AmeriCorps Advice by Topic
- Tips for Applicants (40)
- AmeriCorps in the News (14)
- Program Fit (7)
- AmeriCorpsNCCC (5)
- Program Overview (5)
- Stories of Service (3)
- Tips for Alum (20)
- Featured Alum (14)
- AmeriCorps State & National (6)
- AmeriCorpsVISTA (5)
- AmeriCorps (5)
- Featured Project (1)
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- *coming soon
AmeriCorpsNCCC Articles for AmeriCorps
Demystifying the A: What exactly is AmeriCorps?
Published May 11, 2009 @ 09:57AM PT
So you want to join AmeriCorps? Excellent. I'm excited for you. Which of the 75,000 positions were you looking at?
A little overwhelmed? That's okay. Saying that you want to be in AmeriCorps--or that you served in AmeriCorps--is kinda of like saying that you want to get a job in Cleveland, Ohio... it doesn't really narrow it down. Which is what you need to do. Trying to understand exactly what AmeriCorps is is a good start.
AmeriCorps was started in 1993 by Former President Bill Clinton as a tool to engage people in service to their communities, while focuses on some of the biggest issues our country is facing. President Clinton placed AmeriCorps, along with Learn & Serve America and Senior Corps (another topic for another blog), under the umbrella of the Corporation for National and Community Service.
The term "AmeriCorps" actually refers to hundreds of federally funded volunteer programs across the country. Some programs are full-time, some part-time; some require a college degree, some don't; some programs are residential; some aren't; some AmeriCorps members wear uniforms; some wear dress pants. I'm not kidding you... AmeriCorps positions are about as diverse as jobs in Cleveland.
There are three main branches of AmeriCorps, which are going to be covered in more detail in articles to come: AmeriCorps*VISTA, AmeriCorps*NCCC, and AmeriCorps State & National.
- AmeriCorps*VISTA is the oldest of the three AmeriCorps branches. VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) was actually started in 1965, long before Clinton created the umbrella of AmeriCorps, as a part of the War on Poverty. AmeriCorps*VISTA positions focus specifically on poverty elimination and capacity-building, so while VISTA members work on important issues like education, food access, and housing, they are more likely to be doing the behind the scenes work than direct service. Also, the VISTA program strongly believes in AmeriCorps*VISTA members living at the level of other community member, so monthly living stipends are calculated to be just 5% above the poverty line.
- AmeriCorps*NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps) is the smallest of the programs. Of the 75,000 members serving in AmeriCorps, less than 1,000 are AmeriCorps*NCCC. NCCC members serve and live in teams and are based on five campuses across the country: Sacramento, CA, Denver, CO, Perry Point, MD, Vinton, IA, and Vicksburg, MS. Instead of serving in one place for a year, AmeriCorps*NCCC members travel around and do a variety of short-term projects in the areas of education, unmet human needs, disaster relief, environment, and public safety.
- AmeriCorps State & National is by far the biggest of the AmeriCorps programs. Through AmeriCorps State & National, umbrella organizations like City Year, Habitat for Humanity, and Teach for America are funded to host their own AmeriCorps members in projects that they manage across the country in a variety of issues areas. Also, through AmeriCorps State & National, individual states receive funding for their own state AmeriCorps programs like Colorado Conservation Corps and Scholars in Service to Pennsylvania.
Like I said, all three of the main branches of AmeriCorps programs will get more detailed attention in upcoming posts. For now, I hope that things are getting a little clearer.
Before we go, let's note that the thing that we are talking about is AmeriCorps. You saw it right... that's a capital "C" in the middle of a word. Weird, I know, but important to spell it right before you start an application. Also, the end of the word is pronounced "core" like an apple and not "corpse" like a dead person. Got it? Good... we are heading in the right direction.
Demystifying the A: AmeriCorps*NCCC
Published May 11, 2009 @ 10:01AM PT
AmeriCorps*NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps) is the smallest, and probably most unique, of the three branches of AmeriCorps. It's participants represent less than 2% of all AmeriCorps members serving at any given time. AmeriCorps*NCCC members are placed on one of five campuses, Sacramento, CA, Denver, CO, Perry Point, MD, Vinton, IA, and Vicksburg, MS, and serve through short-term projects in the areas of education, unmet human needs, environment, public safety, and increasingly, disaster relief and recovery.
These are just a few ways that AmeriCorps*NCCC is unique from other AmeriCorps programs:
- AmeriCorps*NCCC is specifically for 18 to 24-year-olds. Team Leaders can be of any age over 18, but Members must be 18 on or before their first day of service and 24 on their first day of service.
- AmeriCorps*NCCC Members travel and serve in teams of 8-10 people. As opposed to serving as the only AmeriCorps member at a nonprofit for a year, AmeriCorps*NCCC Members serve together and work on 3-4 large projects over the course of 10 months. It can be intense. Remember: You are serving together, traveling together, eating together, and sleeping together.
