by Veronica Scheidler
GerationOn, NYC
The thing about community work is no matter how carefully it
is articulated in all of the initial planning documents, it takes on a life of
its own. And rightly so. Needs, skills, and programs evolve beyond the confines
of the words inked onto paper and become far more vibrant and adapted to the
community served. Such it has been with my work as an AmeriCorps VISTA at
generationOn with a public elementary and middle school in the New York City
neighborhood East Harlem.
I would be lying if I said I was not mildly frustrated that
I could not follow my VISTA Activity Description like a roadmap for my year of
service. While the objectives it outlines are still driving my efforts, I have
found that detours are useful and necessary. Taking the scenic route is
allowing for more meaningful collaborations with educators and community
partners and fosters a better sense of what is most beneficial to the children
and families who are at the heart of what I am doing.
The VISTA team at generationOn has been able to connect many
rich community assets to the school in a variety of ways. Our primary focus is
to empower the youth and families at the school to make their mark in the world
and improve their lives and neighborhood through service and education. This
mandate has already taken us in interesting directions. Early on, it became
apparent that healthy eating was a concern among the parent population. Thus, the team went out and found
organizations that could provide nutrition education. In October, over 20
parents attended a presentation that was given in English and Spanish about
understanding what we are eating and its impact on our health.
The VISTA team has also found a variety of other ways to
assist at the school. We worked with the Middle School principal to help
orchestrate a Career Fair for students in 6th-8th grade.
We found ourselves targeting professionals with interesting careers
(particularly veterinarians) and inviting them to the school. The event was
well-received by the students, and I may have found myself also venturing to
inquire about the professions : ). We taught four Kindergarten classrooms a
lesson on animals, made catnip toys to donate to a local shelter, and organized
a field trip to deliver the donations.
The holiday season promises to keep us perpetually busy, as
we coordinate a winter coat share (where families at the school are invited to
both donated gently used coats, and take a coat, depending on their need), a
canned food drive, and various caroling and other seasonal outings as spirits
are moved by the pervasive goodwill of the holidays.
The tricky part of a VISTA year is assessing whether your
work will have a lasting impact on the community you are serving. The influence
of what we do is difficult to quantify. However, what I think we do is provide
opportunity and access to new experiences, and resources. And that does make a
difference.
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