City of Dubuque AmeriCorps Program

Curious to learn more about the history and structure of the City of Dubuque AmeriCorps program? 

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The City of Dubuque AmeriCorps Program leverages Dubuque Community members to build capacity with local non-profits, government departments and school districts to solve some of Dubuque’s most pressing needs. The Program’s current priority is supporting youth in their academic, career, and personal success through Social-Emotional Learning. 

With a primary focus on fostering essential skills, AmeriCorps members will spearhead programs that target self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, goal-directed behavior, relationship skills, personal responsibility, decision-making, and optimistic thinking. By prioritizing these critical attributes, the City of Dubuque AmeriCorps members aim to equip local youth with the necessary tools to navigate challenges, enhance well-being, and succeed academically and beyond. Each of these attributes are often traits that we admire in our friends, family members, colleagues, and leaders.

At the conclusion of the first program year, AmeriCorps members will be responsible for driving measurable changes in students' social and emotional competencies, empowering them to thrive in various aspects of life. Through in-school and out-of-school-time programs, these dedicated individuals will create supportive environments that promote personal growth and positive development among the student population.

AmeriCorps members are stationed within local organizations, including the Dubuque Community School District, St. Mark Youth Enrichment, Carnegie-Stout Public Library, Multicultural Family Center, and the City of Dubuque’s Arts & Cultural Affairs, Engineering, and Leisure Services Departments, ensuring a comprehensive and multi-faceted approach to supporting youth development. Brief descriptions of what the members will do at each organization are:

Carnegie-Stout Public Library: 1 Full-Time Position and 2 Summer Part-Time Position

The Early Literacy Specialist will provide outreach and literacy resources to Pre-Kindergarten through 5th grade students. This role will be responsible for program development, implementation and evaluation, and outreach to the community youth populations.

City of Dubuque Arts & Cultural Affairs Office: 1 Full-Time Position

The AmeriCorps Teen Creativity Specialist's goal is to provide Dubuque's teenage youth with community connections, healthy opportunities, and engaging activities focused on Arts & Culture, year-round. This vital role focuses on supporting teens find their unique, creative expression, helping them navigate their personal development in meaningful ways. This position will support the development and implementation of programming for high school students, engage junior high students, build relationships with disadvantaged youth and their families, connect talents and interests to potential careers, and create sustainable support systems within the community.  

City of Dubuque Engineering: 1 Full-Time Position

The Teen Municipal Career Specialist will facilitate architecture/engineering/construction (AEC) career exploration activities for local youth. This position will lead and administer the Engineering Department's Teen Municipal Career Program for high school and middle school students which involves classroom training, job shadowing, and summer job training opportunities. By fostering connections and offering valuable learning opportunities, the Teen Municipal Career Specialist will help students explore potential career paths in the AEC industry and public service.

Dubuque Community School District: 20 Part-Time Positions

1. The Social-Emotional Learning Intervention Specialist (14-16 hours/week) will be responsible for implementing evidence-based interventions, building positive connections with youth, and collaborating to promote social-emotional well-being.
2. The Social-Emotional Learning Intervention Coordinator (22-24 hours/week) will be responsible for implementing and promoting social-emotional learning initiatives to enhance the overall well-being and academic success of students.

Hillcrest Family Services: 3 Full-Time Positions

1. The Mentor Dubuque Match Specialist will play a pivotal role in implementing the Mentor Dubuque program with Hillcrest Family Services. This position will provide guidance and supervision to Mentor Dubuque matches (mentor-mentee relationships), to promote strong, long-term mentor relationships. This position engages with and builds relationships with mentors, youth, and their families, helping them connect their talents and interests to build meaningful, mentoring relationships. 
2. The Teen Education Specialist will play a pivotal role in implementing Hillcrest Family Services’ teen public health education curriculum. This position will develop and implement prevention education around risk-related behaviors to teen populations. This position engages with and builds relationships with youth and their families, helping them develop key life-skills.
3. The Youth Services & Resources Specialist will play a pivotal role in implementing Hillcrest Family Services’ school-based services. This position will develop and implement social-emotional learning interventions to address behaviors to youth populations. This position engages youth at the intersection of social-emotional learning, education, and mental health to provide students with key skills for success.

Multicultural Family Center & Leisure Services: 2 Full-Time Positions & 12 Part-Time Summer Positions

1. The Academic Advocate aims to provide comprehensive support to students and families from marginalized communities, helping them navigate the education system and stay on track towards their post-high school goals. The Academic Advocate will develop and lead the Future-Ready programming for high school students at the Multicultural Family Center, while also engaging junior high students in similar activities. This position focuses on building relationships with disadvantaged youth and their families, connecting their talents and interests to potential careers, and creating sustainable support systems within the community.
2. The Teen Engagement Specialist's goal is to provide Dubuque's teenage youth with community connections, healthy opportunities, and engaging activities year-round, focusing on supporting students and families from marginalized communities, helping them navigate their out-of-school time in meaningful ways. This vital role involves developing programs, implementing them, evaluating their impact, and reaching out to diverse youth populations. This position will lead Teen Night programming for high school students, engage middle school students, build relationships with disadvantaged youth and their families, connect talents and interests to potential careers, and create sustainable support systems within the community.
3. The Summer Teen Empowerment Specialists are a team of AmeriCorps Members that serve in two teams at the Multicultural Family Center, in the Summer Teen Empowerment Program (STEP) and the Summer Teen Empowerment Nights (STEN). These members serve alongside MFC Staff to provide community engagement and skill-building programming.

St. Mark Youth Enrichment: 3 Summer Part-Time Positions

The Social-Emotional Learning Specialists will provide assets and resources focused on Social-Emotional Learning to elementary-aged students at St Mark Youth Enrichment during the summer months through program development, implementation and evaluation, and outreach to the community youth populations.

The City of Dubuque has proudly sponsored the AmeriCorps Program since 2007, underscoring its ongoing commitment to the betterment of its community and the welfare of its residents. By investing in social and emotional learning interventions, the City demonstrates its dedication to equipping the next generation with the skills and mindset needed to thrive in an ever-changing world.

The City of Dubuque AmeriCorps Program has been in the Dubuque community since 2000 and has over 1,000 alumni. Together, we have provided well over 500,000 hours of service to children across our community. We have seen the cycle complete itself with some students supported in our early years who have become AmeriCorps members.