Tenacity AmeriCorps Fellows

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Make an Impact as an AmeriCorps Fellow

Our AmeriCorps Members serve from August through June as Fellows with our Middle School Academy program. As a member of our Fellows’ cohort, you will collaborate with a school-based Tenacity team and:

Lead and support literacy, tennis/fitness, and life skills activities
Design and lead an elective on a topic you choose
Partner with students’ families
Guide students through the complex high school selection process
Build your professional skills in education and beyond
Strengthen your career development skills and plan
Explore opportunities to create positive social impact and expand your network

During your service you will improve outcomes for Boston youth, working with them to strengthen their academics, confidence, fitness, and ability to achieve their dreams.

While Fellows typically serve in school buildings, current Fellows are serving remotely. Tenacity is committed to supporting AmeriCorps Fellows, whether using our regular in-person model or remote service, as circumstances allow.

Teach.

Bring learning to life!

AmeriCorps Fellows deliver core curriculum for our Middle School Academy program, which is built on a whole-child approach emphasizing literacy, tennis/fitness, and life skills. You will serve with a team of 4-5 Fellows and 2-3 staff assigned to a Boston middle school, and support all aspects of program delivery while also taking on a specialized leadership role within the team.

Grow.

Develop your social impact career!

AmeriCorps Fellows strengthen their professional skills during their service year. Through your service, you will develop teaching, facilitation, and communication skills. As part of the cohort of approximately 20 Fellows, you will strengthen your leadership and career planning. You will get support through individual, small group, and full cohort trainings and reflection opportunities throughout the year.

Coach.

Inspire student success!

AmeriCorps Fellows serve as positive role models – building student confidence, engaging families, and helping students prepare for high school. As a Fellow, you will utilize Tenacity’s whole-child approach and commitment to positive youth development, and provide personalized support to help students demonstrate their potential and achieve their dreams.

Searching for your first full-time job after college can be a daunting task. For me, one thought persisted amid the uncertainty: I wanted to make a difference in the lives of others. Thankfully I found Tenacity while searching through the AmeriCorps Jobs Portal, and immediately knew it would be a great fit.

During my time as an AmeriCorps Fellow, I was able to harness multiple passions—for sports, for teaching, and for serving youth—in order to become a better professional. I learned from multiple mentors, was able to teach during and after school, and cultivated great friendships with my cohort of Tenacity Fellows.

Throughout the year, I constantly felt inspired by Tenacity’s mission and the impact we made on students and families. I worked with students not just as a teacher, but as a coach, and an advisor—in a way that was truly unique. For that reason, after a few years of teaching and furthering my education, I returned to Tenacity in order to be part of this exceptional and impressive community.

Patrick Moriarty

Tenacity AmeriCorps Fellow 2014-2015

My Tenacity fellowship was a transformative opportunity that offered me meaningful professional development and long-standing mentorship. I gained critical classroom and youth development experience that has made me a competitive candidate in my current career field. This year, Tenacity welcomed me back as a volunteer for my fifth consecutive school-year – I keep returning to the program because the staff at the Curley School have created a fun workspace and an engaging learning environment. I truly feel like I’ve become a part of the community. The guidance I’ve received at Tenacity as an AmeriCorps member and as a part-time staff member and volunteer has been invaluable, I owe so much to the staff that I’ve had the opportunity to work under.

Anthony Contreras

Tenacity AmeriCorps Fellow 2015-2016

As an AmeriCorps fellow at Tenacity, I had opportunities to share my passion about reading and writing with the kids, practicing tennis with them and going on lots of fun field trips with them. As fellows, we also had opportunities to teach our own electives – For my elective group in December, we had an amazing three-week journey exploring the genre musicals and at the same time learning about common themes in the songs. I really enjoy getting to know each one of the kids at Tenacity and listening to their unique stories.

Qiran “Susie” Li

Tenacity AmeriCorps Fellow 2019-2020

Although it is my most challenging service yet, my unique position as a teacher, mentor, and coach has enabled me to develop meaningful relationships with students and provide well-rounded support. From creating my own elective classes to facilitating tennis competitions to meeting with families to planning field trips and events, the diversity of experiences I’ve gotten from this position is incredible.

