AmeriCorps Community Landscaping Trainee

The Corps Network; Baltimore (MD); On-site; USD 16,000 - 24,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Education Award

Living allowance (bi-weekly stipend)

Job summary

Civic Works in Baltimore, MD seeks AmeriCorps Community Landscaping Trainee to transform vacant lots into community green spaces. You will learn to use hand tools, power tools, and heavy equipment while collaborating with local volunteers to plan, create, and maintain gardens.

Expect outdoor work, 40 hours per week, with occasional weekends; education awards and personal development are part of the program, fostering growth and community impact.

Qualifications

• Must be able to serve 40 hours per week.
• Must be able to lift 40 pounds.
• Willingness to work in extreme weather conditions.
• Submit to a criminal history check and a National Sex Offender Registry search.
• Commitment to a drug-free workplace.
• Team player with willingness to learn new things.

Responsibilities

• Transform vacant lots across Baltimore City into usable green spaces.
• Learn and use hand tools, power tools, and heavy equipment for landscaping.
• Lead volunteer groups to conceive, create, and maintain green spaces.
• Participate in environmental education, job skills training, and workforce development activities.

Skills

40 hours/week

Physical lifting

Weather resilience

Criminal history check

Drug-free workplace

Team player

Tools

Power tools

Heavy equipment

Job description

AmeriCorps Community Landscaping Trainee

JOB DETAILS

Actively Recruiting: Yes
Position title: AmeriCorps Community Landscaping Trainee
Type of Position: Corpsmember / Intern
Town, City, Park, etc: Baltimore
State / Territory: Maryland
Benefits: Education Award
Project/Program Focus: Landscaping, Native Plants, Stormwater Management

Civic Works strengthens Baltimore’s communities through education, skills development, and community service. Our key program areas include community improvement, workforce development, education, and green programs.
Civic Works AmeriCorps members tutor and mentor students, create community parks and gardens, help homeowners conserve energy, grow food for low-income residents, rehabilitate abandoned houses, involve families in Baltimore City schools, make homes safer for older adults, and recruit volunteers. Civic Works also trains Baltimore residents for employment in the healthcare and green job industries.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Member Position / Title: AmeriCorps Community Landscaping Trainee

Number of individual members serving in this Position: Up to 15 per Cohort

Position Start Date: EXPECTED March 2026

Days / Hours of Service: Monday – Friday: 8:30am – 4:30pm (40 hours/week Occasional Weekends)

Host Site Agency Name & Complete Address of Host Site Location(s): Civic Works Community Landscaping Program , 1749 Gorsuch Ave, Baltimore, MD 21218

Position Summary: AmeriCorps Community Landscaping Trainees will transform vacant lots in neighborhoods throughout Baltimore City into communal green spaces and public gardens. Team members will learn how to properly use hand tools, power tools, and heavy equipment involved in landscaping. They will serve with community members and help lead volunteer groups to conceptualize, create, and maintain green spaces. Team members will also participate in environmental education lessons, job skills training, and workforce development activities.

Organization and Program Description:Civic Works strengthens Baltimore’s communities through education, skills development, and community service. The Community Landscaping Program transforms vacant lots in Baltimore City into usable green spaces. AmeriCorps members, community residents, local artists, and volunteer groups serve together to create and maintain thriving community spaces.

During the Service Term, members will serve primarily outdoors performing the following tasks and will receive the following benefits:

• Members will receive a living allowance in the form of a fixed bi-weekly stipend.
• Members will transform vacant lots across Baltimore City into usable green spaces.
• Hands‑on training in how to properly use power tools and heavy equipment responsibly and safely, along with self‑paced online and classroom instruction on the basic and complex techniques involved in urban landscaping.
• Practical application opportunities leading community members and volunteer groups to conceptualize, create, and maintain green spaces.
• Soft skills development related to personal and professional growth, from resume building to mock interviews, to equity, inclusion, and project management/leadership. Upon completion of the Service Term, members will receive the following benefits
• Members will receive continued support from Civic Works with the following soft skills:
  • Mentoring & Career Planning Support
  • Resume Building & Review
  • Job Coaching & Referrals.
• Eli Segal AmeriCorps Education Award (based on the following service term structure):
  • 1700 hours – $7395.00
  • 900 Hours – $3697.50
  • 675 Hours – $2817.14
  • 450 Hours – $1956.35
  • 300 Hours – $1565.08

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Ability to serve 40 hours/week (Monday – Friday, and some weekends).
• Ability to lift 40 pounds.
• Willingness to serve in difficult weather conditions, (including extreme heat & cold).
• Submit to a criminal history check and a National Sex Offender Registry search.
• Commitment to a drug free workplace.
• Team Player and a willingness to try and learn new things.

DESIRED (but not needed):

• A driver’s license.
• Knowledge of basic landscaping and design techniques.
• Experience serving in low-income communities.