An Unlikely Fairy Tale

by Jeanne Kelber & & Janel Bituin at Youth Policy Institute, California

 

 

"We need the people around us.
In order to do anything meaningful
or worthwhile you can’t go it alone."

In our time as VISTA’s we have basically become a single entity. The hours we put in together, the problems we have to solve together, and the stressors we have to overcome together have only brought us closer together. We pretty much hit the partner jackpot and are leaving this experience with not only valuable skills and life lessons, but meaningful friendships. 

As cheesy as that sounds, we realized, in thinking about our monthly story, that this was the angle. Talking about what we learned and where we want our lives to take us only confirmed what we already know: we’ve basically become one person. We can finish each others sentences, we’re great at high-fiving without looking (or at least making progress), and we know how to get things done and what needs to get done without even needing to talk about it.

This brings us to the idea of TEAMWORK. This, in our opinion, yes our opinion, is one of the most important skills that we will take with us when we are forced to part. We need the people around us. In order to do anything meaningful or worthwhile you can’t go it alone. You need support and you can’t be afraid to accept said support. Building this kind of environment and dynamic is much easier said than done. How we achieved this, we believe, encompasses all of the most valuable skills and life lessons we acquired this year: loyalty, the ability to build trust, working with others, knowing your own strengths and weaknesses as well as those of the people around you, prioritizing, diligent and hardworking attitude, positivity, and so many more.

This is our love story, and we are excited to take everything we’ve learned with us as we move to the next chapter of our fairytale. All of you know what this job takes, which means you also know that this is not what a fairy tale looks like but we prefer to think of it this way. Along the same lines, grad school and job-hunting are not exactly cinderella material, but that’s the plan! Janel wants to work towards marine conservation and research and Jeanne wants to try out event planning before ultimately heading to grad school for social work. We are so grateful for our twisted and wonderful fairy tale!

They Call Us Millennials's...

by Alexsandra Buckner serving at the Jewish Coalition of Literacy, California

Above: Madeline, Shelley, Alexsandra, and Kelsey

I started reading a study put together by the Pew Research institute about my generation.  The Millennial Generation as we are called.  According to the study, Millennial’ s are confident, self-expressive, upbeat, and open to change.  I continued to read on, intrigued.  “[Millennial’ s] are more ethnically diverse than older adults, less religious, less likely to serve in the military, and are on track to become the most educated generation in American history.”   This study really left me thinking about my End of Service.

Based on what people say about my generation, how and where does this affect my future and what I do? Where do I fall on this spectrum?

I started to think about this millennial thing with more voracity, it really was eating at me.  Unlike generations before us that were plagued by the fear of going to war and being drafted, or like my parents, surviving the racial unrest of the 60’s and the threat of war, in my opinion, is no less in existence than it was 50 years ago.  As long as unstable dictators like Mugabe in Zimbabwe and in recent years, Bashar Al-Assad in Syria, keep killing people by the thousands, maybe even millions now, our generation will continue live in this fear of war, poverty, and political unrest.

It reads: Dear Ms. Buckner, Thank you for coming to our class room to read.

Am Not Going to Get Up Today. I especially liked the part when he said “you can call the police

but I am not going to get up today.” It was a funny book. Sincerely Carla.  3rd grade room 10, Hawes school (JCL partnership school). I think she nailed the drawing of me!

 



I started my Americorps journey in November 2013, which means I still have a bit of time to think about my plans for the next year.  Madeline Collazo is the newest San Francisco Americorps Vista and I am ecstatic that I have worked with her and couldn’t be happier.  Throughout my VISTA year it has been a wonderful experience to get to know her.  I feel like I am really passing the torch on.  Everything that I have worked hard on to accomplish will undoubtedly be continued with her, and that gives me a lot of joy.  That’s just it.  Americorps Vistas are a group of creative, inspiring individuals who believe in eradicating poverty.  They truly believe in having a social conscious, and take their year of service seriously.  And guess what? They are mostly, Millennial’s.

The toughest part of my service is already done.  Meeting with the different schools and growing relationships was exhausting in the beginning.  Nobody knew who I was or how I contributed to the growth of their program in collaboration of JCL.  As my relationships started to grow so did my heart for service and my interest to work even more in public schools.  I became attached to the people I met, and I could see the impact being made.  My passion lies with reaching kids and I have found through my service that I would like to continue with Public Health.
 

