AmeriCorps VISTA

We’re proud to be a part of and help students succeed through national service and volunteering! Thank you to our members and volunteers who wear the AmeriCorps 🅰️ to support educational programming for youth and adults and bring out the best of America.

🚨 Get the Basics Webinar 🚨 Wednesday, August 21, 2024

Are you passionate about making a difference in your community? Join us to learn about the AmeriCorps VISTA program. Whether you're looking to gain professional experience, make a career shift, or create sustainable change in your community, this webinar is for you!

Register today ➡️ Bit.ly/VISTAGetTheBasics

Every day, AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers serve in schools to help students thrive in and out of the classroom. From early education to high school, AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers served as tutors and mentors for the past 30 years to guide students to graduation and prepare them for higher education, careers, and life. Learn more about AmeriCorps' education support: AmeriCorps.gov/Education

What is non-competitive eligibility? A common question and one of the best perks of the AmeriCorps VISTA program! After successfully completing their service term, our members receive a special hiring status for federal positions that allows a federal agency to hire a VISTA alum without going through all the formalities of the competitive process.

Want to learn more? Join us next week for our Office Hours webinar where VISTA Alum Alexis will share how her service experience and hiring status made her the perfect candidate for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Register today and we’ll see you on Monday: Bit.ly/VISTAOfficeHours

"It was an excellent opportunity for learning and networking, as I met with talented individuals from across the country, shared our community stories, and explored ways to enhance our service to the American people." 💬 AmeriCorps Member Wick

Last week, our members gathered from across the country to attend our In-Service Training in Houston, Texas! Where they met their peers, networked, attended workshops to build skills, and swapped service stories. Our interactive training engages our members in personal and professional development to deepen their commitment to serving their communities. 💪

🚨 Get the Basics Webinar 🚨 Wednesday, August 7, 2024

Are you passionate about making a difference in your community? Join us to learn about the AmeriCorps VISTA program. Whether you're looking to gain professional experience, make a career shift, or create sustainable change in your community, this webinar is for you!

Register today ➡️ Bit.ly/VISTAGetTheBasics

Join us today at the AmeriCorps Board of Directors meeting to hear from Acting AmeriCorps VISTA Director Maggie Garvey and our members serving in New Orleans, La.!

Comment below if you’ll be there and want to connect. ⤵️

🚨 AmeriCorps Board of Directors Meeting 🚨Wednesday, July 24 | 5:30 p.m. CT

Our board members and AmeriCorps CEO Michael D. Smith share program highlights and discuss our agency priorities, such as supporting communities through volunteer service and addressing pressing national challenges. Register now: Bit.ly/WebBoardJuly

🚨 Get the Basics Webinar 🚨 Wednesday, July 24, 2024

Are you interested in learning about serving with AmeriCorps VISTA? Whether you're looking to gain professional experience, make a career shift, or create sustainable change in your community, this webinar is for you!

Secure your spot today ➡️ Bit.ly/VISTAGetTheBasics

🚨 How to Apply Webinar 🚨 Monday, July 22, 2024 | 2 p.m. ET

You’ve decided to serve with AmeriCorps VISTA and now it's time to complete your application! Join us next Monday as we walk step-by-step through the application process and answer questions. From researching opportunities, submitting your application, and everything in between we’ve got you covered. See you there.

Register today: Bit.ly/ApplicationWorkshop2024

“Working with Beat the Streets NYC through AmeriCorps, I get to learn the ins and outs of what it takes to run a big organization and serve a lot of kids, and I’d like to do something like that one day in the future.”

Meet Lenny, an AmeriCorps member and native New Yorker. As a kid, he trained with his dad and friends for Beat the Streets events, and now he serves with them through Up2Us Sports. As a member in VISTA, he gives back to the community he grew up in while helping Beat the Streets provide life skills to youth by doing the sport he loves. Through his service, he gains experience and takes one step closer to his career goal of opening his own club.

