The Wyandotte County AmeriCorps VISTA Program is always looking for motivated, passionate and community focused individuals that are eager to share their knowledge and skill-set to help positively impact Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas.
Look below to review open VISTA positions. Click on each job title below to be redirected to the complete position description and application process.
Crime & Opioid AmeriCorps VISTA
Add extensive capacity to the crime analysis and within "Impacting Crime in Our Neighborhoods" (ICON) and "Data-Driven Approach to Crime and Traffic Safety" (DDACTS) projects. Serve on various projects including brand new real-time crime center unit. Research opioid grants and policies for the purpose of applying for those opioid grants. Curate opioid educational material for better community engagement. Perfect opportunity for some looking for a criminal justice centered or grant writing opportunity.
- Placement is with the Kansas City, KS Police Department
Mayors Task Force Liaison VISTA
Passionate about residents’ voices being heard by local governments? This is the perfect position for you. Join Mayor Garner’s resident outreach efforts by supporting the newly formed special committees and taskforces. Member duties will include liaising with residents and County Commissioners, drafting communications and official documents, and tracking the progress of the special committees and taskforces. Special Committee topics include unhoused neighbors, recreation and community health, environmental sustainability, and much more. Perfect opportunity to gain experience within the local government landscape.
- Placement is within Mayor Garner’s Office.
Outreach & Development AmeriCorps VISTA
Want to help start at non-profit organization? This is the role for you! This AmeriCorps member will research and strategize possibility of establishing 501(c)3 status for the Animal Services unit of the Kansas City, KS Police Department. The member will also lead the research and strategy of building a robust volunteer run outreach program. This is the perfect opportunity for someone looking for expansive experience to break into the non-profit field.
Research and strategize possibility of establishing 501(c)3 status for the Animal Services unit. Define what would be required to establish a 501(c)3. Establish how a 501(c)3 status would benefit KCK ASU. Present information gathered; provide recommendations for moving forward. Research and develop a volunteer run outreach program. Examine funding and outside support. Draft, edit, and produce standard operating procedure documentation. Create formal volunteer program, current lacks policy, procedures, and structure. Examine model practices for Animal Service Volunteer programming. Develop programming, procedures, policies. Create public facing forms, materials, etc. for volunteer recruitment, etc. Research and identify best practices for volunteer recruitment, enrollment, retention. Implement best practices. Lead roll out of volunteer program.
- Placement is with the Animal Service Unit of the Kansas City, KS Police Department.
Strategic Communications AmeriCorps VISTA
Passionate about communications? Want to be a part of local government outreach and communication? Join us in this American Rescue Plan Act-specific position. Get an understanding of the current landscape of Wyandotte County, how the ARPA funds are being utilized, and where the need for communications lies. Strategize ways to evaluate the communications plan in order to achieve the objectives for the plan. Help build a community network of organizations, groups, and individuals to quickly get communications out to the public.
- Placement will be with the Unified Government Strategic Communications Department.
Urban Design and Planning AmeriCorps VISTA
One of the most critical functions of the Urban Design and Planning Department is to facilitate conversations internally and externally to bring stakeholders together around a common purpose. The success of this task largely depends on the narrative that the Department, through various verbal and non-verbal platforms, can communicate these ideas to decision-makers, stakeholders, and the general public. In an increasingly visual world, how we tell these stories and the tools that we use to do so has a direct correlation to public participation, community buy-in and ultimately, the effectiveness of our very work.
- Placement will be with the Unified Government Urban Design and Planning Department.
Resource Outreach Specialist Alive & Thrive Wyandotte County
Within 1 year, the VISTA member will have updated, maintained, and improved the Alive & Thrive online asset mapping resource guide. Lead focus groups with community stakeholders to review existing asset mapping, identify gaps, and suggest new/untapped resources. Meet with all existing and newly identified resource providers to update service and contact information. Identify new resources and Alive & Thrive partners. Work with web designer to update links to resources and improve asset mapping functionality. Create and implement a plan to market the asset mapping resource to Wyandotte County. The plan will include public speaking engagements with county stakeholders. Within 1 year, the VISTA member will help Alive & Thrive’s objective to complete 5 Community Projects that promote resilience in Wyandotte County. Within 1 year, the VISTA member will help Alive & Thrive’s objective to complete 5 Community Projects that promote resilience in Wyandotte County.
- Placement at Wyandot Behavioral Health Network
Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response VISTA
Assist with the Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response staff in reviewing the current emergency response plans to ensure they meet the Center for Disease Control operational readiness requirements. Address needs in changing or updating the plans to meet the requirements and in doing so include plans that are equitable for all. The AmeriCorps VISTA project will build partnerships with community members and ensure the county is ready to respond to a public health emergency at all times.
Analyze and review the current Public Health Department emergency plans to ensure they meet the Center for Disease Control operational readiness requirements. Identify gaps in the current plans and recommend changes needed. Coordinate with community members and other stakeholders to develop possible emergency plan changes, including a whole community approach and health equity. Communicate with the Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response staff to establish changes to the plans and/or create new plans
- Placement at the UG Public Health Department
ThrYve – Reduce Youth Violence for Equity
ThrYve supports a community-level approach to preventing youth violence by empowering youth and families to thrive by providing a safe and supportive environment for our youth and families to flourish. We work closely with youth and community members to provide a collaborative network of youth opportunities, including programs, training, and outreach efforts that help reduce youth violence and promote more equitable conditions, particularly for the youth of racial and ethnic identities. The VISTA would need to have basic computer skills as an entry level, and they will be expected to complete related IT trainings during the first months of service (Microsoft suite, Zoom, Teams, etc.). Precision and attention to details are also required skills.
The VISTA will coordinate the work of the ThrYve Team to ensure that the project activities are sustained. The VISTA will work with the Evaluation Team to track, manage, clean, and gather ThrYve-related data. Professional Development: Throughout the service year, engage in ongoing professional development that furthers goals of this VAD or goals for Life After VISTA.
KCK: Housing Solutions AmeriCorps VISTA
This position is placed with Cross-Lines, Community Outreach, Inc. Overall, the AmeriCorps VISTA will serve to increase capacity within Kansas City, Kansas to address homelessness and lack of access to affordable housing. Duties will include but is not limited to establishing a greater understanding of issues related to homelessness, raising awareness and educating the general population, and identifying and adding permanent supportive housing projects to our community.
Conduct research on national best practices to address issues of homelessness and access to affordable housing. Improve, expand, and build capacity within currently available systems to address homelessness, and assist in development of new processes to address needs. Convene stakeholders to discuss the issue and create a brief report summarizing potential strategies and challenges. Build capacity for a long term sustainable community approach to reduce homelessness in Kansas City, Kansas. Identify grants and opportunities to apply and/or fundraise for potential solutions to address homelessness and access to affordable housing. Develop and implement a plan to educate and raise awareness around the topics of homelessness and affordable housing.