Supervision Structure

New York State Parks Corps members enrolled in the National Direct grant have a longer chain of supervision:

1. On-Site Supervisor: Your go-to contact for issues or questions pertaining to lodging, position responsibilities, daily activities, coworkers, travel, and time log approval.

2. SCA NYSPC Program Coordinator Zachary Russell: If you feel uncomfortable bringing something up with your PARKS/DEC supervisor, have issues with your supervisor/workplace, or need assistance with SCA administrative responsibilities/ trainings, contact Zachary.

3. SCA NYSPC Program Manager Joel Rake-Marona: If you feel uncomfortable bringing something up with the above two contacts, reach out to Elizabeth Young or Joel Rake-Marona.

4. SCA National Direct Program Manager Chris-Michael Tena: For any issues stemming from the National Direct Program, enrollment, compensation, or reporting, contact Program Manager Chris-Michael Tena.

Discourse with your Supervisor and Peers

It's hard to live where you work. Remember to engage in non-violent communication when interacting with your peers and supervisor(s), and practice self-care when necessary. The Program Coordinator, Program Manager, and greater SCA HR are available if needed 24/7 if a dispute or incident occurs.

J.E.D.I & Inclusion

What does J.E.D.I. stand for?
It's easy to remember; J.E.D.I. stands for Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion! The Student Conservation Association embraces diversity and strives to foster an organizational culture that demonstrates inclusiveness and multiculturalism. As we pursue our mission of building conservation leaders, SCA engages young people from all backgrounds and abilities. Among staff, board, and other stakeholders, we seek the broadest possible range of voices, perspectives, and experiences. By empowering each individual and appreciating their unique identities, we endow the organization with greater collaboration, innovation, and wisdom and advance as an institution and agent of change.

Diversity makes the NYS Parks Corps stronger.
Decades of research by organizational scientists, psychologists, sociologists, economists and demographers show that socially diverse groups (diversity of race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation) are more innovative than homogeneous groups.​ It seems obvious that a group of people with diverse individual expertise would be better than a homogeneous group at solving complex, non-routine problems. It is less obvious that social diversity should work in the same way, yet the science shows that it does.​ Simply interacting with individuals who are different forces group members to prepare better, to anticipate alternative viewpoints, and to expect that reaching consensus will take effort.​ As you embark on your SCA term, you will have the opportunity to work with a multitude of people from all walks of life, both in terms of your co-workers as well as partners, participants and community members. ​Working in a diverse workforce stretches and challenges everyone's internal world. Gender, race, generational issues, personality types and other layers cause all of us to take a brand new look at personal prejudices and narrow-mindedness.

Cultural Competence
Culture is the sum of attitudes, customs, and beliefs that distinguishes one group of people from another. Culture is transmitted, through language, material objects, ritual, institutions, and art, from one generation to the next. In short, cultural competence is a range of cognitive, affective, and behavioural skills that lead to effective and appropriate communication with people of other cultures. To become culturally competent we ​have to become aware of our own​ cultural filters, and develop a ​healthy curiosity and respect for the experiences and ​perspectives of others. Moreso, we need to move past a culture of tolerance to a culture of appropriate celebration. NYS Parks Corps members, and all members of the greater SCA, are asked to actively bolster their cultural competence through self-reflection, active listening, empathy, personal engagement, and increasing cultural knowledge while in programming.

It's imperative to be mindful of other member's gender expressions, sexual orientations, and pronoun usages. While we foster a culture of learning and mistakes do happen, the SCA considers flagrant disrespect of these attributes a serious offense. 

SCA Living Stipends & ADP Direct Deposit

We want you to receive your stipends! While you have the option to choose whether you prefer a physical check or direct deposit, direct deposit is usually quicker and has less room for error. Please look for email correspondence from The SCA/ADP in regard to ADP enrollment and direct deposit verification. Your $600/week stipend is taxed. 

SCA Pay Schedule

The SCA pay schedule for 1700-hour positions is located in team Member Drive.

Community Housing Agreement

Shortly after starting your position, you will engage in a community housing agreement meeting. During this meeting, SCA and supervisors will share their policies regarding the site-provided housing. Members will share their preferences, needs, concerns and questions around shared housing. Visitors of the house, travel, and isolation/quarantine logistics will also be discussed.

NYS Parks Corps Community Agreement

During orientation, all current NYS Parks Corps members will engage in a community agreement meeting. This is a general contract, intended to guide communal procedures and boundaries during NYS Parks Corps events throughout the season.

SCA/AmeriCorps Insurance, Loan Forbearance, and Interest Payback

During orientation/enrollment, SCA HR will offer you it's free AmeriCorps insurance plan. This can only be accepted during the starting enrollment period. As an AmeriCorps member you may be eligible for forbearance on your qualified student loans during your term of service. SCA HR will reach out during enrollment with information. During forbearance, although you do not have to make payments, interest continues to accumulate on your loans. AmeriCorps will only pay this interest if the loans were placed in forbearance and you earned a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award.

Reporting Incidents & Worker's Compensation

As a NYS Parks Corps member, program staff have a duty of care to report and seek worker’s comp (if necessary) within a 4-hour window after a member-related incident. Failure to report an incident or injury within this 4-hour window may prevent a valid worker’s compensation claim. 

Please report any injury or incident to Program Coordinator Zachary Russell (203-209-5214), or Program Managers Elizabeth Young (845-270-1367) & Joel Rake-Marona (703-952-1677).

If the Program Coordinator has been notified of an incident that occurred during service or training hours, they will file a worker's compensation claim with the SCA. The Program Coordinator will provide the member with an initial set of worker's compensation information to be provided to the care facility. Shortly after, the SCA will email the member their complete workers compensation information, which needs to be relayed to the care facility.

