Note: This is a full-time ACC AmeriCorps position with IMPACTdmv, Inc.

About the American Connection Corps:

The American Connection Corps (ACC), an AmeriCorps program of Lead For America (LFA), is a service fellowship program aimed at helping communities build the digital connectivity necessary to expand opportunity and economic mobility, ranging from healthcare access to quality employment.

ACC Members serve with locally-rooted organizations, helping address the digital divide and strengthen access to opportunity. Through their service, they gain hands-on experience, build in-demand skills, and explore career pathways while making a tangible impact in their communities.

About the IMPACTdmv, Inc.

IMPACTdmv Inc. prepares students for college and careers through our IMPACT Your Acceptance (IYA) programs, combining AI literacy, college access, and workforce development with internship and summer placement support. Our peer club model trains student leaders to guide classmates toward real-world experiences, with the goal that every student completes at least three before graduation. We also equip families through quarterly parent workshops on financial aid, college planning, and career advancement, backed by 800+ college acceptances and $30M+ in scholarships earned by our scholars.

Position Overview

The Program Innovation & AI Literacy Specialist serves with IMPACT Your Acceptance (IYA), a youth program that offers leadership and workforce development, college access, career readiness, and AI literacy. The Member serves under the supervision and direction of designated IMPACTdmv staff and performs the activities described in this position description as part of an approved AmeriCorps State and National service assignment.

Working under staff supervision, the Member facilitates hands-on workshops for middle and high school students and their families at partner school sites. They also support and coach the IMPACT Now Club college volunteers from the University of Maryland, College Park, and assist staff with using approved AI tools to improve program tracking and records. Students learn to use AI as a thought partner and not a thought replacement, and they apply generative AI tools to real problems in their communities. The Member’s work helps students in the DC metropolitan area graduate more prepared for college, careers, and an AI-powered future.

The Member's activities supplement, and do not displace or replace, the duties of paid staff or existing volunteers.

Key Responsibilities

The ACC Member will:

Workshop Facilitation and Direct Work with Youth. Workshop facilitation and direct service to youth are the core activities of this position. Under staff supervision and using approved program curricula, the Member will:

• Facilitate workshops for high school students across the AI Academy, School Partnership Programs, IYA Clubs, and the High School Ambassador Program, following the curriculum and adapting your delivery to the room
• Deliver on-site sessions on a set schedule through the school year, typically weekly, using IMPACTdmv's session plans, eBook, and online e-course, and point students to specific modules as they work toward their three real-world experiences. -Training and coaching is provided. We want you to walk away a powerful presenter.
• Lead hands-on AI literacy workshops where students practice using AI as a thought partner and build with generative AI tools to solve real problems in their communities using staff-approved tools and following applicable student privacy, confidentiality, and data-security requirements.
• Facilitate college readiness, career exploration, and leadership development workshops
• Coach students as they prepare to present and defend their work in pitch competitions and TED-style talks
• Work directly with students at school sites, empowering IYA Student Leaders and High School Ambassadors to lead their peers
• Mentor the IYA Club Student Leaders day to day and help run club meetings and twice-monthly in-school sessions under the supervision of designated IMPACTdmv staff.
• Identify students who are stuck early and connect them with support, so a problem is caught in November rather than May referring student concerns to appropriate staff or designated school personnel rather than independently providing services outside the Member's training or assigned role.
• Help scholars find and secure internships, academic programs, and job shadows, by providing educational guidance, identifying opportunities, and connecting students with appropriate organizations and contacts.
• Help plan and facilitate the quarterly Building Future Ready Families parent workshops, most of them virtual evening sessions, and work with the guest specialists who join each one.
• Program Development and Collaboration. This position comes with a real voice. You will spend time designing, researching, and reviewing student work in a collaborative environment, You’ll also be on site at our partner schools working directly with students, staff, and stakeholders.
• Gain experience collaborating with school staff and community stakeholders, with the autonomy to help enhance and revise programming efforts within the scope of assigned service activities and staff-approved program priorities.
• Help shape how we craft our programs, from workshop formats to how we work with students and schools
• Help us adapt and build in real time, using what you learn from students, parents, school partners, and family surveys
• Help write the playbook for teaching high schoolers to build with AI by researching, documenting, and recommending instructional approaches for staff review and approval.
• Try new approaches in your workshops and tell us what worked, consistent with the approved curriculum and program guidelines and in consultation with staff.
• Work closely with school Club Sponsors, educators inside our partner schools who are committed to giving their students holistic college, career, and entrepreneurial growth opportunities
• Help identify and connect with new schools, employers, and community organizations that can expand opportunities for students, under staff direction
• Help build relationships with local employers and community businesses to identify internship and job-shadow opportunities for scholars, and log confirmed opportunities in the Opportunity Tracker, under staff direction and for the educational benefit of participating students. The Member may not provide services that directly benefit a for-profit business or displace paid employees.
• Maintain the program calendar across every partner school and support program applications, by updating program information and tracking deadlines and application status under staff supervision.

