Demystifying the A: What exactly is AmeriCorps?

by Meghan Oakley

categories: AmeriCorps State & National, AmeriCorpsNCCC, AmeriCorpsVISTA, Program Fit, Program Overview

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

by Meghan Oakley

categories: AmeriCorpsNCCC, Program Fit, Program Overview

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.

Which one is right for you?

by Meghan Oakley

categories: Program Fit, Tips for Applicants

Published May 11, 2009 @ 10:01AM PT

So you want to serve in AmeriCorps? Great… You have just narrowed down your search to 75,000 positions.

You know you want to work for social change. You know you want to make a difference, but trying to figure out which of the hundreds of AmeriCorps programs is right for you it a little daunting.

The best position search is a targeted one. You need to know what position you want and what organization you want to work for before you invest all the time and energy in getting the organization to want you. How exactly do you do that?

Consider the “seven circles” of any position.  While I served in AmeriCorps*NCCC, a trainer introduced me to a reflection activity exploring these seven elements:

1. Mission: What is the mission of the organization? What is your personal mission? What issues are you most passionate about?
2. Environment: What sort of environment do you want to work in? Do you want to work outside or inside? Do you want to do a program that travels? Do you want to spend most of your time at a desk, in a classroom, or on a construction site?
3. People: What sort of people to you want to work with? People who share your ideals? People of diverse perspectives? People that are your age? Do you want to work on a team or would you prefer to serve alone?
4. Geography: Where do you want this position to be? In a specific city or state? Near important people in your life? Somewhere you can wear sandals year-round? In the city or in the country? Close to your favorite ski resort? How far are you willing to commute? Do you want to be able to walk to work?
5. Money: Do you want a position that offers the stipend and requires you to find your own housing? Do you want to join a program where housing is provided? Do you need a transportation stipend?
6. Skills: What skills do you have? What skills do you want to use in your position? What skills do you want to learn through your position? What skills do you wish you had?
7. Interests: What do you like to do for fun? What are your hobbies? If you had a completely free day off, what would you do? What interests do you have that you would like to bring into your workplace?

After considering these questions in these seven areas, you should have a better idea of what you are looking for in an AmeriCorps position. Do you think there is a position that fits all your criteria? Is there a position that fulfills your personal mission? That gives you the work environment you want? With the sort of people you want to work with and for? In the place you want to live? For the amount of money you want? In an area of your interest? Using the skills you have and developing the ones you want?

If the answer is yes, you are the luckiest person in the world. If the answer is no, keep reading.

This is where you need to think about the areas that are most important to you. What is negotiable? What is not? Is there a place that you are committed to staying in? Is there an issue that you know you want to work on? Do you know that you want to work with kids? Are you set on working outdoors?

Figuring out which of these areas are most important to you will help you narrow your search to a specific place, organization type, or work environment. Once you have used your “non-negotiables” to narrow your search, it is time to start looking for positions that fulfill your most important criteria and maybe fit into some of your other circles, too.

The start of any successful AmeriCorps position search starts with this personal reflection on what you really value in your work and life as a whole. What do you really want?

Sit and think about these seven circles before you start any position search and invest all that time and effort scouring the globe for your future employment. At the end of the day, you can’t start your search for a position if you don’t know what you are looking for.

Top five reasons NOT to join AmeriCorps

by Meghan Oakley

categories: Program Fit, Tips for Applicants

Published May 11, 2009 @ 10:05AM PT

Okay. You would think that a blog dedicated to promoting AmeriCorps and helping people learn about all the AmeriCorps opportunities out there wouldn't also be highlighting why you shouldn't be joining. But that is what I'm going to do. As some who not only did an AmeriCorps program, but also now directs one, I know that AmeriCorps is not for everyone. This is lesson #1.

One of the unique things about AmeriCorps that sets it apart from other opportunities (like a job or graduate school) is that it is a commitment that impacts A LOT of people. Most AmeriCorps members commit to terms of service of 10 months or one year. If you get into a position and decide.... hmmm... I don't think that this is right for me... I'm just going to leave now... That is not cool. Not only does leaving your service early (or being miserable the whole time) impact you, but it impacts your project site, the staff, the community that you serve, and the people that you serve beside.

