The Root Cellar – Community Literacy Specialist

Join The Root Cellar to expand literacy and educational programming, and to empower Lewiston residents through individualized support and community outreach.

The Root Cellar engages neighbors and volunteers to cultivate social, economic, and spiritual well-being through youth mentoring, food security programs, job training, skill-building classes, English Language Learning, after-school enrichment, and summer day camps. The site serves Lewiston’s Tree Streets neighborhood – a densely populated, historically mill-based community with a high concentration of children and recent African immigrant and asylum-seeker populations – as well as Portland’s Bayside neighborhoods, providing resources and skills to promote self-sufficiency and community engagement. Lewiston offers a vibrant urban environment with nearby outdoor recreational opportunities. Personal transportation is encouraged due to the nature of the project and Maine’s rural geography.

The Community Literacy Specialist will expand Root Cellar’s literacy and educational programming to empower residents in Lewiston’s Tree Streets and Portland’s Bayside neighborhoods. By recruiting, training, and supporting volunteer English teachers, developing standardized tools to measure literacy outcomes, and implementing effective volunteer management practices, the member will increase access to language and literacy skills essential for self-sufficiency, employment, and community engagement. Through individualized support, resource referrals, and community outreach, the member will strengthen residents’ ability to navigate social and educational systems, promote lifelong learning, and contribute to breaking cycles of generational poverty, advancing the overall health and well-being of these communities.

As the Community Literacy Specialist, the AmeriCorps member in this role will:

• Help the host site provide public health interventions to the community
• Develop and maintain clear and frequent communications with the host site supervisor
• Develop and maintain relationships with additional staff at the host site, community members, and referral partners
• Coordinate, facilitate, and/or participate in meetings required by host site staff, partners, and the AmeriCorps program
• Recruit and train volunteer English teachers in approved curriculum
• Expand English classes provided, including scheduling
• Create a standardized tool to measure literacy outcomes
• Evaluate programming and curriculum on an ongoing basis
• Create a pipeline teacher-training program for interested students to transition into teaching roles
• Implement Essential Practices for Volunteer Management
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of local resources for referrals
• Provide ongoing individualized resource-referrals and supports to New Americans

In addition to AmeriCorps benefits, including a stipend, education award, and health insurance, site benefits include access to transportation, the food pantry, and outdoor adventure/sports equipment, and reimbursement for mileage expenses associated with project-related travel from the host site at the rate that the organization reimburses existing volunteers and/or staff.

Already have a MyAmeriCorps account and want to apply for this specific role? You can find that listing on MyAmeriCorps here.