Working with College Volunteers Our college volunteers come from the IMPACT Now Club at the University of Maryland, College Park. They help our youth and serve as coaches, and you will work closely with them. You will:

• Empower volunteers to help our youth and serve as coaches in our programs
• Help volunteers with the events they plan and coordinate
• Empower volunteers to help us further our mission in the community
• Assist with volunteer orientation, coordination, engagement, and follow-up as assigned. The Member does not assume responsibility for hiring, employment supervision, or independent management of volunteers; these responsibilities remain with designated IMPACTdmv staff.

Events and Community Engagement

• Plan and help run program events, including pitch competitions, end-of-year showcases for families and school leadership, and parent and family events
• Support IMPACTdmv-led school engagement efforts
• Assist with community engagement and educational events that expand access to program services and opportunities for students and families.

Data, Reporting, and Family Communication

• Enter and import program data after workshops and sessions, including sign-in records, attendance, participation, and completion records.
• Keep the Opportunity Tracker accurate and make sure each Student Leader logs peer progress correctly
• Update and maintain school contacts and parent and family contact information
• Prepare school-level data views for quarterly benchmark reviews with IMPACTdmv's Executive Director
• Support reporting to schools, the board, and funders, including documentation for the end-of-year Impact Report
• Administer family surveys and help turn what we learn into changes in how we deliver programs
• The Member's data and reporting activities are limited to assisting with data entry, organization, compilation, and documentation in support of program operations. The Member does not independently certify, approve, or submit official grant, financial, or organizational reports.
• The Member must maintain the confidentiality of student, family, volunteer, and partner information and access, use, and disclose such information only as authorized and necessary for assigned service activities.

AI Tools and Process Improvement

• Assist staff in using AI tools to map repetitive workflows, such as sign-in and attendance entry, contact list updates, survey distribution, and reminders, and to automate the routine steps so that program records are tracked in a standardized, accurate format. Follow IMPACTdmv's practices for protecting student and family information. The Member will use only staff-approved AI tools, systems, and procedures. Personally identifiable student or family information, confidential records, and other protected information may not be uploaded to public or unapproved AI platforms. Staff retain responsibility for reviewing and approving automated processes and resulting records.
• Use IMPACTdmv's AI tools to help students learn to use them, coaching students on prompting and on checking AI output, and facilitate AI literacy and generative AI development workshops where students practice using AI as a thought partner and not a thought replacement. The Member will reinforce responsible AI use, including critical evaluation of AI-generated content, privacy protection, appropriate attribution, and the importance of independent student thinking.
• Year 1 Goals and Performance Targets. These goals cover the first year of service. The Member will work toward them under the guidance and supervision of IMPACTdmv staff. The goals describe anticipated service activities and program outcomes. The Member is responsible for performing and documenting assigned service activities but is not independently responsible for guaranteeing student outcomes, securing placements, or making organizational decisions.

DuVal High School Partnership

• Facilitate 30 on-site college and career readiness sessions for up to 50 scholars in grades 8 through 11, held once a week from December-June
• Collect sign-in records and surveys at every session
• By the end of Phase 1, support every cohort scholar in completing a resume, finding a volunteer host site, completing at least 1 scholarship application and identifying named organizations for volunteer hours aligned to their career direction
• By the end of Phase 2, support every cohort scholar in leaving applications season with submitted applications for summer internships and academic programs and designing their AI tools in for their group project
• By the end of Phase 3, support scholars in securing and confirming summer placements, beginning college essays
• Document each scholar's progress toward at least three real-world experiences before graduation in the Opportunity Tracker, logging every opportunity applied to, secured, and completed
• Support the IYA Student Leaders and High School Ambassadors in logging peer progress, and help identify students with no completed experiences at the first Tracker checkpoint so they can be connected with support
• Help plan and facilitate 4 Building Future Ready Families parent workshops, send written resources and next steps to every attending family, and collect a post-session survey after each
• Prepare the school-level data view for all 4 quarterly benchmark reviews with IMPACTdmv's Executive Director
• Help plan the closing showcase and Pitch Competition for families and school leadership, and contribute documentation and data, including three-experience completion data, to the end-of-year Impact Report due in June-July 2027
• All student support, application assistance, opportunity referrals, and documentation will be provided under staff supervision and consistent with school and program policies. Staff retain responsibility for program decisions and verification of reported outcomes.