AmeriCorps VISTA gives you the chance to make a difference by bringing your passion and your community together. Learn how our program strengthens communities and changes lives: Bit.ly/JoinVISTA

Choose AmeriCorps to help communities across the country prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural and man-made disasters while transforming your life.

AmeriCorps is an opportunity to make a difference in communities and serve with a program that speaks to your passion and goals while gaining the experience to kickstart careers in emergency response, receive money for school, pay off student loans, and join a robust network of leaders and changemakers.

Start your journey: AmeriCorps.gov/FitFinder.

🚨 Office Hours Webinar: Careers After Service 🚨 Monday, July 8 | 2 p.m. ET

Join us and AmeriCorps VISTA Alum Billie on Monday as we discuss how her service led to working at a multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. We'll dive into her career trajectory, how she used her AmeriCorps benefits post-service, and answer questions about serving in our program.

You don't want to miss this one! Register today: Bit.ly/VISTAOfficeHours

Happy Fourth of July! As we celebrate our independence, we also recognize the service of millions of Americans throughout our nation’s history. Contributions in the form of service hours, tours of duty, and much more have brought our country to where it is today. To all who have served, thank you.

Hey AmeriCorps VISTA Alums! 🗣️

Ready to use your non-competitive eligibility but unsure how to navigate USAJOBS or need help writing your federal resume? U.S. Department of Agriculture has you covered! They are hosting two professional development workshops where you can discover your path to public service. Share with someone you know and register today. ⤵️

🚨 USDA Intern Professional Development Series:
Navigating USAJOBS 🚨 Today | 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET
Register here: https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsdOqtqDIpE6yM-qNJHvDbZPTg2hi5l2M

🚨 USDA Intern Professional Development Series:
Federal Resume Writing 🚨 July 8 | 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET
Register here: https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJItd-mgqzosE8bAJIOugyP0PEc93zsA214

“It was exciting to meet people from across the nation. Being able to spend time and connect with VISTA members was probably my favorite part.” 💬 AmeriCorps member Ardine

Did you know a perk of being an AmeriCorps member in the VISTA program is in-service training? Our members receive a variety of training and development opportunities before and during their service. This includes an in-person service training where members from across the country gather to attend workshops, swap service stories, and network! Read more from our members serving with City of Philadelphia Government’s VISTA Corps:

Serve Philadelphia VISTA Corps Members Reflect on AmeriCorps In-Service Training | Mayor's Office of Civic Engagement and Volunteer Service Serve Philadelphia VISTA Corps members reflect on AmeriCorps In-Service Training

🚨 How to Apply Webinar 🚨 Monday, June 24, 2024

You’ve decided to serve with AmeriCorps VISTA! What’s next? Time to complete your application. Join us on Monday, June 24 as we walk step-by-step through the application process and answer questions. From researching opportunities, submitting your application, and everything in between we’ve got you covered.

Register today: Bit.ly/ApplicationWorkshop2024

Today marks the fourth annual observance of as a federal holiday. For many Black Americans, the official end of slavery has been celebrated for generations.

As we celebrate, find out how AmeriCorps Seniors volunteer Norma helped get Juneteenth observed as a state holiday in Kansas: Bit.ly/FGPNorma

🚨 Get the Basics Webinar 🚨 Wednesday, June 26, 2024

Looking to make a difference and kickstart your career? Join us Wednesday, June 26 at 2 p.m. ET to learn about serving with AmeriCorps VISTA, the application process, the benefits of serving, and how you can use your passion to become a changemaker.

Register today: Bit.ly/VISTAGetTheBasics

Choose AmeriCorps VISTA and discover a career pathway that matches your interests, lifestyle, and passions. Make a difference in communities while gaining the skills to kickstart your career, receive money for school, pay off student loans, and join a robust network of leaders and changemakers.

Start your pathway to employment today: AmeriCorps.gov/VISTA.

🚨 Get the Basics Webinar 🚨 Wednesday, June 12, 2024

Looking to make a difference and kickstart your career? Join us Wednesday, June 12 at 2 p.m. ET to learn about serving with AmeriCorps VISTA, the application process, the benefits of serving, and how you can use your passion to become a changemaker.

