LVI's VOCAL program places AmeriCorps members in volunteer literacy programs in community and faith-based agencies and in the Illinois Youth Centers of the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice.
The program offers two service options: Full-time - 1,700 hours and Part-time - 900 hours
Full-time members generally serve 35 hours a week for a one-year period and receive a bi-weekly living allowance ($14,279 per annum), health insurance, and worker's comp coverage from LVI. Child care assistance and student loan deferrals are available through the CNCS.
Full-time members are also eligible at the end of their service for an educational award of $6,195.
Part-time members generally serve 20 hours a week for one-year, during which time they receive a bi-weekly living allowance that is based on $7,200 per annum and worker’s comp coverage. Student loan deferrals are available through the CNCS. Part-time members are eligible at the end of their service year for an educational award of $3,097.50.
VOCAL*AmeriCorps Members can serve as a one-to-one and/or small group tutor for adults and out-of-school teens; maintain records of tutoring sessions, including materials used, lessons reviewed, progress made. You may recruit and/or assist in recruiting individuals to be volunteers tutors; may conduct orientations for new volunteers; may conduct basic skills and literacy assessments.
You may assist in the matching of tutors and students; may provide on-going communication and support to volunteers, i.e., organizing initial and in-service training and tutor exchanges, collecting data, etc. as requested. You may plan and implement tutor recognition activities (newsletters, awards, events).
You will prepare and submit monthly program reports; attend monthly training sessions and quarterly member meetings; participate in Days of Service as required or requested; may assist with resource development activities and special events; and, may conduct initial and in-service tutor training.
The goal of the VOCAL - Volunteer Outreach for Community Action in Literacy –program is to expand literacy services in local communities by recruiting, placing and training individuals to serve as literacy specialists and program associates in community and faith-based literacy programs serving economically disadvantaged adults.
As a literacy specialist or program associate, members tutor, recruit tutors, and/or serve as job coaches or employment specialists. Members are also involved with a variety of community outreach, program planning, policy development and social and volunteer engagement activities within those programs. The VOCAL program also works within the Illinois Youth Centers of the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice, where members serve as tutors and mentors to incarcerated youth as well as tutor recruiters and tutor trainers in the Jump Start programs within the Centers.
Full-time, part-time and minimum-time placements are available. The VOCAL program also has a program within its program specific to the Kewanee community in central Illinois, with part-time members serving in various after-school programs and social service agencies.
For further information on the VOCAL program visit lvillinois.org or
call 312/857-1582, or write to lvivocal@aol.com.
