Position Title:  Youth Empowerment Steward (YES) AmeriCorps Member with Homestead National Historical Park

Conservation Legacy Program: Stewards Individual Placements

Site Location: Homestead National Historical Park
8523 West State Hwy 4, Beatrice, NE 68310

Terms of Service: 26 weeks

Start Date: 01/18/2027 
End Date: 07/16/2027
Application Deadline: 12/06/2026
Number of Positions Available: 1
AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 900 Hours

Stewards Individual Placements & Youth Empowerment Steward (YES) Initiative:
Stewards Individual Placements provides individuals with AmeriCorps service and career opportunities to strengthen communities and preserve our natural and cultural resources.  The Youth Empowerment Steward (YES) initiative aims to increase access to the outdoors for all Americans.

Are you passionate about expanding access to public lands and creating welcoming outdoor experiences for all visitors? Do you believe everyone should have the opportunity to explore and enjoy our National Parks? Our health, our planet, and our collective future rely on variety – in thought, ability, experience, and ideas.  Join the Youth Empowerment Stewards (YES) program and contribute to strengthening park operations and enhancing the visitor experience by helping to remove barriers to outdoor access—ensuring that our national parks remain open, accessible, and welcoming to all Americans.

Homestead National Historical Park:
Homestead National Historical Park remembers the many legacies of the Homestead Act of 1862. The Homestead Act gave individuals an opportunity to earn 160 acres of land from the federal government if they lived on the land for 5 years, built a shelter, and improved the land. The Act lasted 163 years and settled ten percent of all land in the United States.

Role of YES Member at Hometown National Historical Site:
Homestead National Historical Park has a large collection of historic photographs taken during park activities. The digital versions are currently only available to park staff on an internal server. This YES Member will work toward updating the metadata related to the photos, which includes creating unique titles, updating descriptions, reviewing location tags, reformatting dates, and creating searchable keywords. Once completed, the information and the scanned images will be added to NPGallery for the public to view and search for these records of the history of the park. This work will ensure the images are 508 compliant and ready to be used in accessible ways in social media and on the webpage.

 
Description of Duties:

To achieve the goals of this YES position, the member will:

      Move, scan, and organize physical photographs     Relocate printed photos to the Cultural Resources Office
     Scan images to be added to digital collection 
     Store, organize, and inventory physical photographs
      Update the metadata of scanned photographs and images for consistency in designated fields         

     Reformat some fields to fit the requirements of the NPGallery
     Create a set of controlled keywords for image searches
     Add location tags for images
     Create titles, update photo descriptions, and review alternative text for historical photographs     Create titles for images
     Create descriptive caption for each image
     Review photo descriptions and alternative text in the meta data spreadsheet
      Develop section 508-compliant virtual visitor experiences and digital resources     Create social media content using historic photographs
     Create visitor-friendly digital resources that improve trip planning and provide meaningful alternatives for spaces 
     Collect trail mapping data to create visitor-friendly digital resources
     Collaborate with park staff and NPS access specialists to ensure digital products align with Section 508 requirements and NPS best practices
      Visitor Services duties     Assist with front desk coverage
     Assist with special events
      Interpretive Program Development     Develop targeted education and interpretive programming for a new audience
     Develop programming using sensory kits for a diverse audience
     Support access planning for interpretive programs, volunteer initiatives, and special events by developing digital resources that expand visitor           access and engagement

 
Qualifications:

United States citizen, United States national, or a lawful permanent resident alien
Be between the ages of 18-30 (or up to age 35 with Veteran status)
Has received a high school diploma or equivalency certificate
Agrees to provide information to establish eligibility and to complete a National Service Criminal History Check.
Able to commit to 18 weeks of service
      Have a connection to the disability community
      Effective written communication skills
      Basic computer skills, including familiarity with Microsoft Excel
      Ability to work independently and collaboratively

Preferred Qualifications and Skills 

      Background in one or more of the following: museum studies, history, archival studies, library science, digital humanities, records management, or information technology
      Experience with interpretive writing
      Experience with metadata
      Customer service experience

Our Commitment:
Conservation Legacy is committed to the full consideration of all qualified individuals and will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to perform essential job functions. Physical requirements may include periodic overnight travel, non-traditional work hours, ability to move across varied terrain, use program-specific tools and a range of technology on an infrequent or frequent basis. Exerting up to 25 pounds of force occasionally to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects. The ability to safely drive an organizational vehicle may also be required for some positions. If you need assistance and/or reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or recruiting process, please send a request to the hiring manager.

Time Requirements:

Typically, this position is expected to serve Tuesday - Saturday, 8:45-5:15, but exact service schedules may vary. A half hour lunch break will not be counted towards AmeriCorps service 
Member may be required to participate in national, state, or local service projects or events as part of their service term

Orientation and Training:

Member will receive an orientation that includes training on AmeriCorps prohibited and unallowable activities
Training with Visual Information Specialist (VIS) on how to describe images
Training from social media team on content creation

Benefits:

Segal AmeriCorps Education Award 
Living Allowance of $660 per week (pre-tax)
On-site housing available (located approximately a 6-mile drive from the nearest grocery store)
      Access to all member and alumni benefits of Conservation Legacy 
      Opportunity to make a HUGE impact on your community
      Service opportunities can help propel your career forward with intentional experience and professional connections
 

Evaluation and Reporting:
As an AmeriCorps member, performance will be evaluated on whether the member has completed the required number of hours, the member has satisfactorily completed assignments, and if the member has met other performance criteria that were clearly communicated at the beginning of the term of service.

Reporting requirements include, but are not limited to, bi-weekly timesheets and accomplishment tracking.

Application, Resume and Cover Letter:
When uploading and attaching your resume to this application, please also upload and attach a cover letter.  In your cover letter, please note your interest and qualifications in this position.

How to Apply: 
To apply, please click on the green “apply” button in the top right corner of the page.  In addition to uploading your resume to this application, please also upload and attach a cover letter.  In your cover letter, please address your experience with the disability community.  

Recruiter & Program Coordinator Contact Information:
Susie Schroer
Stewards Individual Placements Program Coordinator
sschroer@conservationlegacy.org
970-317-9131 

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. 

We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or reasonable accommodations due to a disability during the application or recruiting process, please send a request to the hiring manager.