Parks Corps Members should expect to provide the following details to the Program Coordinator upon notification of an incident during service or training hours:

1.  Event Location

2. Current Location

3. Time/Date of Event

4. Event Witnesses

5. Body Part Injured

6. Manner of Injury

7. Service Activity During Event

8. Event Narrative

9. Any Care Rendered At Scene

10. Plan For Care, If Any

Official SCA HR

The SCA does have an active Human Resources department. With that being said, the Program Coordinator or Program Manager must initiate first contact on behalf of a member. If these services are needed, reach out to either the Program Manager or Program Coordinator.

Applying For SNAP

Through your full-time service in AmeriCorps, you ARE eligible for SNAP benefits. The USDA issued an opinion in 2001 stating that AmeriCorps State and National benefits (stipend and housing allowance) are EXCLUDED from income for food stamp purposes. This means your AmeriCorps income every month does not count as income for the purposes of SNAP eligibility! Make the most of your earnings by saving on groceries; SNAP can add to $200 to your monthly income.

To receive SNAP:

1. Apply online through the My Benefits website or in-person by finding the Local Department of Social Services for your county: https://mybenefits.ny.gov/mybenefits/begin

2. Receive letter and phone interview date

3. Send in all necessary paperwork

   1. Official AmeriCorps letter - Impact of AmeriCorps Benefits on Food Stamp Eligibility

   2. Proof of your housing address and monthly rent, provided by the Program Coordinator upon request.

   3. Proof of AmeriCorps income, including stipend and housing allowance

4. Wait… then receive your EBT card in the mail!

Common Application Problems:

1. Specifics and speed may vary from county to county, and worker to worker.

2. You may have to call often! 

3. Be prepared to go to the office in-person.

4. Not all SNAP workers knows about AmeriCorps! You have to vouch for yourself and ask your SCA supervisor to vouch for you.

5. You must re-apply in 6 months (mid-Summer).

How to use your EBT Card:

1. Use your EBT card like a debit card

2. Remember to create a pin! 

3. Choose “Food” for your purchases, if asked 

4. The system automatically picks out all items that are SNAP eligible. No need for you to separate foods from non-foods

5. Your receipt will include your EBT balance.

6. Farmers markets vary greatly. Some take the EBT card like at a store and have a card reader, others require you to exchange your EBT for wooden tokens.

7. There are a range of foods you can purchase:

   1. Meat, fruit, vegetables, cans of soup, grains, frozen foods, oils, candies, chips, spices, prepared foods, honey….the list goes on and on…

   2. You can even buy seeds to make your own garden if you have the space and the dirt!

   3. You cannot buy hot foods, alcohol, and non-foods..That means you can buy a cold-cut sub but not a meatball sub…You can buy iced mocha at QuickChek, but not a hot mocha…

SCA MAP Program and Mental Health

The SCA considers a decline in mental health a serious, reportable incident. Please reach out to your Program Coordinator if this is the case. The SCA contracts a "Member Assistance Program" for all members. It's 24/7, and a good option if you need imminent mental health first aid. 

AmeriCorps Prohibited Activities

While charging time to the AmeriCorps program, accumulating service or training hours, or otherwise performing activities supported by the AmeriCorps program or AmeriCorps, staff and members may not engage in the following activities (see 45 § CFR 2520.65):

1. Attempting to influence legislation

2. Organizing or engaging in protests, petitions, boycotts, or strikes

3. Assisting, promoting, or deterring union organizing

4. Impairing existing contracts for services or collective bargaining agreements

5. Engaging in partisan political activities, or other activities designed to influence the outcome of an election to any public office

6. Participating in, or endorsing, events or activities that are likely to include advocacy for or against political parties, political platforms, political candidates, proposed legislation, or elected officials

7. Engaging in religious instruction, conducting worship services, providing instruction as part of a program that includes mandatory religious instruction or worship, constructing or operating facilities devoted to religious instruction or worship, maintaining facilities primarily or inherently devoted to religious instruction or worship, or engaging in any form of religious proselytization

8. Providing a direct benefit to the following entities—

   1. A business organized for profit;

   2. A labor union;

   3. A partisan political organization;

   4. A nonprofit organization that fails to comply with the restrictions contained in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 related to engaging in political activities or substantial amount of lobbying except that nothing in these provisions shall be construed to prevent participants from engaging in advocacy activities undertaken at their own initiative; and e. An organization engaged in the religious activities described in 7. above, unless AmeriCorps assistance is not used to support those religious activities;

9. Conducting a voter registration drive or using AmeriCorps funds to conduct a voter registration drive

10. Providing abortion services or referrals for receipt of such services

11. Such other activities as AmeriCorps may prohibit.

Please note: Additional Prohibited Activities as of FY22_Program Year:

Census Activities. AmeriCorps members and volunteers associated with AmeriCorps grants may not engage in census activities during service hours. Being a census taker during service hours is categorically prohibited. Census-related activities (e.g., promotion of the Census, education about the importance of the Census) do not align with AmeriCorps State and National objectives. What members and volunteers do on their own time is up to them, consistent with program policies about outside employment and activities.

Election and Polling Activities. AmeriCorps Members may not provide services for election or polling locations or in support of such activities. AmeriCorps members may not engage in the above activities directly or indirectly by recruiting, training, or managing others for the primary purpose of engaging in one of the activities listed above. Individuals may exercise their rights as private citizens and may participate in the activities listed above on their initiative, on non-AmeriCorps time, and using non- AmeriCorps funds. Individuals should not wear the AmeriCorps logo while engaging in any of the above activities on their personal time