Position Title: Youth Empowerment Steward (YES) AmeriCorps Member at Steamtown National Historical Site
Conservation Legacy Program: Stewards Individual Placements
Site Location: Steamtown National Historical Site
150 S. Washington Ave.
Scranton, PA 18503
Terms of Service: 52 weeks
- Start Date: 12/07/2026
- End Date: 12/03/2027
- Application Deadline: 11/01/2026
- Number of Positions Available: 1
- AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 1700 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, attainable, and welcoming to all Americans.
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.
Role of YES Member at Steamtown National Historic Site
The Youth Empowerment Steward (YES) AmeriCorps Member at Steamtown National Historic Site will play a key role in expanding access, improving visitor trip planning, and increasing access to historically constrained spaces; advancing the park’s access and welcome efforts.
The YES Member will use National Park Service-provided audio/visual equipment and Adobe Creative Cloud applications to document historic railcars, stations, platforms, and visitor spaces with known access constraints. Through professional video, photography, and digital storytelling, the YES Member will create Section 508-compliant virtual visitor experiences and multimedia resources that improve trip planning, expand access to historically constrained environments, and support adaptive interpretation. These products will support public-facing access information, digital engagement, and internal planning for future projects to increase access.
This service project builds on prior YES access assessments and advances the implementation of the Explore Act by expanding equitable access to park resources, while also providing this YES Member with hands-on experience in access standards, digital media production, and public service.
Description of Duties:
To achieve the goals of this YES position, the Youth Empowerment Steward (YES) AmeriCorps Member at Steamtown National Historic Site will:
- Capture high-quality video, photography, and supporting media of historic buildings, railcars, locomotives, and visitor spaces using NPS-provided audio/visual equipment
- Develop Section 508-compliant virtual visitor experiences and digital resources using Adobe Creative Cloud applications, including Premiere Pro, and related software
- Incorporate captions, audio description, graphics, and other Universal Design principles into multimedia products to ensure attainability for diverse audiences
- Create visitor-friendly digital resources that improve trip planning and provide meaningful alternatives for spaces that are temporarily closed or physically inaccessible
- Document access features and barriers to inform future planning, interpretation, and infrastructure improvements
- Collaborate with park staff and NPS access specialists to ensure digital products align with Section 508 requirements and NPS best practices
- Support access planning for interpretive programs, volunteer initiatives, and special events by developing digital resources that expand visitor access and engagement
Expected Deliverables
By the conclusion of the service term, the YES Member will produce:
- A library of professionally produced Section 508-compliant virtual visitor experiences for priority visitor facilities, historic railroad equipment, and other significant park resources
- High-quality digital photographs documenting access features, visitor circulation, and areas of interest
- Section 508-compliant multimedia resources, incorporating captions, audio descriptions, alternative text, and other features
- Visitor-facing digital content that improves trip planning and provides greater transparency regarding access conditions throughout Steamtown NHS
- Internal documentation and recommendations that support future access improvements, interpretive planning, and digital engagement initiatives
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 52 weeks of service
- Have a connection to the disability community
Preferred Qualifications and Skills
- ·Self-starter with the ability to work independently and collaboratively
- Interest in using photography, video, and digital storytelling to improve access to visitor experiences and historic resources
- Interest in learning and using new technology, software, and audio/visual equipment
- Interest in learning about Section 508 requirements, Universal Design principles, and accessible digital content
- Prior experience with photography, videography, graphic design, social media, or Adobe Creative Cloud applications is helpful but not required
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 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
- YES Members are part of a cohort and meet virtually online on a bi-weekly basis; the YES cohort space is established for YES Members to collaborate and support one another on various access projects, while also discussing various personal and professional development topics
Orientation and Training:
- Member will receive an orientation that includes training on AmeriCorps prohibited and unallowable activities
- Accessibility and Section 508: Training and mentorship in Section 508 requirements, Universal Design, and accessible multimedia, including captioning, audio description, alternative text, and accessible graphics
- Digital Media: Hands-on training in photography, videography, audio/visual equipment, digital storytelling, and Adobe Creative Cloud applications
- NPS Digital Communications: NPS Beginner Digital course, NPS.gov CMS 101, intermediate digital training, and Social Media Training modules
- NPS Accessibility Professionals: Opportunities to learn from and collaborate with NPS accessibility specialists, including the Park Accessibility for Visitors and Employees (PAVE) Program, as available
- FRA 101: Participation in Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) 101, as available, to provide an introduction to railroad operations, terminology, safety, and the regulatory environment relevant to Steamtown
Benefits:
- Segal AmeriCorps Education Award
- Living Allowance of $660 per week
- AmeriCorps Health Insurance coverage
- ·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
- ·YES Members have opportunities to connect and collaborate with other YES Members in the bi-weekly virtual YES Cohort space
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.
This project was made possible in part by a grant from the National Park Foundation