- While serving with AmeriCorps*NCCC, you don't get to choose. You don't choose the campus you serve on, you on don't get to choose your teammates, and you don't get to choose your projects. Despite this, AmeriCorps*NCCC Project Directors work to ensure the most diversity of project location and focus areas to ensure that Members have a well-rounded experience.
- Because it is a descendant of the Civilian Conversation Corps of the 1930s, AmeriCorps*NCCC does have some pseudo-military aspects. When working on a project, all NCCC members wear a uniform of khaki or black BDUs (Battle Dress Uniform) and a gray AmeriCorps*NCCC shirt. Also, since many of the projects are physical in nature, Members are required to participate in mandatory Physical Training (PT). And yes, there are a lot of other acronyms.
So I know what you are thinking... what sort of crazy nut joins this sort of program? Well, someone like me.
In 2004, I joined AmeriCorps*NCCC and was assigned to the Sacramento campus. I was assigned to a team of ten. After four weeks of training (Red Cross, diversity, conflict resolution) in a room with no windows, my team and I were sent off on our first project to do environmental work outside of Portland, Oregon. We went on to three more main projects during our 10-month stint: Preparing income tax returns for low-income families in a community center in Sacramento; Removing non-native invasive plant species (a fancy word for weeds!) and building for Habitat for Humanity in Maui, Hawaii; and finally, tutoring youth at a literacy program in Green River, Utah.
As with everything in life, there were parts I loved (weekends in Maui!) and parts that I hated (weeds!), as well as days that I wanted to last forever and days that I wanted to quit. In the end, the most important thing for me was that I got to see parts of our country that I never would have seen on my own, and done things that I would never have done on my own. Plus, I got to wear cool khaki pants.
Some things have changed since I served as an NCCC Member. Only one month after the end of my term of service, Hurricane Katrina hit and the country called on the 800 disaster-response-certified AmeriCorps*NCCC Members to serve in the Gulf Coast. Now, almost 4 years later, each AmeriCorps*NCCC spends at least one stint in the Gulf Coast, working with organizations like Habitat for Humanity, Hands On Gulf Coast, and others to continue recovery efforts.
Other than the probability that you will spend a few weeks volunteering in hurricane-affected areas, there aren't very many other predictable aspects to serving as an AmeriCorps*NCCC Member. However, if you fit the age criteria and are game for anything (including Real-World-like-drama)... this is the program for you.
A Man With A Plan: Obama & National Service
Published May 14, 2009 @ 08:59AM PT
Okay, so the economy is in the tank, and the outlook is bleak for people hoping to get into the nonprofit sector, right? Not exactly.
The upside of the downturned economy is that President Obama just signed the Serve America Act, which will include expanding the current National Service Programs—AmeriCorps State and National, AmeriCorps*VISTA, and AmeriCorps*NCCC from 75,000 to 250,000 members.
People who have served in AmeriCorps positions can tell you that they are great ways to develop your nonprofit resume and get a “foot-in” at an organization that works towards the same goals you do. In exchange for a living stipend, health insurance, and an education award, AmeriCorps members volunteer in organizations as diverse as the many issues our country is facing.
Not only is AmeriCorps known for looking great on any resume, it is a chance for a new professional to get valuable experience and real responsibility, without the need for a Masters degree—or years of working your way up the ladder.
So, yes, there are fewer jobs out there this year than two years ago. There are, however, going to be roughly three to four times the number of AmeriCorps positions, and organizations will be hungry for people ready to work for social change. Is that you?
Do you like to play in the dirt?
Published May 21, 2009 @ 07:09AM PT
Believe it or not, this is a serious question. If you do, there are a ton of great AmeriCorps programs that you might want to consider. Almost every state in the country has its own Conservation Corps, funded through AmeriCorps*State & National. Many of these programs were modeled off of the Civilian Conservation Corps, developed by Roosevelt in the 1930s to ease unemployment.
The modern day Conservation Corps programs have some of the same characteristics of the original: AmeriCorps Members live and work in teams, doing projects like trail building, non-native invasive species removal, tree-planting, and other environmental conservation projects.
Not ready for an entire year in the great outdoors? Consider looking into AmeriCorps*NCCC (for 18-24-year-olds). About 40% of their projects are environmental, and project stints are much shorter... more like 6-10 weeks.
Picture from http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=playing+in+the+dirt
Tune In: National Conference on Volunteering and Service
Published June 25, 2009 @ 04:56PM PT
If you didn't make it out to this year's National Conference on Volunteering and Service in San Francisco, here's your chance to check it out from your own computer. This conference is the world's largest gathering of volunteer and service leaders from the nonprofit, government, and corporate sectors. AmeriCorps members and alums are abundant at this event.
The Conference has plugged into several web resources, so everyone can find out what's going on. Check it out:
Streaming of some conference proceedings and Blog are at [Business Boomer]
Videos from the opening session and located on YouTube
Recording from the conference session will be posted on the conference webpage