I have been researching a program called Revolution Foods and I have found that they deliver healthy and nutritious food to students in SFUSD and all throughout the country and as much as I love the non-profit world and I am comfortable here, I would like to try my hand again at for-profits who are socially responsible.  Regardless of what I do, I will be stepping out into the unknown and I think that’s okay.  I truly believe that if you do what you love you will find happiness and fulfillment in life. Maybe I am a bit optimistic on my situation, a little more than I should be; I suppose that’s what makes me an individual. Or maybe it just makes me a true millennial after all.

 

Work cited: The Pew institute: http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2010/02/24/millennials-confident-connected-open-to-change/




Catherine, my little men-tee’s graduation day! 
Americorps has inspired me to volunteer outside my organization.
Check out Juma Ventures for mentor opportunities!

Working for something I believe in...

by Jennifer Salazar serving with United Way of Lake County - Gurnee, Illinois

Jenny Salazar working hard during her service year.
"I do know that I only want to work for something I believe in."

As my year is coming to an end everyone in the world is asking, “What’s next!?” It’s nerve wrecking! I’ve spent this whole year giving so much of myself, my time, energy, work, and commitment to something I’ve known was only temporary. So what is my next step? I have no idea what my next step is, but what I do know is that I only want to work for something I believe in. I only want to work for people who deserve my efforts. I only want to work for communities that listen to their community members. My next steps need to be filled with purpose or else I’m going nowhere.

"I have learned to place my worth
not in money,but in people
and their stories."

            What I plan to take from my year of service will be all the experience I’ve gained. I know- what a cheesy answer and of course the professional experience comes to mind. I’ve learned about volunteer management, program coordination, fundraising, professional do’s and don’ts, how to facilitate meetings, working with corporate partners, working with other non-profits. My list of professional development can go on and on, but that is not the experience I am referring to. The experience I will take from my year as a VISTA is the type of experience that makes you a better person. It’s something that teaches you how to handle yourself in times of struggle. It has been an experience that has shown me my true strength and will as a person who is dedicated to making change. I have learned the true meaning of perseverance.

To be completely honest, my year as a VISTA has been one of the most challenging years of my life- emotionally, financially, and spiritually. The transition from being a student for 16 years straight to becoming a working adult is not easy, especially when you decide to take on full time work while committing to a vow of poverty.  I have felt the stressors of money before, but never like I did during my year as a VISTA. My vow of poverty has truly given me a glimpse into the lifestyle of the poor and marginalized. I’ve learned to place my worth not in money, but in people and their stories. There have been many days where I lost faith about the work I was doing. I wondered if it was even worth it. I thought about quitting, about how easy it would be to literally take any job and make more money than I was making as a VISTA. It became extremely tiresome working tirelessly every day and committing so much of myself for a paycheck that couldn’t sustain me. But I’ve kept going and as my year finishes I know that VISTA was the right decision for me.   

           I hate to admit it, but my biggest learning experience this year had to do with money and my vow of poverty.  Yes, I struggled with money. Yes, I went without certain things I use to think I needed. Yes, I felt left out and left behind as my peers went on trips, got raises at their jobs, and showed me their new cars or apartments. But these relatively new feelings I was experiencing are the reality of many of my students, parents, and many of my community members. That feeling of helplessness and poverty are the feelings my people and peers go through every day. That feeling knowing that no matter what I do and how hard I work absolutely nothing is going to change my situation. The only difference between my experiences with poverty is that I’ve known this whole year, 100%, that this struggle was only temporary. This is the point of VISTA to fight the war on poverty because this is people’s realities every day of their life. And not everyone has the privilege to think that their situation is only temporary. And their situations will stay permanent if we don’t take action to help, educate, and change our communities.

            As of now I have exactly 29 days left as a VISTA. What will I take with me to my next venture? I will take the satisfaction and comfort knowing that I do not stand idly by, that I am not okay with complacency and turning a blind eye to poverty. I will take passion, commitment, and vision to my next venture whatever it may be. I will never stop being a Volunteer in Service to America because I will consciously be involved in service and progressive change. I will take a sense of pride and accomplishment with me, wherever my next “steps” lead.



Post Service Plans

by Noemi Rodriguez serving at Youth Policy Institute

 

In a couple weeks I will be ending my time with the AmeriCorps program and ending a chapter in my life I thought I would not be able to survive. I entered into the AmeriCorps VISTA program with many years of experience in the education field, because of that I thought I would be able to glide problem free through my year of service. I could not have been anymore wrong.

This past year of services has been one of the toughest experiences of my professional as well as personal life. It pushed me into a space within me that I never knew existed, and for that I am eternally grateful to the experience and even more so to all the amazing people that I met along the way. I am confident now in my abilities and am eager to begin to create even more change within my community. I have begun looking into starting up my own nonprofit organization, benefiting the artistic youth within my community.

