AIHEC TRIBAL VISTA PROJECT
American Indian Higher Education Consortium
OPEN POSITIONS
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and positions are posted until filled.
To apply, please contact Erica Goldaber at egoldaber@aihec.org
STEM STUDENT EXPERIENCE COORDINATOR AT FOND DU LAC TRIBAL AND COMMUNITY COLLEGE
ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College (FDLTCC) is located in Cloquet, Minnesota. As a VISTA member with our program, you will help build capacity for underrepresented students to pursue STEM fields by creating networks, processes, and opportunities that gets Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College students involved in research projects. You will develop important professional abilities, such as resource development, project management, and community outreach. Major functions will include coordination of student research program, development of research partnership network, and a student recruitment and retention plan to build a strong research program that serves our students and community research needs. Applicant should hold a four-year degree in research project management or similar, or four years of relevant work experience, or some combination thereof. The applicant should be self-motivated, possess strong writing and communication skills, and have a passion for increasing STEM capacity. The applicant should also have experience with project planning and the ability to work within diverse communities. As a VISTA member with our organization, you will be part of a cohort of members in Tribal organizations across the country working on similar projects. You will gain the once-in-a-lifetime experience of building on cultural competency and stakeholder engagement, all while building capacity in a community that needs your help!
College of Menominee Nation Sustainable Development Institute: Climate and Resource Planning VISTA
ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
Menominee County faces considerable challenges to sustainable development and natural resource planning. Each household has an average of three individuals per home and one car available as their main source of transportation. There is only one grocery store in the entire county and the majority of its items are processed foods. In addition, over 35% of the population lives in poverty. College of Menominee Nation's Sustainable Development Institute (SDI) is dedicated to examining sustainability issues and applying them to indigenous models of sustainable development. We are searching for a VISTA member to help us build capacity in the community, locate barriers the community is facing surrounding natural resources, and help find solutions that are culturally-based and sustainable. This VISTA year will offer lots of room for growth, including natural resource management, community development, and indigenous sustainability models. Come join our team and serve as our Tribal Resilience VISTA member!
Little Priest Tribal College: Growing Native American Agriculture VISTA
The Growing Native American Agriculture Outreach Program will involve developing, implementing, evaluating, and reporting on agriculture-related educational programs and events. The main goals are to engage local gardeners, entrepreneurs, and community members in community gardening activities and to connect local farmers and ranchers to a collection of technical assistance resources. The VISTA member will 1) work with partners to build a training program for community gardeners, farmers, and entrepreneurs, and 2) develop a youth agriculture curriculum. In collaboration with community partners and agencies, the member will develop a plan to engage local farmers and ranchers in agricultural technical assistance programming. The VISTA will be involved in each step of the process, from planning to recruiting participants and evaluating results. Through partnerships, conferences, and workshops, this position will offer valuable professional development opportunities. Strong candidates will have a background in agriculture or a related field and demonstrate genuine interest in sustainable lifestyles. Knowledge and experience in delivering and evaluating culturally relevant, non-formal education programs is a plus.
ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
Red Lake Nation College: Community Education and Training VISTA
The Community Education & Customized Training Coordinator will build capacity at Red Lake Nation College through developing community education and training programs. The VISTA will work closely with the Director of Institutional Effectiveness & Assessment to develop and implement these programs to train future leadership and talent based on community needs. Thus, the member will build community relations with local employers to assess employment problems, needs, and opportunities. The member will assist with the research design, data collection, and analysis to help design data-informed programs. The VISTA will be based at the Red Lake Campus but will collaborate with staff and faculty at the Minneapolis Campus and surrounding communities. The VISTA Member will support the Red Lake Nation College’s mission to provide excellent higher education grounded in the Ojibwe language and culture of the Red Lake Nation. RLNC is an inclusive educational institution with a particular aim to engage and inspire tribal citizens of the Red Lake Nation and neighboring tribal nations in Minnesota to pursue higher education and training to become future leaders of their nations. The VISTA member will play an important role in identifying and addressing community employment needs by creating practical and cost-effective training that benefit tribal citizens and members. Most importantly, the member will be an active participant in addressing the education and opportunity gap of Native Americans in Minnesota by increasing access, opportunity, and hope for higher education. As a VISTA member within the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, the VISTA member will be part of a cohort of members in Tribal organizations across the country working on similar projects. The ideal candidate will possess strong communication skills, demonstrate cultural competency, and have a passion for Indigenous education.
ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
Red Lake Nation College: Cultural Connections Coordinator VISTA
The Cultural Connections Coordinator will build capacity at Red Lake Nation College through program and partnership development to enhance community health and resiliency. The VISTA will assess community mental health needs, assisting with the design of a community survey and data collection. The member will also develop and implement experiential programming to promote community mental health through cultural knowledge and practices. To this end, the VISTA will be involved in the planning process for a healing garden, help develop a community calendar of events, and implement health-related programs incorporating art, traditional food, and mindfulness. The VISTA will be based with the Red Lake Nation College Extension Program but will collaborate with staff and members of Red Lake Nation and surrounding communities. The VISTA member will support the Red Lake Nation College Extension Program (RLNCEP) in its mission to promote holistic health and wellness and sustainable interaction with natural resources grounded in Ojibwe language and culture. RLNCEP aims to engage the Red Lake Nation community to become active participants in their own healing through building a demonstration garden and workshops, individual and group counseling, spiritual support, and prevention and coping skills. The VISTA member will play an important role in identifying community mental health needs and developing and implementing programming in line with RLNCEP’s mission. The ideal candidate will possess strong communication skills, demonstrate cultural competency, and have a passion for holistic community health.
ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
Red Lake Nation College: Minneapolis Site Coordinator VISTA
The Minneapolis Site Coordinator will build capacity at Red Lake Nation College through recruitment, academic advisement, and community relations. The VISTA will work closely with the Minneapolis Site Director with the overall growth, stability, and management of the Minneapolis Campus by recruiting, enrolling, and retaining students. To this end, the VISTA will be involved in the establishment of internal and external student and course information systems to communicate appropriately and effectively between campuses. The member will also strategize and innovate creative solutions for improving student engagement in a virtually adapted classroom environment. The VISTA will be based at the Red Lake Nation College Minneapolis Campus but will collaborate with staff and faculty at the Red Lake Campus and surrounding communities. The VISTA Member will support the Red Lake Nation College’s mission to provide excellent higher education grounded in the Ojibwe language and culture of the Red Lake Nation. RLNC is an inclusive educational institution with a particular aim to engage and inspire tribal citizens of the Red Lake Nation and neighboring tribal nations in Minnesota to pursue higher education and training to become future leaders of their nations. The VISTA member will play an important role in expanding the Red Lake Nation College and our capacity to provide excellent higher education by helping to recruit, enroll, and retain students. Most importantly, the member will be an active participant in addressing the education and opportunity gap of Native Americans in Minnesota by increasing access, opportunity, and hope for higher education.The ideal candidate will possess strong communication and computer skills, demonstrate cultural competency, and have a passion for working with people.
ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
Tanana Chiefs Conference: Natural Resource Planning VISTA
The Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC) is a tribal consortium of the 42 tribes of interior Alaska. Our rural communities, most only accessible by plane or boat, depend on traditional fishing, hunting, and gathering practices to meet their food security and economic needs. These practices are being threatened by regulatory processes, international treaties, commercial and sport hunting and fishing, increased population competing for limited resources, and a lack of information about our resources. To ensure the next generation can continue our traditional practices, TCC is developing a comprehensive method for our tribal communities to gather localized observations to better understand natural resource management issues, including fish and wildlife resources, habitat, water quality, seasonality, wildland fire, hydrology and many integrated factors, appropriate to local/regional needs. This project includes two distinct components. First, TCC is working with tribes and federal and state agencies to develop indicators that reflect indigenous observation and perspective. In addition, we will develop data collection protocols, data analysis methods, and data use policies and agreements for each indicator. Second, TCC is developing a framework to engage local community members in the collection and interpretation of data to monitor these indicators. We will build a framework that is responsive to tribal communities, and that will enhance environmental stewardship, increase job skills for adult and K-12 volunteers, and increase knowledge and understanding of science content and processes as they relate to traditional ecological knowledge. This project will empower our tribal communities by providing a direct mechanism for community members to participate in natural resource management process and policy; providing information back to the communities that they can use to support or challenge policies and adaptive management decisions.
ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS