About Project MARS AmeriCorps

Project MARS members provide support to K-12 students and schools through Mentoring, Academic Assistance, and Resources for Success (MARS). Our mission is to provide students and schools with hands-on resources in areas where they need them the most. Specifically, in rural and charter schools, our members serve closely with school staff and give extra support to students to help them succeed behaviorally and academically. Since Project MARS’ inception in 2015, 270 National Service Members have served over 8,000 children, 93% of whom have shown improvement in Academic Engagement both Attitudinally and Behaviorally. National Service Members through Project MARS have contributed over 350,000 hours of service to the communities where they serve in Western North Carolina.

Roles and Responsibilities

As a Project MARS AmeriCorps member, your service will focus in three different areas; Mentoring, Academic Assistance, and Resources for Success. You will be matched with a “Little” through Big Brothers and Big Sisters, one of most effective and well-established peer mentoring organizations in the U.S. You will meet with your Little weekly in 1-on-1 sessions to guide them in school work and social-emotional skills while serving as a positive role model. You will provide Academic Assistance to students and classrooms who need it most. Working alongside your school staff team you will assist in providing enriching activities, lessons, and tutoring. Lastly, you will be keen to seek out additional Resources for Success to lift up students or the school, which may include recruiting volunteers to help in your school or through BBBS.

Mentoring

●  Guide Little in healthy conversations, behaviors, and problem-solving.

●  Listen to and address possible needs with the help of their teacher.

●  Remain a consistent and reliable figure to your Little.

●  Help Little with supplemental studies at the direction of their teacher.

●  May work to maintain or coordinate a peer-peer mentor program.

Academic Assistance

●  Work with identified students 1-on-1 and in small groups.

●  Coordinate after-school activities for identified students.

●  Assist with guiding behaviors of students.

●  Collaborate with teachers and team members to collect, record, analyze, and monitor individual student progress.

●  Provide guided activities designed to provide additional learning experiences for identified students.

●  Help build a safe, healthy, and supportive classroom environment.

Resources for Success

●  Develop/implement effective recruitment and placement of compassionate and caring community volunteers and groups.

●  Support whole school initiatives to increase engagement with students and their families.

●  Coordinate outreach to community organizations for food, clothing, school supplies, and health services.

Project MARS Benefits

You will receive:

●  Yearly living allowance totaling $28,000 (2023) distributed in bi-weekly installments

●  Health, dental, and vision insurance

●  Workers’ compensation

●  SNAP food assistance benefits

●  ASC AmeriCorps Member Assistance Program Free in-person or telehealth counseling service

AmeriCorps and Other Federally-Issued Benefits

You will be eligible for:

●  Segal AmeriCorps Education Award ($6,800)

●  Child care benefits paid by AmeriCorps

●  Loan forbearance and interest accrual payments for qualified student loans

●  Time accrual toward the U.S. Department of Education’s Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

●  Income-based Loan Repayment Plan (IBR)

●  Education award matching grant from participating colleges

Eligibility Requirements

●  Have a college degree or be pursuing one from an accredited institution of higher learning.

●  Meet satisfactory results of the three-step National Service Criminal History Check.

●  Be a United States citizen, a national or a permanent legal resident, and be at least 18 years of age.

Applicants Must

●  Have a passion for working with at-risk youth and community volunteers.

●  Demonstrate patience in the provision of Academic assistance to at-risk youth.

●  Take a caring approach to learning and to recruitment/recognition of volunteers.

●  Be open to learning new things.

●  Work effectively as part of a team, is a problem solver, and a self-starter.

●  Demonstrate flexibility and adaptability.

● Have outstanding skills in communication, leadership, planning, and organization.

Training and Professional Development

As a full-time member, you will receive a 2-week training at the start of the year to prepare you for service at your site. Presentations from school officials, DSS first responders, and Big Brothers and Big Sisters staff will prepare you for the challenges that schools and students face every day. You will learn the basics of conflict resolution, how to be a mentor to your Little, and how children’s mindsets affect their learning habits.

Culture and Values

When you join AmeriCorps you are serving alongside more than 250,000 individuals who annually dedicate themselves to a year of service to make a difference in their communities. Through evaluation and performance measures, members can quantify and see the impact they are making at their service site. No small task goes unnoticed as AmeriCorps members are appreciated by their service sites year-round and recognized during National Volunteer Week and AmeriCorps week. Steeped in history, a cultural hub for the arts, and a recreationist’s dream, WNC is a wonderful place to call home during your service year.

Life After AmeriCorps

AmeriCorps North Carolina provides online and in-person training to its members on how to carry their learned skills and experiences onto their next career path. Members who choose to serve a second year with AmeriCorps receive additional benefits. Members are recommended new opportunities to participate in national service, take on leadership roles with project MARS, and are more likely to be offered a full-time job at their school site after their term.