Position Title:  Youth Empowerment Steward (YES) AmeriCorps Member with Steamtown National Historic Site

Conservation Legacy Program: Stewards Individual Placements

Site Location: Steamtown National Historic Site
150 S. Washington Ave.
Scranton, PA 18503

Terms of Service: 32 weeks

Start Date: 9/15/2025 End Date: 4/24/2026Application Deadline: 8/11/2025Number of Positions Available: 1AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 1200 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.

 

Role of YES Member at Steamtown National Historic Site
Steamtown National Historic Site (NHS) was established in 1986 to preserve, interpret, and protect the history of steam railroading in America. Steamtown encompasses a historic railroad yard, steam locomotives, rolling stock, and an operational railyard, where visitors can experience the sights, sounds, and mechanics of 19th and early 20th-century railroading.  Steamtown’s mission is to educate visitors about the role of railroads in American industrialization, transportation, and cultural development. The site highlights technological innovations, labor history, and economic impacts of the railroad industry, while offering hands-on experiences such as train rides, museum exhibits, and live restoration demonstrations. While the site offers multi-sensory engagement, barriers remain for visitors with mobility, visual, and auditory impairments. This YES position will focus on improving access to Steamtown’s exhibits, digital resources, and programming to ensure that all visitors can fully experience and engage with this historic site.

The Youth Empowerment Steward (YES) AmeriCorps Member at Steamtown National Historic Site will play a key role in advancing the park’s access and welcome efforts. Their work will focus on enhancing physical, digital, and interpretive experiences to ensure Steamtown’s historic resources, train excursions, and museum collections are welcoming and usable for all visitors.  In addition to supporting broad access improvements, the YES member will lay the groundwork for a future ASL Ranger program, with a particular emphasis on engaging the Deaf and hard of hearing community. They will help strengthen partnerships with organizations such as the Scranton School for the Deaf, Bloomsburg University, and the Autism Center for Collaborative Excellence, while identifying opportunities to expand programming across the site.

Through on-site assessments, digital content development, staff training, and community outreach, the YES member will help establish a strong foundation of support and awareness, ensuring the incoming ASL Ranger can step into a role enriched by meaningful partnerships and welcoming infrastructure.

Description of Duties:
This position offers hands-on experience in access planning, community engagement, and historic site interpretation, making it an excellent opportunity for those interested in public history, disability advocacy, and program development.

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

·       Conduct a comprehensive access assessment of Steamtown’s key visitor spaces, including the museum, train yard, historic locomotives, restrooms, pathways, and exhibits

o   Identify barriers for visitors with mobility, visual, auditory, and cognitive impairments

o   Complete an access report with recommendations for short and long-term improvements

·       Develop digital access enhancements

o   Assist in adding captions, alternative text, and audio descriptions to existing video content and digital exhibits

o   Work with the archives team to digitize and format select historic materials for better access, such as screen-reader compatibility

·       Create a Sensory-Friendly exhibit prototype

o   Design a prototype sensory-friendly exhibit enhancement, such as a tactile model, large-print exhibit guide, and/or Braille overlay

o   Research best practices for multi-sensory interpretation at historic sites

o   Conduct a pilot test with community members and park visitors for feedback

·       Assist with Volunteer and Staff Access Awareness Training

o   Develop a short training module for Steamtown staff and volunteers on access awareness and best practices

o   Assist in delivering training sessions to park employees and volunteers

o   Create a resource guide that staff can use for ongoing access improvements

o   Evaluate and document current assistive technology, such as T-Coil-compatible hearing assistance equipment

o   Identify staff training needs related to hearing access tools and support delivery of relevant training sessions

·       Expand Community Engagement & Outreach to the disability community

o   Assist in recruiting volunteers with disabilities to participate in park programs

o   Develop outreach materials to engage underrepresented communities in park access initiatives

o   Organize a public access awareness event and/or online campaign to share Steamtown’s ongoing improvements

o   Initiate and strengthen partnerships with local organizations, particularly those serving the Deaf and hard of hearing community

o   Coordinate with community partners (ie: Scranton School for the Deaf and Bloomsburg University) to develop pilot outreach and engagement programs, particularly focused on the Deaf and hard of hearing community

o   Support the development of a park introduction video (ie: “Work with Us”) with interpreted content in collaboration with park staff and community interpreters

 
Qualifications:

United States citizen, United States national, or a lawful permanent resident alienBe between the ages of 18-30 (or up to age 35 with Veteran status)Has received a high school diploma or equivalency certificateAgrees to provide information to establish eligibility and to complete a National Service Criminal History CheckAble to commit to 32 weeks of serviceHave a connection to the disability communityHave a strong interest in access, interpretation, and digital engagementStrong communication skillsAbility to work both independently and collaboratively in a hybrid setting

 Preferred Qualifications and Skills

Experience in digital media, historic preservation, or disability advocacyExperience with captioning, ASL, and/or accessible and adaptive technology tools

 

 Time Requirements:

Typically, this position is expected to serve Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., 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.If the selected applicant is amenable, the park may request assistance with special events and community programs on select weekends during the early portion of the service term (October through December) to support observation and engagement with public programming.

Orientation and Training:

Member will receive an orientation that includes training on AmeriCorps prohibited and unallowable activitiesIntroduction to Universal Design and ADA Accessibility Standards for historic sitesTraining on site assessment tools and data collection methodsGuidance from the NPS Accessibility Team and local disability advocates on best practicesHands-on training in digital accessibility tools, including captioning software, alternative text best practices, and screen-reader testingIntroduction to Section 508 compliance for Federal digital content, and collaboration with the NPS Digital Accessibility Team to ensure implementation of best practicesTraining on inclusive workforce development and volunteer engagement

Benefits:

Segal AmeriCorps Education Award Living Allowance of $600 per weekAdditional Benefits of $100 per weekAccess to all member and alumni benefits of Conservation Legacy Opportunity to make a HUGE impact on your communityService 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.

Deliverables expectations at the end of the service term include:

·       Report on the accessibility audit with recommended improvements     Enhancements on digital accessibility, including captions and audio descriptions     Prototype of a Sensory-Friendly exhibit, including Sensory-Friendly components     Guide for staff and volunteer accessibility training

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. 

This project was made possible in part by a grant from the National Park Foundation