 Oregon
State Service Corps (OSSC)
What is the Oregon State Service
Corps (OSSC)?
What do OSSC AmeriCorps
members work on?
Become an AmeriCorps member
Place an AmeriCorps member at your site
_____________________________________________________________________
Become an Oregon State Service Corps member
Who are Oregon State Service Corps (OSSC)
AmeriCorps members?
What are the benefits for service with
the OSSC?
Does the Red Cross offer special training
to AmeriCorps members?
Can members choose where they serve?
How does the application process work?
OSSC Tentative Calendar
Who do I contact for more information?
Note: Recruitment for 08-09 positions will begin May 2008.
Who are Oregon State Service Corps (OSSC) AmeriCorps members?
OSSC members are enthusiastic about national service, committed
to making a difference, excited about participating in trainings,
regional meetings, disaster response and meet the minimum qualifications
listed by their placement site. In addition, members must be United
States citizens, nationals or legal permanent aliens who are at
least 17 years of age and have a high school diploma, equivalent
or a plan to obtain one during the year.
What are the benefits for service with the OSSC?
In return for 1,700 hours of service over an 11-month period,
47 full-time AmeriCorps members will receive a $4,725 education
award for future tuition or payment on qualified student loans
(taxed), a living allowance of $11,400, (over eleven months,
taxed), medical insurance, loan forbearance and/or child-care
(if qualified). Six part-time members receive a $2,362.50 education
award (taxed), a living allowance of $5,700 over nine to eleven
months (which is taxed), and loan forebearance (if qualified). Members only receive stipend and other benefits while serving.
All members gain skills, take on new responsibilities, make
new contacts, make a difference in their community and feel
the satisfaction of "getting things done."
Does the Red Cross offer special training to AmeriCorps members?
All OSSC members participate in an extensive pre-service orientation,
with training in communication and conflict resolution, cultural
competency, team building, organizing service projects and other
specialized courses. In addition, all members are trained in
first-aid, and all full-time members are trained as volunteer
disaster responders and may provide up to 80 hours of disaster
response to local, in-state disasters through the Red Cross.
Members also receive training from their placement sites on
project-specific topics and are encouraged to seek continued
training throughout their service year.
Can members choose where they serve?
Yes! We want you to choose where you would like to serve. Because
OSSC AmeriCorps members spend the majority of their time at
placement sites, the site-to-member match is critical.
How does the application process work?
1) Determine which sites and position descriptions interest
you. Consider site location, issue area and the full position
description
2) After you look through the list of sites and position descriptions,
directly contact the site or sites that interest you (using
the contact information at the bottom of the site's position
description). I recommend contacting the site(s) as soon as
you can, and asking them when their deadline for application
is: each site will set their own deadline, and all sites must
have have chosen their top applicant no later than August 3rd
(but many sites will make their decision earlier than that).
3) Complete the OSSC AmeriCorps Application (available on navigation bar to left). You are welcome to include a cover
letter and resume as additional information.
4) Send completed applications directly to sites you are interested
in (not to OSSC). Be sure to send your application to a site's
mailing address (rather than physical address), if a mailing address
is specifically listed in the position description. Your two selected
references should fill out the reference forms included with the
application and mail them directly to sites in sealed envelopes.
You may consider asking your references to keep backup copies
of the completed forms in the event you apply to more than one
site.
5) Sites review applications.
6) Sites contact applicants they are interested in and conduct
interviews of these applicants.
7) Sites each select their top applicant and forward his or her
application to the OSSC office. Note: sites are responsible for
contacting applicants they do not choose.
8) Application of top applicant for each site is reviewed by
OSSC for eligibility for the program.
9) OSSC contacts each top applicant for final interview (by phone).
10) After phone interview, if all goes well, applicant is accepted
into the program.
(Applicant is generally notified of acceptance within a few days
of the phone interview.)
11) Applicant is sent information on the program orientation
(before September).
OSSC Tentative Calendar
| May 2008 |
Open positions for 2008-2009 service year announced. |
May
through
August 1, 2008
|
Member recruitment begins. Applicants apply directly to
sites. Sites interview, select members. The length of time
the recruitment process takes differs from site to site. |
| Sept 2-5, 2008 |
All members attend 4-day, 3-night OSSC orientation in
Portland area. |
| September 8, 2008 |
Members begin service at their placement sites. |
| July 31, 2009 |
Term of service is complete. |
Members also attend quarterly meetings with members in their
region (dates tbd)
Who may I contact for more information?
Jen Sedell, AmeriCorps Specialist
American Red Cross Oregon Trail Chapter
P.O. Box 3200
Portland, OR 97208
Phone: 503-528-5636
Fax: 503-284-2835
E-mail: sedellj@redcross-pdx.org
Note: The OSSC application, is in
PDF format (if you need to download Adobe Reader, click
here). If you are unable to open a document, please contact
Gail Gehrke at gehrkeg@redcross-pdx.org
for a printed copy.
For more on environmental placements, go to www.northwestserviceacademy.org
For more information about AmeriCorps in general, go to www.americorps.org
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