AI Academy

• Facilitate AI Academy workshops for students in grades 8 through 11, following the AI Academy curriculum
• Include AI literacy instruction, including how to use AI as a thought partner and not a thought replacement, in every AI Academy workshop
• Support every enrolled AI Academy student in building a project with generative AI tools that addresses a real problem in their community
• Prepare AI Academy students to present and defend their projects at the symposium. Help students prepare for our TED-style pitch competition
• Help plan the closing showcase and Pitch Competition for families and school leadership, and contribute documentation and data, including three-experience completion data, to the end-of-year Impact Report due in June-July 2027
• The Member will use only program-approved AI tools and instructional resources and will ensure that student projects and presentations are developed for educational and community-benefit purposes.

Programs, Volunteers, and Partnerships

• Support outreach and program engagement activities and facilitate workshops at local High Schools aligned to the programs in place at that site.
• Recruit and Facilitate workshops at local High Schools aligned to the programs in place at that site
• Support High School Ambassadors in leading their peers, and record their leadership activities in program data
• Include IMPACT Now Club volunteers as coaches in workshops, clubs, and events, help with the events they plan and coordinate, and record volunteer participation in program data
• Help identify employer and community opportunities for internships, job shadows, and volunteer hours, and log every confirmed opportunity in the Opportunity Tracker
• The Member's partnership and volunteer activities are intended to strengthen program capacity and expand educational opportunities.
• The Member may not provide unpaid labor in place of paid employees or to perform services that otherwise would be performed by employees.

Data and Family Communication

• Enter program data after every session, including sign-in records, attendance, participation, and completion records
• Review and update school and family contact lists at the start of each semester and after each partner communication
• Administer family and post-session surveys, and share a summary of results with IMPACTdmv staff after each parent workshop and at the end of the year
• The Member must follow established data collection, data retention, confidentiality, and access-control procedures and promptly report data errors or suspected unauthorized disclosures to the designated staff supervisor.
• All official records, reports, and external organizational communications remain subject to staff review and approval.

The member must perform all service activities in accordance with applicable AmeriCorps requirements and host-site policies, including requirements concerning prohibited activities, nonduplication, and nondisplacement. The member must accurately document service hours and complete required program documentation in accordance with program procedures.

Learning & Development Opportunities

As an ACC Member, you will receive structured training and support throughout your service year, including: 

• A week-long virtual orientation with the national cohort to kick off the service year.
• A week-long, in-person national Winter Institute convening with your ACC cohort — travel, lodging, and a per diem stipend are fully covered.
• Twice-monthly virtual training on skills for service, including project management, asset-based community development, grant writing, and serving vulnerable populations, plus self-paced curricula with opportunities to earn badges and credentials.
• A structured community listening tour at the start of service to understand local needs, assets, and opportunities.
• Dedicated 1:1 support from a Lead For America Program Coordinator and twice-monthly peer pod meetings for networking and professional development.
• Access to a national network of ACC Members, alumni, and community partners.

Requirements

• Passion for community service and connecting your neighbors to the digital tools, skills, and opportunities they need to thrive.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively within a team.
• Interest in gaining experience in community development or digital inclusion.

Eligibility:

• Be a U.S. Citizen, National, or Lawful Permanent Resident.
• Hold a high school diploma or GED equivalent.
• Be 17 years of age or older by the start of service.
• Have not already served four (4) or more AmeriCorps State/National terms. 

Timeline:

We are currently recruiting Members to serve from December 7th, 2026 - August 13th, 2027. Members will serve full-time (approximately 40 hours per week), completing 1200 hours of service over the course of the term.

Application Process:

1. Submit Your Application: Complete the application on the next page to join our general talent pool.
2. Host Site Review: Our host site organization will review your application, and invite those moving forward to interview.
3. Lead For America Interview: Finalist candidates will be invited to interview with the Lead For America team.

Benefits

Full-time ACC Members receive: 

• A $23,300 living stipend (disbursed bi-weekly over the course of the service term)
• A $5,220 Segal Education Award through AmeriCorps, which can be applied to education-related expenses after the program concludes (including repayment of qualifying student loans).
• Healthcare coverage (if applicable).
• Access to childcare benefits.
• Student loan forbearance during your year of service.
• Fully-funded ACC Winter Institute druing the year.

Non-Discrimination

This institution operates in accordance with Federal and AmeriCorps civil rights and non-discrimination requirements. This program is available to all. All program documents, including compliance history information, may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact us at ACCinfo@leadforamerica.org

Note: The ACC program does not offer part-time or remote member positions at this time.