ROLE: Photography, Media, Art AmeriCorps LISC- Media Associate
JOB SUMMARY:
Outside the Lens
We are photographers. We are artists. We are filmmakers. We are storytellers. We are changemakers.
Outside the Lens (OTL) amplifies youth voices through photography, filmmaking, and digital media art, catalyzing change within themselves, their community, and the world.
We are a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit with global reach, headquartered in San Diego, California. We are passionate about changing lives and making a difference by providing youth with the tools and skills to tell their story.
OTL was established in 2001; after eight years of working with Migrant Education and Juvenile Court Schools, we became a non-profit organization in 2009. Since our inception, over 22,000 youth have engaged in hands-on digital media projects exploring important issues. Outside the Lens closes the gap in access to quality education and digital technology, equipping underserved youth with the necessary tools to become successful, competitive, and engaged 21st-century citizens.
Media Makers seeks to inspire and nurture individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) to express their place and purpose in the world through media arts and build a more inclusive society. We use cameras and digital media along with a proven educational strategy that allows individuals to think creatively, engage in issues that are important to them and advocate for social change.
Who We Serve:
- K-12 grade students, with a focus on schools in low-income communities
- Youth experiencing marginalization, including refugee and migrant families
- Youth affected by domestic violence and human trafficking
- Students connected to the juvenile justice system
- Youth in the foster care system
- Transitional age youth
- Youth affected by homelessness
- Children of active-duty military and veterans
- LGBTQ+ youth
- Transitional Age Youth and Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Outside the Lens and Local Initiatives Support Corporation is excited to announce our Americorps position. Outside the Lens seek full-time AmeriCorps members to serve as Associate Media Educators. The candidate will ideally begin service on or before June 1, 2023, and serve a minimum of 1700 hours through the end of the 11th month term.
ORGANIZATION BACKGROUNDS
Outside the Lens amplifies youth voice, teaching them photography, film, and media to create change within themselves, their community, and the world. Our innovative programs engage disconnected youth, encourage them to tell their stories, and show them that participation in their community’s future makes a difference. We use digital and media literacy and a proven educational strategy that allows youth to think creatively, engage in important issues, and advocate for social change. We envision a future where all youth will have the access and education necessary to understand, evaluate, and, most importantly, create media. Through photography, videography, and digital media, youth become engaged learners and active participants in the classroom, their communities, and ultimately the world.
Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) is dedicated to helping community residents transform distressed neighborhoods into healthy and sustainable communities of choice and opportunity — good places to work, do business, and raise children. LISC combines corporate, government, and philanthropic resources to help community-based organizations revitalize underserved neighborhoods. This strategy extends to the LISC AmeriCorps program, where we support placing AmeriCorps Members with local non-profit partners. Members assist in revitalizing underserved neighborhoods across America and creating vibrant places for people to live, work, and play.
AMERICORPS MEMBER ACTIVITIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Associate Media Educator
- Assist in Developing and delivering in-person/virtual OTL media arts curricula to K-12 students at our classroom and community sites in San Diego and elsewhere.
- Assist in Developing and delivering in-person/virtual teacher training programs and workshops
- Coordinating, curating, and producing in-person/virtual final exhibitions and other interactive student galleries
- Working closely with classroom teachers, students, site partners, and parents to communicate the OTL mission and vision in all phases of program design, creation, and implementation
- Performing other job duties as assigned by the OTL leadership team.
CAREER DEVELOPMENT AND SERVICE REQUIREMENTS
Members perform day to day service at Outside the Lens and are expected to participate in all LISC AmeriCorps sponsored activities, including but not limited to:
- Attending a national leadership conference tentatively scheduled for March 2023;
- Attending all locally sponsored monthly meetings;
- Participating in nationally sponsored webinars;
- Actively participating in at least two locally identified and team coordinated service projects (one for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service and one for National AmeriCorps Week); and,
- Engaging in any other LISC events as determined by the local LISC office.
This is an AmeriCorps position. As such, neither LISC nor Outside the Lens will allow the member to engage in activities considered prohibited under the terms of the grant while serving as a LISC AmeriCorps member.
DESIRED SKILLS
- Desire and ability to work with a diverse group of people, particularly those living in low-income distressed neighborhoods and individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities
- Ability to work independently and in a team environment
- Computer skills
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Ability to work a flexible schedule (some night and weekends may be required)
PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
To be eligible to participate as a LISC AmeriCorps member, the candidate must meet all eligibility requirements to serve as a National Service participant, including but not limited to:
- Be eligible to earn 100% of a full-time education award.
- Be eligible to perform a term of national service.
- Possess a high school degree, GED certificate or agree to achieve GED during the term of service
- Be at least 17 years of age (note there is no upper age limit)
- Have proof of status as a US citizen or possess permanent resident status and provide documentation as determined by CNCS
- Be available to serve for a full 10 month period of time.
- Be able to complete at least 1700 hours of service within the 11 months of service.
NATIONAL SERVICE CRIMINAL HISTORY SEARCH REQUIREMENT
If a candidate has a criminal record, it does not necessarily make a candidate ineligible for service. Only candidates who are subject to the registry on the National Sex Offender Public Website or have been convicted of
First Degree Murder may not participate as AmeriCorps members. Only candidates being offered and then accepting the position must consent to a National Sex Offender Public Website search, a State Level.
Criminal History Search, and an FBI search. Consent is provided via the LISC AmeriCorps application.
PROGRAM BENEFITS
Upon completing the term of service, the member will be eligible for a $6,495.00 education award to pay off existing, eligible student loans or return to school. The position pays a total stipend of $21,000. The stipend is taxable and paid in 22 equal checks twice a month from LISC. Direct deposit is highly encouraged. A health care benefit is available for the participant only (dependents are not eligible). There is a childcare subsidy benefit available for members with children under the age of 13, which depends on the participant meeting all eligibility requirements (A contracted provider administers this benefit via the Corporation for National and Community Service).
