VISTA Training: Day 2

Our second day of service started bright and early at 7am, and it didn’t take us too long to get down to work. Shortly after setting ground rules for how the sessions would run (i.e. be respectful, give others a chance to speak, etc.) we started talking about poverty. We discussed how we felt about poverty, how society at large felt about poverty, and many of the assumptions that are made about people living in poverty. As soon as someone dropped the word “meritocracy” it was clear that many people in the room had been in a Sociology class or two, but some of the more interesting insights came from those who hadn’t. One girl mentioned that her background was in Marketing and was really interested in finding out about meritocracy and classism. We also talked about how Capitalism depends on an exploitable middle class and the more economic views of poverty. Last but not least, we had some first hand accounts of poverty and what it means for the individual. These discussions set a really solid foundation for our discussions over the next few days.

After lunch we came back to the rooms recharged and ready to talk about how we can effect positive change in the communities we’ll be working in. This was my favorite session! We learned about different theories of change and the strengths and weaknesses of each. We focused on 5 theories: Individual circumstance, cultural (not just race and ethnicity but drug culture, gang culture, etc.), geographic, structural, and cumulative. I tend to lean more towards the structural and cumulative theories, which say, respectively, that we need to change our social, political, and economic institutions to relieve poverty and that we need to take a holistic approach to the unique combination of forces that keeps people living in poverty.

Later in the day we had a very informative session about the business of national service and we learned about health care options, qualifying for food stamps, and when to start planning for life after service. All the information kind of made my head spin but it was helpful and I have since taken care of all of this business.

After dinner we had an Alumni meet and greet where we met former VISTAs and got to network and talk about life after VISTA. During this session we also got to hear from the AMAZING Cati Wolfgang, the Chief Service Officer of Philadelphia and a former VISTA. She shared some of the amazing opportunities she had after being a VISTA and how it inspired her to pursue a career in National Service. Well, it seems like she was pretty successful and after a strategically placed tweet she is one of my newest followers on twitter!  What would I do without social media?

VISTA Training: Day 1

Before this week I had never been to Philadelphia, so imagine my delight to be spending 4 days at a beautiful downtown hotel for VISTA training (or PSO for Pre Service Orientation as I’ll mention later)! Amazing things happen when over a hundred idealists are in sessions together, and idealistic we are, because to even consider bringing an end to poverty in this country you’ve got to be.

The first night set the mood for the entire conference. At dinner we met fellow VISTAs who were serving all across the country, from New York to Alaska, on a huge variety of projects. Some, like me, were focusing on education but others were providing services such as teaching fine arts to children in poverty and providing nutritious foods to families in need. We learned about what it meant to be a VISTA and talked about the motto, “Know, grow, change.” Our discussions focused mainly on how the motto will help us serve our communities, so what we need to know or learn, how we need to grow the programs, and what change we would like to see left behind. I learned a lot about other VISTAs and the projects they’d be working on.

During this process I met one of the most interesting people I’ve ever met in my life, and for the purpose of this blog I’ll call him Clancy. He stuck out in a crowd of young twenty-somethings, and I would estimate his age to be somewhere in the mid-40s. When Clancy arrived for PSO he had just finished his two-year term of service in the Peace Corps. I may never know what motivated Clancy to sign up for 3 years of service, we didn’t get to talk for very long, but dedication was awe-inspiring.

During the welcome ceremony we watched this movie about Americorps VISTA and member experiences, Enjoy!

Prologue (ish) Part 2: Why Service?

If I learned one thing in college it’s that our country is lush with inequalities. I could go on for hours about it but I’ll spare you (this time). However, This is how I see it: the base of the equality problem is that the institutions in this country are set up in a way that perpetuates the cycle of disenfranchisement (i.e. low-income neighborhood = public school with few resources = poor quality education = low-income job = low-income neighborhood and so on) and unless people with power and means are willing to fight for programs that will better serve marginalized groups nothing will ever change. Of course there are extraordinary people who beat the system and find their own success, but they are the exception, not the rule.

So this brings me back to my decision: I’m young, I’m educated, and I care…and joining Americorps will allow me to give back as part of a national service program, what more could I ask for? How could I sit around discussing and understanding inequalities and do nothing to contribute? Let me break it down for you, I’m young and living below the poverty line is doable, it’s not like I have a mortgage and I’m not afraid of roommates. I’m educated so I’m qualified to do the work the United Way needs me to do. And the last piece is easy, I care and I want to help. Serving my country in a non-violent way that has been proven to help people is the dream (for me anyway).

As a millennial I have some unique needs. I need a job that is fulfilling, and this one fits the bill. I need to feel needed, and I’m in a position that virtually guarantees it. I need to have an adventure, and what’s better than up and moving to another state in the middle of a heatwave?

One more thing: I want my life’s work to be to help people, and this is the first step.

Prologue (ish)

I've never liked that idea that you're expected to decide what you want to do for the rest of your life when you're young. Benajmin Button never had that problem. What's the point of being old and wise if all of the decisions that you need wisdom for are already made?

I guess I would describe my last semester of college as a quarter life crisis. I thought I wanted to go to grad school, but got rejected from my top 2 schools. Instead of admitting defeat I set my sights on Americorps, hoping not to face more rejection. In the thick of applying to service positions all across the country, I got a hail mary pass from grad school. I was accepted into an Educational Policy and Planning program, which was just what I wanted! ....a month ago. I couldn't picture myself there anymore. The idea of being in school for 2 more years made me cringe (and yawn a little bit). Don't get me wrong, I've always loved school, but it just wasn't enough anymore. I wanted adventure and excitement! My definition of which, apparently, is a low paying national service job (whatever gets you through the day, right?).

So I declined the grad school offer and continued in my pursuit of an Americorps VISTA position. After many interviews, some good, some bad, some ugly (like that awkward moment when my response to "how would you discipline your team members?" was "ummm....I don't believe in disciplinary actions for people who make mistakes") I finally got my dream position as a Community School Outreach Coordinator! "Umm....whats that?" is what you just thought, right? Well basically I'm working for a local non-profit and recruiting and organizing volunteers for after school programs at 3 elementary schools, among other things. I love the way "fighting poverty through education" sounds, maybe I'll put that in my facebook job description?

So next week I'm moving 300 miles away from home to live with some fellow VISTAs and hopefully make a difference in the world! And in case you haven't gathered this from all of the exclamation points, I'm super excited about it!