Share with someone you know and register today: Bit.ly/VISTAGetTheBasics

Two years ago, we partnered with Fundacion Bucarabon in Maricao, Puerto Rico to support their mission to mitigate poverty and create opportunities for women and families in the rural communities of the Central Mountain Range. The foundation, which started five years ago, now provides services to 800+ farmers over 30 acres of land and delivers fresh food to 250+ families!

AmeriCorps VISTA staff recently visited the project where we had the opportunity to witness firsthand how our AmeriCorps members support food security and economic development. Highlights of their service include:
✅ Grant writing and providing training for hydroponics kits that 12 families now use on their farms.
✅ Solar powered kitchen and community gardens that provide fresh food to the community and students.
✅ Rural women empowerment activities, like Boutique, that help to recycle clothing and provide affordable alternatives.
✅ Farming extension workshops that train students to have organic farms at their homes.
Together, we are making a difference and changing lives. Big shoutout to our members for supporting their neighbors and being changemakers!

AmeriCorps programs, like VISTA, provide pathways to employment for our members and those they serve. Through service, we help individuals prepare for their future by:
☑️ Creating economic opportunities.
☑️ Building job-ready skills through hands-on experiences and apprenticeships.
☑️ Connecting Americans to needed career resources and more.

Find out how national service has been creating pathways to employment for the past 30 years: AmeriCorps.gov/EconomicOpportunity

AmeriCorps VISTA was highlighted in Points of Light's May Impact Icon Spotlight! For two decades, our members serving with Partners for Campus - Community Engagement, have fostered sustainable change for people, organizations, and the climate across New York and Pennsylvania! From increasing capacity for tutoring programs, college access, literacy, and migrant and refugee resource development, they are addressing issues of poverty in their communities! Read more: https://www.pointsoflight.org/blog/impact-icons-spotlight-americorps-vista-builds-capacity-for-change/

Impact Icons Spotlight: AmeriCorps VISTA Builds Capacity for Change - Points of Light The partnership of AmeriCorps VISTA Program and Partners for Campus Community Engagement drives change in communities across the country.

📢Accepting Nominations📢
Know an outstanding member, alumni, or program that makes a difference in communities every day? Recognize the impact they've made through service and nominate them for the 2024 Excellence in AmeriCorps Awards!

Spread the news and submit your nomination by Friday, May 31: Bit.ly/ACExcellenceAwards24

Happy Older Americans Month! Thank you to the hundreds of thousands of older adults who choose to serve their community through AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors.

Each year, AmeriCorps members and more than 140K AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers serve as tutors, mentors, companions, changemakers, resource navigators, and much more to make a difference in our communities. Learn more: AmeriCorps.gov/VISTA

“I found myself at a career crossroads, and that's when Madison, now a beacon of inspiration, encouraged me to explore opportunities with AmeriCorps. I embraced the chance for change and began my AmeriCorps journey in Austin, Texas, in July 2015. My year of service opened my eyes to new horizons, rekindling the flames of my educational aspirations.” 💬 AmeriCorps member Shirley

In this tale of two generations, AmeriCorps played a pivotal role, proving that dreams can flourish, resilience can overcome adversity, and aspirations can be achieved even when life's path takes an unexpected turn. Meet Shirley and Madison, a mother-daughter duo whose story is a testament to the transformations that can occur when hope, dedication, and service unite.

Get your Friday reads ahead of Mother’s Day weekend and be inspired as Shirley shares how Madison’s journey with AmeriCorps NCCC encouraged her to discover her path with AmeriCorps VISTA. ⤵️

A Tale of Two Generations AmeriCorps service creates economic opportunity for a mother and daughter. In the rich tapestry of life, stories often unfold in unexpected and awe-inspiring ways. One such story begins with a courageous journey from Guatemala to the United States in 1978 when I was just eleven years old. As I stepp...