dozen languages.
Boston Partners in Education
Founded in 1966, Boston Partners in Education enhances the academic achievement and nurtures the personal growth of Boston's public school students by providing them with focused, individualized, in-school volunteer support. The ambassador will serve in the area of mentoring program development and support. The ambassador will lead Boston Partners’ effort to align their newly-customized Salesforce.com volunteer database with their matching and placement processes.
Boston Scholars Program
The mission of the Boston Scholars Program is to open doors through educational opportunity. The ambassador will learn, update, recreate and oversee implementation of the youth mentee recruitment plan. In addition, the member will oversee mentor/mentee interviewing and orientation and will focus on building partnerships, and building of an “Admissions Partnership Network.”
Children’s Friend and Family Services-Salem
Headquartered in Salem, Massachusetts, CFFS is one of the oldest charities in the Northeast. CFFS is recruiting an assistant to the director of youth mentoring. This ambassador will update and manage the MentorPRO match tracking database, develop and facilitate orientations and trainings, research mentor/mentee activities, and perform outreach to local communities.
Everybody Wins! Metro Boston
Everybody Wins! Metro Boston is a children’s literacy and mentoring organization devoted to increasing children's prospects for success in school by providing one-to-one reading experiences with caring adults. The ambassador will improve recruitment efforts through the creation of a written plan and recruitment materials; lead new mentor training sessions; and support volunteer mentors through the creation of a new mentor e-newsletter and communication plan.
Family Service Inc./Big Friends Little Friends
Family Service, Inc.'s mission is to help people help themselves by building skills, increasing knowledge, and providing opportunities that enable individuals and families to live positive and productive lives. The Big Friends Little Friends program, formerly Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Lawrence, matches children with volunteer mentors who provide friendship, guidance and support. The ambassador will focus on two main areas: mentor/mentee training and mentor recruitment. The ambassador will evaluate the trainings currently provided by BFLF to both the mentors and mentees and work to develop and facilitate a new and improved training that will fully implement the elements of effective practice. The ambassador will also build off of the current recruitment plan, identify potential recruitment sources and build relationships within the community to help target potential volunteers.
Newton Community Service Center
Newton Community Service Center (NCSC) is a multi-service agency that strengthens children and families through educational programs and a network of support services. The ambassador will serve with the Mentor Connection at NCSC to research, develop and deliver training for mentors and mentees and analyze the recruitment strategy from 2008-09 to develop an updated recruitment strategy based on a cluster-based career mentoring program, among other duties.
- Social Media and Outreach Associate
The associate will implement, evaluate and build upon an existing strategy for social media as a way to promote mentoring, program partners, resources and MMP’s activities and initiatives. The member will also maintain MMP’s accounts on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. and help develop strategies for promoting the Ambassador program for recruitment and public awareness and keeping alumni connected through e-tools. - Research and Program Associate
The ambassador will serve as the main mentor recruitment and marketing resource to other corps members to help reach the corps-wide goal of recruiting 200 new mentors by the end of the year. He/she will seek, identify and share local and statewide volunteer mentor recruitment resources and tools with corps members placed across the state as well as assist in tracking corps members' progress towards recruitment goals. - Mentor Recruitment and Program Associate
The ambassador will provide training and technical assistance to youth mentoring programs around MentorPro program management software. He/she will also provide support around the management and dissemination of Mass Mentoring Counts research data and assist in the collection and analysis of evaluation data for the ambassador program. - Western MA Ambassador
This person will be someone who is seeking leadership responsibilities in the non-profit world. Particular interest should be focused on youth development, workforce development, and urban revitalization. The successful candidate will play a leadership role on partnership development, volunteer mentor recruitment, capacity building for the mentoring field in Western Mass. and project management on special projects.
Railroad Street Youth Project
The mission of the RSYP is to empower young people by supporting the creation of youth-generated activities that promote self-worth, responsibility, and intergenerational respect and communication. The RSYP mentoring ambassador will assist with the development and expansion of the South Berkshire Mentoring Program (SBMP). The ambassador will manage components of recruitment and trainings for new matches in the SBMP.
Roxbury Community College
RCC is a co-ed public institution of higher education offering associate degrees and certificate programs. The ambassador will lead the development of the Mentoring for Success Program at RCC for first-generation college students ages 18-24.
SMILES
SMILES is a school based one-to-one mentoring program serving New Bedford and Fall River. SMILES’ ambassador will serve as the volunteer recruitment and retention specialist. The goal of this position is to increase the number of new mentoring matches, as well as the retention of all mentoring matches beyond one year.
Stand and Deliver
Stand and Deliver MCAS Mentoring is a one-on-one mentoring program founded to help students in Lawrence pass the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) required for high school graduation in MA. The ambassador will support the program director in the development, documentation and implementation of The Elements of Effective Practice and other best practices for running all areas of the Stand and Deliver Mentoring Program. Areas include recruitment and intake of volunteer mentors and students as well as match termination and exit procedures.
Year Up
Year Up's mission is to close the opportunity divide by providing urban young adults with the skills, experience, and support that will empower them to reach their potential through professional careers and higher education. Year Up’s ambassador of mentoring will serve with the development and volunteer manager to formalize Year Up’s mentor program by observing, evaluating, and documenting the current process to make it a more structured and scalable program.
The Ambassador program kicked off its inaugural year in 2008. Read about the group's achievements!
