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Unique Partnership Launches National Park Service's Community Volunteer Ambassador Program

Stewards Individual Placement Program (Stewards) and Northwest Youth Corps (NYC) are pleased to announce a unique multi-partnership model to facilitate the Community Volunteer Ambassador Program (CVA) for the National Park Service. The CVA program combines the strength of two national leaders in conservation service/learning programming with the National Park Service in order to train a diverse group of emerging leaders to assist park units in building lasting connections to local communities. Fifty-three young professionals will serve as CVA members for 50 week terms at NPS sites across the country from Alaska to Florida, starting on February 12th, 2018.

Both Stewards and NYC bring unique strengths and experience operating rigorous individual internship programs. Furthermore, Stewards and NYC is engaging a number of regional conservation and service corps, and other youth-serving organizations throughout the United States in connecting to the National Park Service and CVA’s wherever possible. Ambassadors will serve under the guidance and mentorship of the Service’s Interpretation, Education and Volunteers Directorate, but will be directly supervised by a designated NPS site supervisor at the site where they will be stationed.

Lenny Teh, the NPS Service-wide Volunteer Program Manager, is excited to launch this project with Stewards and Northwest Youth Corps, as well as local Corps and youth serving organizations. “The scope of this program is really significant. Ambassadors will focus on a number of core objectives, including building enduring relationships with local communities, increasing the number of volunteers who serve at the park, helping to improve disaster response processes in regards to volunteer mobilization, and helping to organize community stewardship days. A key effort in achieving success will be to diversify the volunteer pool, engage underserved members of the community, and engage veterans and military families in meaningful volunteer projects”.

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CVA Sites

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ALASKA REGION	INTERMOUNTAIN REGION	MIDWEST REGION
Alaska Public Lands Information Center State: AK Member: Sara Bruce	Chaco Culture National Historical Park State: NM Member: Chelsea Mott	Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore State: IN Member: Mari Patis
PACIFIC WEST REGION	Glen Canyon National Recreation Area State: AZ Member: Steven McIntyre	Mississippi River National River and Recreation Area State: MN Member: Marianne Sciamanda
Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument State: ID Member: Erryn Phillips	Big Thicket National Preserve State: TX Member: Nathaniel Zantzinger	River Raisin National Battlefield Park State: MI Member: Erik Lopinski
Joshua Tree National Park State: CA Member: Nathaniel Young	Zion National Park State: UT Member: Mackenzie Pavlik	Hot Springs National Park State: AR Member: Jennifer Albertson
Lake Mead National Recreation Area States: NV/AZ Member: Madeline Wheeler	Mesa Verde National Park and Yucca House National Monument State: CO Member: Julie Savage	Keweenaw National Historical Park State: MI Member: Alan McTaggart
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area State: CA Member: Denise Foerster	Grand Canyon National Park State: AZ Member: Rachele Funk	Cuyahoga Valley National Park State: OH Member: Carolyn Straiker
Pinnacles National Park State: CA Member: Chris Symons	Valles Caldera National Preserve State: NM Member: Crystal Woods	Jefferson National Expansion Memorial State: MO Member: Ani Peckjian
Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park - Seattle State: WA Member: Allison Burdick	San Antonio Missions National Historical Park State: TX Member: Evadne Romero	Central High School National Historic Site State: AR Member: Olivia Pate
Golden Gate National Recreation Area - Facilities State: CA Member: Sydney Mentrup	Saguaro National Park State: AZ Member: Daniel Beckman	Lincoln Home National Historic Site State: IL Member: Jared Kaylor
Lava Beds National Monument State: CA Member: Cody Hammond
Yosemite National Park State: CA Member: Connor Timpone

SOUTHEAST REGION	NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION	NORTHEAST REGION
Blue Ridge Parkway State: VA,NC Member: Natalie Lester	Catoctin Mountain Park State: MD Member: Lorne Haines	Weir Farm National Historic Site State: CT Member: Rachel Lima
Great Smoky Mountains National Park State: TN,NC Member: Logan Boldon	Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park States: MD, VA Member: Michael Cullen	First State National Historical Park State: DE Member: Anthony Trusso
Stones River National Battlefield State: TN Member: Claire Casey	Rock Creek Park State: DC Member: Katheryn Tyler	Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park State: NJ Member: Kelsey Sirica
Everglades National Park State: FL Member: DJ Labay	George Washington Memorial Parkway States: DC, MD, VA Member: Justice Bryant	Valley Forge National Historical Park State: PA Member: Lindsey Brendel
Congaree National Park State: SC Member: Kellie Weidinger	Harpers Ferry National Historical Park States: WV Member: Madelyn Vidmar	National Parks of New York Harbor State: NY Member: Michael Persaud
Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area and Obed Wild and Scenic River States: KY,TN Member: Joshua Daugherty	National Mall and Memorial Parks State: DC Member: Jacklyn Meyer	Fort Monroe National Monument State: VA Member: Chris Martin
Gulf Islands National Seashore State: FL Member: Dana Mullens	President's Park State: DC Member: Natalie Jamison	Richmond National Battlefield State: VA Member: Claire Murphy
Vicksburg National Military Park State: MS Member: Rose Rains		Minute Man National Historical Park State: MA Member: Ryan Ullrich
		Sagamore Hill National Historic Site State: NY Member: Betsy Isley

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Community Volunteer Ambassador (CVA) Recruitment

Community Volunteer Ambassadors are a group of young adults, brought together through a partnership between the National Park Service, Stewards Individual Placement Program, and Northwest Youth Corps to lend their talents, energy, and enthusiasm to help strengthen the bonds between communities and parks. These service members are recent high school and college graduates, who serve year long terms in national parks across the country working to expand service-learning and volunteer efforts and coordinate group service opportunities. Learn More!

The 2018 CVA cohort is currently in the field. Please check back Fall 2018 if you are interested in applying for next year. Apply here in the future.

CONTACT

For questions about the CVA program, please contact:

Hilary Webster, Program Coordinator

hwebster@conservationlegacy.org

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