Opportunity Flourish AmeriCorps Program
The Opportunity Flourish AmeriCorps program offers opportunities for students and community members interested in working directly with young people in the Greater Williamsburg community.
Opportunity Flourish has two components:
- Letters & ME (Mentoring Early) provides social-emotional and literacy support for preschoolers.
- Sparks! offers opportunities for middle schoolers to explore their passions during out-of-school time hours.
Benefits of Serving with AmeriCorps
- Living Allowance. See below for more information.
- Education Award
- Leadership development
- Development of specific education and youth development skills, of particularly interest to those pursuing careers in psychology, education, public health and sociology (OPEN TO ALL MAJORS)
- Monthly coaching for personal & professional growth
- Career development workshops on translating your AmeriCorps experience into future success
- Professional networking opportunities
- National Recognition of Service
The Letters & ME activities will incorporate family engagement and provide pre-literacy and social-emotional skill-building and activities. In addition, both Letters & ME as well as Sparks! will offer two levels of service.
- Abbreviated Time (AT)
- Minimum Time (MT)
| Member Type | Service Hour Requirement | Approx Hrs/Wk | Living Allowance* | Education Award |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abbreviated Time* | 100 | 5 | $1,250 | $416.17 |
| Minimum Time | 300 | 12 | $4,050 | $1,565.08 |
*These amounts are approximate.
All positions require a year-long commitment (September through May).
Letters & ME (Mentoring Early)
Have you ever wanted to work with preschoolers? Are you interested in the development of pre-literacy skills and social-emotional awareness? If so, then Letters & Me (Mentoring Early) is for you!
As a part of this service opportunity, you will partner with Opportunity Flourish program staff to support Williamsburg-James City County Community Action Agency's Head Start Program or York County Head Start preschoolers and their families.
Are you interested in youth development? If you’re interested in gaining new competencies as a youth worker either during the traditional school day or out-of-school time hours, Project Discovery Sparks is for you!
The Sparks! program pairs AmeriCorps members who are near-peer mentors (between 18 and 24 years of age) to work alongside middle schoolers as they will explore their interests via passion projects! This service opportunity allows you to partner with Opportunity Flourish program staff to help youth discover more about what they love, but it also provides a direct career pathway for you to gain competencies to become a youth worker who supports the mental health needs of young people in the community.
Likewise, this year AmeriCorps members serving with Sparks! programming will have the opportunity to gain additional training and certifications as a part of Virginia's first Youth Mental Health Corps, such Youth Mental First Aid and much more. This will prepare you for a career in youth development, psychology, or mental health.
Cohorts
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until all positions are filled. Positions fill quickly, so apply as early as possible.
| Cohort | Info Sessions | Application Deadline | Tentative Interviews | Tentative Notification | Tentative Deadline for Signed MSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Cohort | March 24th-April 4th | April 6th at 11:59 pm | April 7th-18th | April 24th-30th | May 2nd |
| 2nd Cohort | April 7th-June 30th | June 30th at 11:59 pm | July 1st-18th | July 21st-31st | August 6th |
| 3rd Cohort | July 1st-August 1st | August 3rd at 11:59 pm | August 4th-15th | August 18th-22nd | August 31st |
For more information, sign up for an information session! To apply for positions please select one of the options below that best describes you.