I'm not saying that taking a job or going to graduate school is less a commitment or less serious than serving as an AmeriCorps member, but the commitment is of a different sort. Since there isn't a lot of monetary gain in joining AmeriCorps, you really have to want it. It can be a very rewarding experience, but one that can be equally challenging. So how do you know that you are ready to commit to a year of service? Let's start with the top reasons NOT to join AmeriCorps:

1. Because your cousin Taylor did and he loved it and was so happy: A lot of people find out about AmeriCorps opportunities through friends and family. And honestly, getting a first-person account of an experience can be really helpful in deciding whether you want to serve as an AmeriCorps member. But it is really important to remember that there are thousands of AmeriCorps positions out there and each one has its own unique characteristics and not every position is a perfect fit for every person. You and your cousin Taylor could serve in the same position and have totally different experiences. The important thing is that you figure out which (if any) AmeriCorps program is right for you.
2. Because it looks good on your resume: There is a lot of evidence out there that shows that AmeriCorps members go on to do some pretty amazing work in the non-profit sector and that their year as an AmeriCorps member gave them the experience to do just that. However (and this is a big however), I can guarantee you that if you are going into an AmeriCorps position just to put it on your resume or say that you served, you probably won't have a great experience. A year of service can seem like a lifetime if you aren't invested in the work that you are doing in the moment.
3. Because you don't want to get a "real" job: I know that it doesn't come with a fat paycheck and a corner office, but an AmeriCorps position is a "real" as it gets. If you are graduating from school and aren't ready for the 9-5, you probably won't be ready for the (sometimes) 60 hour weeks that AmeriCorps positions can bring.
4. Because you want to live in (insert exotic destination here): When I tell people that my AmeriCorps service brought me to Maui for two months, they say "Ooo.. Ahh.. that is the life!" And then I mention that we spent Tuesday-Saturday from 8am-5pm cutting down and removing (heavy) non-native trees in the hot Maui sun just yards from the beach. It was like watching a Corona commercial on an airport TV when your flight to Detroit is late. Doesn't matter how pretty it looks... you aren't living the commercial. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy my service in Maui or feel grateful that we got a project there. My point is that your experiences tends to be about 96% about what you are doing (i.e. dragging trees through the sand) and about 4% of where you are. So remember... even though San Francisco or Boston or Miami might sound exciting... don't forget what you are going to do.
5. Because you want to change the world in one year: Call me a cynic, but I think that this is some of the best advice that I received before I started my service in AmeriCorps is that although I was probably going to have an impact on the communities that I served and people I served with, I was not going to change the world in one year. If you go in with expectations of overarching social change as a result of your individual effort, you are going to be disappointed. It takes lots of people and time and commitment to positively impact a community, so remember that you are part of a larger process and not going leave having changed the world.

Demystifying the A: AmeriCorps*VISTA

by Meghan Oakley

categories: AmeriCorpsVISTA, Program Fit, Program Overview

Published May 11, 2009 @ 09:59AM PT

AmeriCorps*VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) is the oldest of the AmeriCorps programs. It was started as a part of the War on Poverty in 1965. Over 40 years later, AmeriCorps*VISTA members are still fighting that war in projects that focus on mentoring youth, fighting homelessness, ensuring successful reentry of the incarcerated, and other issues that relate directly to poverty in nonprofits and community organizations across the country.

