2002-2003 POSITION DESCRIPTION

We all want to make a difference. But too many jobs require us to leave our

conscience at home. If you want to put your ideals front and center when you

leave college, consider a term of service with NJ Community Water Watch, a

project of New Jersey Public Interest Research Group and AmeriCorps.

NJ Community Water Watch is a statewide environmental program working with

20 college campuses to solve urban water pollution problems by organizing

hands-on education and service projects in the surrounding communities. By

organizing the resources of college campuses, we are tackling local problems

and creating measurable and visible results.

Program

Our waterways - rivers, lakes, streams, and oceans - are a key element in

our ecological infrastructure, providing food, drinking water, agricultural

and recreational uses. Our waterways will carry out their important, life

supporting functions only if we clean up and protect them from harmful

activities. Today, in New Jersey, 85% of our lakes and streams are degraded

so significantly that they are considered too polluted for fishing or

swimming. Water quality is an important issue for every community and ranks

as one of the public's greatest concerns.

New Jersey Community Water Watch, a project of NJPIRG Law & Policy Center

and AmeriCorps was started eight years ago to address real environmental

problems facing communities and get meaningful results. The program works

with college students and community members to achieve the following goals

through its cutting edge approach to waterway restoration:

· To improve local water quality and clean up waterways through

community organizing in urban areas across the state;

· To strengthen urban communities by uniting a diverse group of people

around the common goals of revitalizing waters and improving public health;

· To instill in community members and volunteers an appreciation of

the natural environment and a sense of civic responsibility; and

· To train community members and volunteers in the fundamentals of

environmental and community organizing.

Campus Organizing

More than any other segment of society, students have the time, the energy,

the resources and the idealism to make a difference on environmental

problems. As a Campus Organizer you lead clean water programs, educate and

empower college students, train new leaders, and make a difference locally

in cleaning up New Jersey's waterways.

In one semester a NJ Community Water Watch Organizer will recruit interns

and volunteers to work on service projects, meet with local and state

officials to attend community clean-ups and events, organize the media to

write about problems of a local waterway, teach elementary school children

about water quality issues and survey miles of local streams and rivers.

Campus organizers work with faculty and up to 100 student volunteers, while

they oversee a course credit internship program where students learn vital

citizenship skills.

Training

A key part of the NJ Community Water Watch mission is to train leaders who

are capable of designing, fighting and winning local projects to defend the

environment.

Training begins the first week of August and includes briefings on local

water quality issues and workshops on organizing skills. Following that, the

State PIRGs provide an intensive, two-week, paid training program for NJ

Community Water Watch Organizers. Organizers participate in other training

events, including regional conferences and a national training in Denver,

Colorado.

Qualifications

We are looking for motivated individuals who are willing to commit

themselves to getting results. We look for experience with campus groups or

student government, academic achievement, social change commitment, and

strong verbal, writing and leadership skills.

Benefits

Graduates commit to a 9-month term of service with AmeriCorps and receive a

stipend of $9,600 during that time. Upon completion of the program, members

receive an education award of $4,725 that can be used to pay off student

loans or for future education at most colleges and universities for up to

seven years. Members also receive health coverage and 2 weeks vacation

during their term.

Equal Opportunity

NJ Community Water Watch is an equal opportunity employer. Selection

decisions are made without regard to race, color, creed, national origin,

sex, age, religion, sexual orientation, disability or marital status.

Locations

NJ Community Water Watch has sites in Mahwah, Teaneck/Hackensack, Paterson,

Newark, New Brunswick, Princeton, Trenton, Camden, Freehold, Toms River and

Atlantic City.

To Apply

Email or fax a cover letter and resume to Allison Cairo, Program Director,

NJ Community Water Watch: allison@waterwatchonline.org, fax (732) 220-1179.

Or fill out the online application

http://www.pirg.org/jobs/application/Index.html

Questions

Please contact Allison Cairo, NJ Community Water Watch Program Director,

with any questions: allison@waterwatchonline.org or call (732) 249-4108

Marg Lee, Coordinator

Environmental & Resource Sciences

Internship & Career Center

311 South Hall

University of California, Davis

Davis, CA 95616

Phone: 530-752-2671

Fax: 530-752-0411

For appointments, call 530-752-2861

http://icc.ucdavis.edu