Lucia Brown

Tenacity AmeriCorps Fellow 2019-2020

Learn More and Apply!

Click here for a full description of the Tenacity AmeriCorps Fellow opportunity

Join Tenacity as a 2021-22 AmeriCorps Fellow!

See the full description below or download a PDF copy by clicking the button:

AmeriCorps Fellow Description

About Tenacity

Tenacity is a Boston-based youth development organization focused on closing the achievement and opportunity gaps. From elementary school through college and beyond, Tenacity offers a unique Pathway with a whole-child approach that combines literacy and life skills instruction, mentoring, family engagement, and tennis/fitness coaching to unlock potential and empower students.

The youth served by Tenacity’s Pathway programs develop self-confidence and positive identities as students, mentors, and leaders. The effectiveness of Tenacity’s approach is striking: a 95% high school graduation rate and 80% rate of enrolling in higher education. Tenacity is a dedicated partner of Boston Public Schools.

About Serving as an AmeriCorps Member with Tenacity

AmeriCorps Fellows power the Middle School Academy, the core and most intensive element in Tenacity’s Pathway. Small teams of AmeriCorps Fellows serve at each of Tenacity’s 4 partner middle schools, offering individual and group support to students. As part of their service experience from August through June, Fellows:

Deliver literacy and tennis/fitness curricula, provide academic and high school planning support, lead field trips, and engage families
Develop their teaching, professional, communication, career development, and leadership skills and networks
Serve alongside and with the day-to-day support of Tenacity’s professional, school-based staff
Attend regular team-building and professional development events

Fellows typically serve in school buildings; during the pandemic Fellows are serving remotely. Decisions about service delivery being in-person or remote will be made in collaborations with Tenacity’s Boston Public Schools partners.

Core Responsibilities

AmeriCorps Fellows collaborate with their assigned teams of Staff and Fellows to provide excellent programming to Tenacity students. AmeriCorps Fellows:

Deliver curricula for literacy, high school selection, tennis/fitness, and tutoring
Collaborate with school-based teams, attending Tenacity meetings and school meetings for planning and student support
Develop lesson plans for literacy and tennis/fitness activities
Support students in developing critical social, emotional, and life skills, through individual and small group support
Design and lead an elective (topics are determined based on each Fellow’s interests and experiences)
Provide student academic support through “pushing in” to classes if requested by teachers and/or school principals
Engage families through scheduled visits and workshops, as well as as-needed outreach
Each Fellow serves in a “specialty role” such as Family Engagement Fellow, Academic Fellow, and Tennis Fellow. Fellows take a larger leadership role for their assign specialty role – for example Academic Fellows take a leadership role in literacy planning, Tennis Fellows with fitness planning, and Family Engagement Fellows with family events and outreach materials. Fellows provide input to Site Directors in determining specialty roles.

AmeriCorps Fellows also engage actively in their own learning and as members of the broader Tenacity team. Fellows:

Engage fully in trainings, which include a two-week orientation at the start of service and regular trainings throughout the year; training focuses on Tenacity’s model, teaching and coaching skills, inclusive family engagement, as well as leadership and career development and more

Learn and collaborate through regular meetings with school-based Tenacity Staff and AmeriCorps program staff
Attend Tenacity-wide team meetings
Participate in three performance evaluations

Throughout their service, AmeriCorps Fellows represent Tenacity and AmeriCorps, support school partnership, and drive positive student outcomes in alignment with policies and professional expectations.

Additional Responsibilities

In addition, Fellows also:

Plan and lead field trips and high school visits
Prepare newsletters for family outreach
Lead small group book clubs and other specialized program activities
Administer surveys or other tools for data collection on student performance
Assist in student recruitment
Complete administrative needs such as timesheets and email management in a professional and timely manner
Contribute to the planning of (and attend) mid-year and end-of-year ceremonies celebrating student achievements
Serve as a bus chaperone and support other programmatic logistics

Life as a Tenacity AmeriCorps Fellow

AmeriCorps Fellows serve:

Full-time, Mondays through Fridays, from mid-August through the end of June
During hours determined by site placement – some Tenacity programs operate during school hours and some during a later shift that provides after-school hours programming
On selected days (with advanced notice), attending training and team-building at the Tenacity office or other locations
From time to time, on evenings and weekends (with advanced notice)
In community projects on service days, alongside other AmeriCorps Fellows
As a member of Greater Boston’s strong AmeriCorps community

Who Should Serve

Tenacity is looking for AmeriCorps Fellows who:

Are excited about working with youth in schools
Believe that academics and fitness can support one another
Want to build skills, learn new things, and challenge themselves

AmeriCorps Fellows do not need to have prior tennis experience.