Other than its 40-year legacy, there are a few other things that set AmeriCorps*VISTA apart from other AmeriCorps programs, and it's a good thing to know these things before you dive into an application or just some preliminary research on vista.gov:

• AmeriCorps*VISTA positions focus on capacity-building and sustainability, so most positions focus on developing and sustaining programming, grantwriting, training and technical assistance, and other "behind the scenes" work. Direct service is actually prohibited by the AmeriCorps*VISTA program, so don't expect to spend your time directly mentoring youth or building nature trails.
• AmeriCorps*VISTA strongly values the concept that VISTA members are most effective when living within the community that they are serving. As a result, the living stipend is only 5% above the poverty line. If you think of the stipend as a salary (which you probably shouldn't do), this is the lowest-paying of all AmeriCorps programs.
• AmeriCorps*VISTA members commit to being available to serve "24 hours a day, 7 days a week." There is no magic number of serve hours that you need to complete your term. Your term of service is one year, whether you work 40-hour weeks or 65-hour week.
• With this in mind, there are a few other things that "rule" your non-working hours... AmeriCorps*VISTA members can't be full- or part-time students and they can't have any other form of income (nope, not even babysitting). This all relates to the idea of living among the community that you are serving and being available for service 24/7.

There are about 6,500 AmeriCorps*VISTA placements at nonprofits, local government, and colleges and universities, at any one time. While the foundation of the program is eliminating poverty, projects have a variety of foci, including education, environment, health, housing, and community development.

If you are ready to commit a full year to serving your community, and don't mind giving up school, other jobs, and daily trips to Starbucks.... AmeriCorps*VISTA might be for you. To search current openings, go to www.vista.gov.

Demistifying the A: AmeriCorps State & National

by Meghan Oakley

categories: AmeriCorps State & National, Program Fit, Program Overview, Tips for Applicants

Published May 22, 2009 @ 01:07PM PT

Okay... so this is the last in a series of articles about the three main branches of AmeriCorps: AmeriCorps*VISTA, AmeriCorps*NCCC, and AmeriCorps State & National. And I have definitely saved the biggest for last.

AmeriCorps State & National refers to all the programs--managed by national organizations or even small non-profits--that receive funding either a). directly from the national AmeriCorps program or b). through State Commissions. Since these programs are about as diverse as the country that they serve, I'm going to try to give you an idea of the general categories that these programs fit into:

AmeriCorps National Direct: These are programs funded directly from the national AmeriCorps program, and are sometimes referred to as "regular" AmeriCorps. Organizations that receive and implement National Direct grants include City Year, Public Allies, and Teach for America.

State Programs: Some AmeriCorps State & National funding is administered directly by states for state-specific programs like RurAL CAP in Alaska or the Florida State Parks AmeriCorps.

Education Award Only Programs: There are two main types of "Ed Award Only" programs. The first type is one in which AmeriCorps provides the Education Awardand the sponsoring organization pays for all the other benefits like the Youth Service Opportunities AmeriCorps Fellows Program. The second type of "Ed Award Only" programs is where you volunteer a certain number of hours, usually between 450 and 900, and receive a part-education award. This positions are part-time, and most commonly found on college campuses, like Scholars in Service to Pennsylvania.

Confused yet? I think that the easiest way to find the program for you is to use the advanced search function at www.americorps.org. It breaks it down by the three main branches of AmeriCorps and gives specifics on position responsibilities, benefits, and dates of service.

So How Do You Really Know?

by Meghan Oakley

categories: Program Fit, Tips for Applicants

Published May 27, 2009 @ 06:09AM PT

When you get married, there is the dating and engagement... when you buy a house, there are numerous walk-throughs and even an inspection... when you choose a college, there are overnights and tours... even when you buy a bottle of wine at a restaurant, you get to taste if first. But when it comes to committing to a job, or an AmeriCorps position, how do you really know that it is right for you?

You've applied, you've interviewed, and you have even been offered an AmeriCorps position... most people think that this is the end of the process... You're going to take it right?

Hold up... Just like buying a house, getting married, choosing a college, and buying a bottle of wine, it behooves you to take a minute to reflect and make sure that you are ready for the committment.

What can you do other sit around a meditate on life's big choices? Talk to people! And I don't just mean your mom and your best friend. Ask the program for names and contact information of AmeriCorps members who are currently serving or have served in the past. Ask alumni to be candid about their experience and the pros and cons of serving.

Talking with people who have served in the program that you are interested in is about as close as you can get to tasting the wine you are about to buy, and will definitely help you make sure you are about to marry the right person.

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