While I educate myself on the requirements needed in tackling such a large task I plan on continuing my work with my housing site. I have recently applied for a position that has opened at the school I am stationed at and am hoping to hear back from them soon. I am eager to see what will come next and am thankful to AmeriCorps for teacher me how to be a better version of myself.   

Valuable Skills Learned & Post Service Plans!!

Awesome photos from Anna & Kristen's site 
Enka Middle School in Asheville, NC!

Anna Gettles – Valuable Skills & Post Service Plans

In my year as a VISTA I have gained valuable experiences and skills that I will carry with me the rest of my life.  While reflecting on the ups and downs of my year, I identified some lessons that were thematic for me: 

• When engaging youth, it’s important to be yourself and be honest; they can smell fear.
• Panicking is never helpful, but a healthy amount of stress can work wonders.
• The ability to “think on your feet” is an incredible asset. Whenever possible, try to cultivate this ability and practice being flexible.
• Build strong relationships from a place of authenticity.
• Laugh often. There is humor in everything, the good, the bad, and the ugly.
• The impossible can be possible.

My post service plans mainly involve putting these lessons into action in all aspects in my life. Moving forward, I hope to find a job that will continue to motivate, inspire, and challenge me. I also plan to take some much-needed naps. 

Kristen Muscaro – Post Service Plans

I am incredibly grateful for the amount of experience and professional development I have acquired over the past year serving as a VISTA with Hands On Asheville-Buncombe at Enka Middle School.  There were definitely several challenges throughout the year, but I am happy to say that I feel as though I did a good job building our program up for the future.  I now have a much better understanding of working in and with non-profits and have gained experience working with a variety of community partner organizations.  

This year has taught me to build relationships with community members and organizations, inspire action at a grass roots level, recruit/manage effective volunteers, evaluate programming through data tracking, multi-task on various projects, plan programs for sustainability, laugh every day, utilize community members as team mates, and understand that everyone has something to offer their community (money, time, skills, smiles, etc.).

My post-service plans are to stay in the awesome mountains of Asheville and get back to my roots of art and teaching.  I begin teaching youth ceramics classes at a local community clay center in September and will be a substitute teacher for the local county schools beginning at the end of August.  My fingers are crossed for a full-time teaching job at the school I’ve been working with, as the current art teacher is retiring in the fall.  Above all, my future plans are to continue to have a positive impact on the community where I live by being a good listener, an active volunteer, and an advocate.

My Known & Unknown Future

by Madeline S. Collazo

AmeriCorps VISTA, Jewish Coalition for Literacy

I think that I was born to serve. Who or where I’m serving is irrelevant, what is most important to me is that I am helping those who need support.

Luckily, I have been across the United States doing just that, and loving it! Some of the opportunities that laid the foundation for my deep passion for community service include planting native trees in Massachusetts, teaching second-graders in American Samoa, and promoting universal health insurance in Puerto Rico. Currently, I serve at the Jewish Coalition for Literacy in San Francisco increasing literacy rates in public schools across the Bay Area, and this year has given me key resources to think about why I love serving and how I can integrate it into my life, for the rest of my life.

"This year has given me key resources to think about why
 I love serving and how I can integrate it
 into my life, for the rest of my life."

The idea that community service is just a phase for recent undergraduates who want to postpone “real work” is unfortunately common.  Even my family and friends laugh when I tell them how I choose to spend my nine-to-five and ask when I will decide to get a suitable job. More specifically, AmeriCorps VISTA members are often misunderstood as office helpers and continually need to remind others of their role in an organization. When describing my job to people, I am usually answered with confused or patronizing comments, which can diminish a sense of purpose and value. But I’m not worried because what I do makes me happy and I genuinely believe that working for a good cause trumps making lots of money. Although, I am not going to lie, I look forward to one day earning more than my current stipend, but I wouldn’t do it if it meant abandoning my principles and happiness.  

Therefore, after my year at the Jewish Coalition for Literacy (JCL), I plan to re-enroll for a second year and continue developing the systems that will enhance community engagement and student success.  During my second year as a VISTA with JCL, I will also apply to get a Masters in Social Work or Psychology (or both!) with hopes of continuing to serve in struggling communities.

Although I am unsure of the specifics of my future career, my job title, and even my geographic location, I am certain that I will not stray too far from my current vocation: working towards a better world for all.

generationOn - Post Service Plans

Making a 'Living' as a VISTA is Different than Making a 'Life' After VISTA
by Veronica Scheildler, generationOn NYC!