Benefits to Fellows

AmeriCorps Fellows receive, as a result of completing their service term:

$17,000 living stipend over the course of the program year, in bi-weekly installments
An AmeriCorps education award of $6,195 upon successful completion of all requirements (pending eligibility)
More than 100 hours of professional development
Access to healthcare coverage, sponsored childcare, and loan forbearance (as determined by AmeriCorps), and SNAP benefits (pending eligibility)
Monthly MBTA pass
Generous time off
Participation in the network of over 1 Million AmeriCorps members and alumni who have strengthened their communities and their own skills!

Apply Now!

Applications are being accepted now for 2021-22 Fellows on a rolling basis. Feel free to reach out.

Apply Here

Tenacity does not discriminate toward individuals on the basis of age, race, gender, color, national origin, ability, religion, marital status, or sexual orientation or identity. Tenacity seeks to nurture diversity among its many members. When requested, Tenacity will make reasonable accommodations for individuals with a permanent or temporary disability.

FAQ

What is AmeriCorps?

AmeriCorps is a network of national service programs, made up of three primary programs that seek to improve lives and foster civic engagement. Members commit their time to address critical community needs. At Tenacity, members work with middle school students at one of our Middle School Academy sites helping students grow into their best selves inside and outside the classroom.

What are the benefits of service as a Tenacity AmeriCorps Fellow?

Fellows gain teaching and youth development experience, while mentoring, and coaching students in tennis and literacy. The opportunity includes professional development and supervision focused on teaching, career, and leadership skills, and provides experience with urban education, family outreach, and whole child development.

Specific benefits include:

$17,000 living stipend (paid out semi-monthly)
MBTA pass
Health insurance
Possible child care benefits
A $6,195 AmeriCorps Education Award upon completion of service
Student loan forbearance
Leadership training and development
Future service opportunities
Networking opportunities

How does joining AmeriCorps affect my student loans?

Individuals who are serving in a term of service in an approved AmeriCorps position may be eligible to have the repayment of their qualified student loans temporarily postponed while they are serving. It is through an action called forbearance. While an individual’s loan is in forbearance, the member is not required to make payments. Interest may continue to accrue but if the member successfully completes the term of service and the loan is a qualified student loan, the National Service Trust will pay all or a portion of the interest that accrued during the service period.

What is an Education Award and how do I use it?

The Segal AmeriCorps Education Award is a post-service benefit earned by individuals who complete an approved term of national service in AmeriCorps programs. The award is named after Eli Segal, a pioneer of national service and the first CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS).

The award may be used to pay educational expenses at eligible post-secondary institutions, including many technical schools and G.I. Bill approved programs, or to repay qualified students loans. The dollar amount of the education award is equal to the maximum amount of the U.S. Department of Education Pell Grant and may change year to year.

How do Tenacity AmeriCorps Fellows get paid?

AmeriCorps Fellows are paid a living stipend in exchange for their service. The stipend is paid semi-monthly. Tenacity is proud to offer a competitive stipend for its AmeriCorps Fellows.

What do you look for in a Tenacity AmeriCorps Fellow?

Tenacity is looking for individuals who have a genuine desire and willingness to serve; someone who wants to make a difference in the community; someone who is willing to get out of their comfort zone to meet students on their level; someone who has consistency, drive, and initiative and who is inspired to help students become their best selves inside and outside the classroom.

What happens after your service year? Are there opportunities to grow within Tenacity?

Your impact with Tenacity doesn’t have to stop after your term of service. We encourage and support Fellows to step into full-time staff positions that fit their interests and career goals. We have numerous examples of AmeriCorps Fellows who have worked their way up into leadership positions across the organization—including director level roles. We actively build and retain talent here and are proud of it!