St. Vincent de Paul Vinnie’s Service Corps Coordinator Fellow
Position Title: Community Engagement Vinnie’s Service Corps Coordinator Fellow
Dates / Time Frame of Fellowship: May 13th – August 2nd
Hour Commitment: 15-20 hours per week
St. Vincent de Paul Mission and Organization Overview: The Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) strives to Feed, Clothe, House, & Heal individuals and families in our community who have nowhere else to turn for help. Equally as important, we provide meaningful opportunities for volunteers to serve their neighbors in need with love and compassion.
We are about CONNECTING OUR COMMUNITY. Volunteerism is the way we work, because we believe in interdependence. We believe our community works best—when we’re all taking care of each other.
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is an international nonprofit organization that feeds, clothes, houses and heals. It is dedicated to serving people in need and providing the community with the opportunity to serve. SVdP has been assisting central and northern Arizona families since 1946. It operates a network of more than 80 neighborhood food pantries, five charity dining rooms, a transitional shelter, a resource center for the homeless, bill assistance and homelessness prevention programming, as well as a charity clinic with medical, dental and wellness care for the uninsured.
St. Vincent de Paul – Phoenix is the largest SVdP in the world and thousands of people in need are served annually. SVdP collaborates with other nonprofit, for profit, government and higher education institutions throughout the community. Organizations and people want to partner with SVdP because SVdP is known for getting things done with grace, kindness, and dignity. They partner and collaborate internally and externally to ensure the most holistic services for our guests. SVdP recognizes that they excel in providing services like hospitality, food production, homelessness prevention, responding to community emergencies, service, emergency and maintenance health care, nutrition, etc. However, they also value the strengths and assets that others bring in supporting those in need in our community.
Website: https://www.stvincentdepaul.net/
Fellow Capacity: 2
Leadership In Action Fellowship Program Overview: The SVdP Leadership In Action (LIA) Fellows are current University or College Students or recent graduates who strive to be a part of the solution by sharing their gifts, expertise, and passion with SVdP and those we serve. At the core of the Fellowship is the desire to co-create an experience with our fellows that helps to develop the next generation of strong, social leaders and builds the capacity of SVdP to serve the community.
LIA Fellows will be supported through a cohort model that exemplifies collaboration and cross pollination within SVdP Departments, programs, SVdP Leadership, donors and Fellows. Throughout the Fellowship, Fellows will engage in a continuous learning framework through one on one mentorship, biweekly cohort gatherings, monthly educational sessions, an intentional
feedback process, and guided reflection. This framework is intended to create time and space for fellows to support one another, learn from each other, and develop their personal leadership style.
Community Engagement Department Overview: The Community Engagement Department connects with the community for St. Vincent de Paul in Phoenix with a special focus on representing the mission and its people with positivity, dignity and hope, while inspiring the public to join in creating a better community for everyone. The team is responsible for outreach, storytelling, recruiting, educating, informing, establishing new partnerships and relationships and by developing additional impactful programs for SVdP.
Fellow Duties: The Vinnie’s Service Corps Coordinator Fellow will be the driving force in conducting and operating our camp for children to learn, engage and participate in the local community while gaining an understanding of the value of service and the challenges of those experiencing financial hardships. The fellow will gather program ideas, gain buy-in from the areas and be an active leader. The Fellow will report to Community Engagement Officer, Michael Harris, and is expected to work with and take direction from all Community Engagement staff. Below are some of the duties and tasks that will be asked of the Fellow:
- Partner with staff and to ensure content ideas across SVdP program areas is a win-win for all involved.
- Assist in ensuring a daily curriculum is engaging and in line with SVdP mission of feed, cloth, house and heal all those in need.
- Assist to train and oversee counselors for the program and actively be part of the day to day of camp operations and that program goal are executed with professionalism.
- Supervise activities in a safe and engaging manner so attendees have an opportunity to learn the value of service, the impact and causes of homelessness and how they can make a difference in their community.
- Communicate among staff, parents, attendees about daily occurrences and ensuring the safety of their children are a top priority.
Benefits: The Vinnie’s Service Corps Coordinator Fellow will have the opportunity to learn how to honor the experience of vulnerable populations while helping people connect to and support the work and mission of SVdP through community engagement. This Fellowship will be an invaluable, deep dive into the outreach and engagement of youth, not only exposing the Fellow to the everyday creativity, grit and function of a non-profit service provider, but also offering them the opportunity to be an integral hand in the fruition and execution of a new pilot program. Given the small but mighty nature of the Community Engagement team, there is no doubt that this Fellow will gain skills in independent creation, teamwork, problem solving, time management, networking, and professional relationship building and management with people across SVdP.
In order to demonstrate that SVdP sees the LIA Fellowship as mutual learning with high expectations, compensation up to $2,500 will be provided from May 13th – August 2nd, 2024. Interested Fellows may have the opportunity to continue through Fall 2024 with additional compensation.
Training Required: Students interested in any of the SVdP Fellowship Opportunities will be required to participate in a virtual SVdP Orientation prior to start of fellowship. This will ensure that students understand the SVdP mission, role of volunteers within SVdP, the population served by SVdP, and the range of volunteer opportunities that are available.
Additional training will be provided by site preceptor to support fellow’s capacity to complete goals and objectives during the semester.
Equipment Required: Students interested in this opportunity must have access to a computer, internet, and phone. The tasks and responsibilities associated with this opportunity require the ability to access multiple websites and online tracking platforms. Additionally, students must be able to register for a zoom account and have video and audio capability through their computer or phone for weekly meetings and overall communication.
Required/Desired Skills:
- Strong connection to mission and serving vulnerable populations in dignified ways
- General Computer skills: Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Canva.
- Experience and desire to work with children ages 9+
- Strong verbal and written communication skills
- Meticulous and detail-oriented
- Work style: A self-starter and go-getter attitude. Ability to take initiative, work independently but also within a small team environment
- Willingness to learn, adapt, take edits and take on challenges.
- Fearlessness in voicing ideas and offering input with the understanding that some ideas get pushed forward while others get left behind