 

At generationOn, I have had the distinct privilege of working in a team of three VISTA members. One of my colleagues secured a spot in a graduate program early during our term of service, and his surefooted next step has made me more keenly aware of my all-consuming uncertainty about what I want to do moving forward.

 

generationON Team!
Josh, Sylvia, & Roni

I’m a bit of a commitment-phobe, but I want to be doing something that rings of purpose with the hours of my life. Hence, VISTA has been a perfect fit.  Twice.  My Corps18 experience marks the second time I have taken the oath to build America’s communities and do my best to make its people smarter, safer, and healthier. Both times I have been inspired by the objectives laid forth in my VAD. Both times I’ve navigated the emotional ups and downs of community work. Both times I’ve very seriously contemplated quitting before the buzzer rang on 365 days. Both times I’ve had those shining moments that make me immensely glad I stuck with the work despite the days I struggled to feel like my efforts had any utility.

 

This year, the feeling of satisfaction hit hardest when I saw the rather difficult eighth grade class of MS 57 graduate. From the moment they marched into the auditorium clad in their shiny blue caps and gowns, unbidden tears sprang to my eyes. I was shocked at the intensity of my emotion, but also cognizant of how meaningful my interaction with those young people on the precipice of adulthood was to me.

 

       

     As our team has casually discussed our future pursuits, I realized how aimless I am. I have declared myself a meanderer and feel no compulsion to have a particular career goal. Perhaps, I have taken too much inspiration from Maya Angelou when she said, “Making a ‘living’ is different than making a ‘life.’” I want to climb mountains, travel, write, draw, eat, laugh, argue, cry, sing, dance, and swim in rivers, oceans, and lakes. However, I want all of that to be interspersed with developing meaningful relationships. I want to grow and see other people grow with me.

 

     Lately, I have been applying to so many jobs I’ve had to create an excel spreadsheet to keep them straight. The benefit of not having a clear life trajectory is I’m open to almost anything. However, I have been attracted now more than ever before to work with after school programs, and have tossed my hat into the ring for some positions in that field.

 

    

     At a training I attended last winter, the presenter spoke about the differences between school and after school. Her explanation was that school focuses on education—really instilling those basic skills of reading, writing, and arithmetic—but that after school programs are uniquely poised to focus on learning—really connecting the skills learned in the classroom to the wider world allowing for exploration and experiential learning. It could be cool to be a part of that.

 

      In short, I still have no clear idea what I will do beyond my VISTA year, but undoubtedly I have been so grateful for the opportunity to be engaged in building communities and stronger by working within a school. I truly believe that you often meet the very best people when you do this sort of work. 

Atlant Civic Site - Post Service Plans

Photos from D.H. Stanton Elementary School
Atlanta Civic Site VISTA's
LaKenya Todd & Mercedez Williams

LaKenya Todd - Post Service Plans

After a year of actively engaging with parents, community leaders, members, and partners, I can definitely see myself trying to put myself in a setting where I can continue to bring stakeholders together in an effort to further make them aware of the higher education opportunities. I will continue to contribute my time, donations, and services to help within the school, community and my personal neighborhood. I will contribute my services to help and motivate others to become involved within the community.

I've always been motivated to assist, change and encourage the livelihood of children and people in general either through participation, volunteering or donations and that’s what I’m going to do. The skills and techniques that I have learned and will take into my next venture would be how to promote, recruit, retain volunteers, and engage low income residents and leaders and individuals. With this I’m now able to coordinate learning events for volunteers, residents and community leaders that helps improve the satisfaction and impact of volunteer engagements that integrates the long term programmatic goals of the Peoplestown Community.

Mercedez Williams - Post Service Plans

After successfully completing my service through Americorps, it is my hope and belief that I will continue on with my quest to positively impact the lives of those around me.With my background in social work and experience within the educational and juvenile judicial systems, I am seeking to be more or less in a similar setting where I am in a position to serve our youth.

Through my national service the two skills that I have been able to strengthen are networking and creating and maintaining partnerships.  Both of the skills are very important considering I will be  working with individuals on a daily basis.  These skills help with my profession because it allows me to collaborate with other agencies and organizations as well as provide a holistic approach that is beneficial to the familial system. 

I believe that by utilizing these skills and techniques it will allow me, in whatever position to be most effective in meeting the needs of the population.  Realistically speaking, a single agency is not equipped to  meet all of the needs surrounding a given person, but because I have been able to network and have been able to construct and maintain certain professional partnerships; I am in a place to refer clients out in order to fill the gap of what might not be available to the at my future agency.

Jewish Coalition of Literacy - Why do you tutor?