UMaine 4-H Tanglewood – NorthStar 4-H Mentor

Be a mentor and outdoor educator – build relationships across schools, lead adventure programming, and help youth in rural Maine develop skills for life.

The UMaine 4-H Camp and Learning Center at Tanglewood is in Lincolnville, Maine. Our mission is to teach youth to be effective and caring citizens of the Earth through affordable environmental education and nature-based experiences. You will serve the broad mission of helping Maine youth improve their lives through research-based information and education. We carry out these missions through immersive youth development programs utilizing best practices in outdoor education, positive youth development, and mentorship. Our AmeriCorps members support the NorthStar 4-H Mentoring program based in Belfast, Maine.

As a mentor, you’ll foster healthy relationships with mentees, providing them the support they need to thrive. Members will directly support youth academic and social-emotional success and provide in-school, after-school, and weekend experiences around adventure and leadership, community engagement, and student sparks. These relationships are key to their ability to thrive beyond school, fostering their whole-life development. Students are rural and suburban youth who encompass many different demographics. Students are upper-elementary/middle school-aged.

School guidance counselors, principals, teachers, community members, and other AmeriCorps members serve as support. You’ll also be part of a larger network within the Aspirations Incubator Project, an initiative of the Rural Youth Institute. As part of the Maine 4-H network, you’ll learn more about Positive Youth Development, Youth Thriving, and Beyond Ready programming that aligns perfectly with your work with the NorthStar 4-H Mentees/students. 

GoodHealth Works AmeriCorps places members with community organizations in Maine to address CDC-determined public health needs for the most underserved populations. As a member at Tanglewood, you’ll serve across three elementary schools, building relationships with the 5th graders before they move to the middle school for 6th grade. In this role, you’ll lead weekly in-school activities like group building, ecology, communication, and whatever else may help meet those students’ needs. You’ll also work as part of the team with Cohorts 1 and 2 at the middle school. These 15-20 member cohorts are identified by the school as those youth who could use a little extra support to get through grades 6-12. Cohorts can meet weekly at school, join together for after-school programs, and take longer adventures together on weekends and school breaks. You will be part of a team that builds lasting and long-term relationships between students, their families, the school, and the surrounding community.

As a NorthStar 4-H Mentor, the AmeriCorps member in this role will:

• Support host sites in delivering programs through workshops, outreach, service coordination, and clear communication with supervisors, staff, community members, and stakeholders
• Commit to building and maintaining caring, professional, long-term relationships with students, their families, guardians, and support networks
• Provide consistent, active mentoring to youth based on positive youth development principles, fostering a supportive environment that encourages open communication, feedback, and growth
• Create a safe space where youth can engage in vulnerable and difficult conversations
• Work in middle and high schools, meeting youth where they are and providing support to the school community
• Effectively work with students in grades 6-12 in various settings, including one-on-one interactions, small groups, afterschool clubs, meetings, and field trips
• Design, pilot, and deliver programs that foster positive childhood experiences and promote leadership development
• Be dedicated to connecting students and families with community services and working closely with the school team to provide comprehensive support
• Occasionally lift up to 50 pounds and engage actively in outdoor and classroom activities

In addition to AmeriCorps benefits, including a stipend, education award, and health insurance, site benefits include free, seasonal housing (April-November, rustic in a camp cabin with no electricity and heated with wood), some meals during programming at Tanglewood, a supportive work environment, optional/possible training in 4-H Archery/Shooting Sports, environmental education, first aid/CPR, lifeguarding, and wilderness first aid.

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