Community Outreach Specialist

Position Status

Open

Site

Delaware

NHC Position Type

Outreach Coordinator

Position Summary

The NHC Member will serve as the Community Outreach Specialist, helping to grow the existing Open Streets Wilmington initiative and develop a variety of new outreach initiatives. These efforts serve the entire Wilmington community, with a particular focus on UBP customers and LMI neighborhoods.

The NHC member will join the existing leadership team of Open Streets Wilmington, working with the Open Streets Wilmington steering committee to organize 6 events in neighborhoods across Wilmington (roughly 55% of time). Open Streets events temporarily close busy streets to motor vehicle, transforming them into safe spaces for residents of all ages and abilities to get outside, play and exercise, and connect with each other. The events also provide resources for healthy living, including fresh produce giveaways, outdoor fitness and dance classes, COVID-19 resources, informational tables, and more. Finally, Open Streets events highlight streets that are currently unsafe, and invite residents to reimagine a street design that not only serves cars but serves all residents – families and children, residents with disabilities, residents who don’t own cars, and active outdoor recreation opportunities for all.

The NHC Member will also help to develop Urban Bike Project’s new mobility justice initiatives as described in our 2022-2025 Strategic Plan (roughly 45% of time). The intent of these initiatives will be to uplift underrepresented voices and bring diverse perspectives to the transportation decision making table. 

The remaining 10% of the NHC Member’s time will be spent on general outreach and tabling opportunities, such as tabling at community health fairs and other events. Participation in community events has always been an effective outreach tool for UBP for recruiting volunteers and reaching new customers who can benefit from our services, but our small team struggles to have the staffing capacity to consistently attend. The NHC Member will help expand organizational capacity through general community outreach.

Major Duties and Responsibilities

Nutrition Education Program

Member will recruit community members for classes on basic nutrition

● Member will update an existing nutrition curriculum to teach class participants

● Member will handle all logistics for nutrition classes

● Member will teach the nutrition class

Open Streets Wilmington

Take notes for all Open Streets steering committee meetings (monthly) and core team meetings (weekly).

Manage communications with civic associations

Research and coordinate with organizers of local events, organizations, and health resources in the neighborhood for each event.

Coordinate with DelDOT and UD Living Labs to target corridors in need of safety improvements for event locations.

Coordinate volunteer recruitment for the events.

Recruit partners and vendors for each event with a focus on health resources.

Conduct door-to-door outreach with businesses and residents.

Attend Open Streets events and assist with day-of set up and break down

Mobility Justice Initiatives

Conduct research and literature reviews on best practices in community outreach in the transportation sector. 

Compile data from existing neighborhood plans and the citywide Comprehensive Plan on proposed transportation initiatives; cross reference these to projects included in the Wilmington Bike Plan, DelDOT’s project list, and DelDOT’s road diet map.

Work with DelDOT to identify corridors for pop-up demonstrations that correspond with Open Streets events. 

Manage communications and technology for pop-up demo public workshops, including email and social media posts, door-to-door flyering, setting up virtual meeting tech, and taking meeting notes. 

Recruit photographer, videographer, humanities, and production partners to record and share stories of UBP customers. 

Schedule and organize workshops with UBP customers (who will be paid for their participation) to share input on specific transportation challenges they experience.

Help Executive Director design and organize mobility justice tours based on input from workshops with UBP customers

General Community Outreach

Respond to requests to table/participate in community events

Arrange logistics for all tabling events

Staff tables at scheduled events to share information about the organization with the public, help interested individuals fill out free bike applications, record contact information for those interested in volunteering, and answer questions.

Characteristics of an Ideal Candidate

Required Qualifications:

Outgoing and comfortable talking to diverse populations 

Good listening and communications skills, including writing and social media

Some experience with customer service or other public-facing jobs  Reliable and self-motivated

Excellent organizational skills

Comfortable learning new technology platforms

Interest in addressing systemic injustice and social determinants of health in the area of transportation and mobility

Familiarity with and/or commitment to Wilmington neighborhoods

Ability to walk several miles and lift at least 10 pounds

Preferred Qualifications (not necessary for success but helpful):

Spanish language proficiency

Knowledge Required for the Position

  • Some coursework, experience with, or knowledge of public policy, especially transportation policy and public health policy 
  • Experience with community outreach or community organizing
  • Experience organizing events, especially large-scale or community events
  • Ability to think strategically and synthesize lots of pieces into a big picture

Supervision

Host Site Supervisor:

Laura Wilburn Executive Director

Wilburn.laura@gmail.com 

Samantha Decenord Program Coordinator 

National Health Corps Community Health Fellowship

Tonya Richardson Program Director

National Health Corps Community Health Fellowship

Guidelines

In order to be eligible to serve in this position and in the NHC Program, a person must meet the following requirements:

1. Must be at least 18 years of age by the time the service term begins.

2. Must be a United States citizen, national, or lawful permanent resident.

3. Must have a high school diploma or an equivalency certificate and must not have dropped out of elementary or secondary school in order to enroll as an AmeriCorps member (unless enrolled in an institution of higher education on an ability to benefit basis and is considered eligible for funds under section 484 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, 20 U.S.C. 1091), or who has been determined through an independent assessment conducted by the Program to be incapable of obtaining a high school diploma or its equivalent.

4. Must have complied with all AmeriCorps required criminal history checks including 1) a State Criminal Registry Check of the AmeriCorps-designated repository in both the state in which the Program operates and the state in which the member resided at the time they applied to the Program; 2) a nationwide fingerprint-based FBI background check; and 3) a Department of Justice National Sex Offender Registry Check. The member understands that if the results of the required criminal history checks reveal that they are subject to a state sex offender registration requirement and/or have been convicted of homicide (1st, 2nd or 3rd degree) they will be ineligible to serve in the Program. The member also understands they will have the opportunity to review and dispute the findings from the criminal history check.

5. Must submit valid forms of documentation to prove date of birth and citizenship/naturalization/resident alien status and must have a valid government-issued photo identification.

6. Must disclose any history of having been released from another AmeriCorps program; failure to do so will render one ineligible to receive the education award.

7. Must submit evidence that they successfully completed any previous AmeriCorps terms, if applicable.

8. Must furnish all other documentation deemed appropriate by the Program and Host Site.

Criminal History Check Requirements Beyond NHC Standard Checks

None.