Member Orientation

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Member Orientation
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Your World, Your Chance to Make a Difference

• How wonderful that no
• one need wait a single
• moment to improve
• the world.
• -Anne Frank

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The National Service Movement

• Corporation for National and Community Service
• Mission Statement

The Corporations mission is to provide
opportunities for Americans of all ages and
backgrounds to engage in service that addresses
the nations educational, public safety,
environmental, and other human needs to achieve
direct and demonstrable results and to encourage
all Americans to engage in such service. In
doing so, the Corporation will foster civic
responsibility, strengthen the ties that bind us
together as a people, and provide educational
opportunity for those who make a
substantial commitment to service.
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The National Service Movement

• Washington Service Corps
• Mission Statement

• The mission of the Washington Service Corps is to
  promote and support community-based initiatives
  that
• Strengthen the capacity of local governments and
  nonprofit organizations, including faith-based
  and small community-based organizations, to
  assist individuals, families and communities in
  need
• Encourage and value diversity by serving
  geographically diverse communities
• Recruit a diverse applicant pool that includes
  young and older adults, a balance of individuals
  who have not attended college and those with
  college experience, men and women, individuals
  with disabilities and individuals of all races,
  ethnicities, faiths and economic backgrounds and
• Increase the amount of volunteering and civic
  engagement in Washington State by recruiting,
  supporting and managing volunteers.

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Understanding the Big Picture
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National Streams of Service

• AmeriCorpsState
• AmeriCorps members are
• at least 17 years old
• involved in direct service in four key areas
  education, public safety, the environment and
  unmet human needs
• usually part of a larger program that has at
  least 8 AmeriCorps members
• serving 40 hours a week, they are permitted to
  have part-time jobs or go to school as long as
  they are able to complete the required service
  hours
• sometimes AmeriCorps members are able to serve
  part-time positions

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National Streams of Service

• AmeriCorpsVISTA
• VISTA members are
• at least 18 years old
• community organizers/strengtheners rather than
  direct service providers
• focus on community development activities to
  combat poverty, and are on duty 24 hours a day, 7
  days a week, so they are not able to have a job
  or go to school while serving

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National Streams of Service

• AmeriCorpsNCCC
• National Civilian Community Corps members
• are 18 to 24 years old
• live together in camps, traveling as a team to do
  service in specific areas for several weeks at a
  time
• tend to do more outdoor work, like constructing
  or maintaining trails in national parks,
  responding to disasters, fighting fires, or
  building playgrounds
• National Senior Service Corps
• The National Senior Service Corps is proud of the
  more than half a million
• volunteers ages 55 and older who serve through
  the Foster Grandparent,
• RSVP and Senior Companion Programs.

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Putting It All Together


230 WRC AmeriCorpsState members 64 WRC VISTA
members 8 WRC projects, 102 schools
46 VISTA members
16 WSC teams with 260 Members 140 individual
placements 12 VISTA members
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AmeriCorps State

• Team Based Projects
• Through 16 team-based projects, the WSC
• provides a unique blend of service learning
• while at the same time generating the
• resources necessary to get things done.
• A typical team consists of 12 members from
• diverse backgrounds and various walks of
• life.

• Individual Placement Projects
• This statewide program enlists 140
• members at sites where they serve alone
• or with up to three other members.
• Members are sponsored by community
• based agencies, local governments,school
• districts, and non-profit organizations
• addressing education, environmental,
• human needs, or public safety issues.

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Washington Reading Corps

• The Washington Reading Corps was created by
  Governor Gary Locke,
• Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry
  Bergeson and the State Legislature in 1998.
• Fostering community partnerships is the basis of
  success for the Washington Reading
• Corps.
• AmeriCorps and Volunteers in Service to America
  (VISTA) members
• collaborate with high needs schools, families,
  community members, businesses, and partners all
  around the state to improve the literacy of K-6
  students
• typically, AmeriCorps members tutor students
  either one-on-one or in small groups using
  research-based reading methods, while VISTA
  members concentrate on linking students and
  schools with community resources and volunteers

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Disaster Preparedness Program

• The Washington Service Corps (WSC) launched
  ReadyCorps to increase
• the readiness of communities throughout the state
  of Washington to respond to
• disaster related disruptions.
• These members
• Assists in coordinating local Citizen Corps
  councils
• Coordinate with CERT training locally
• Assist varied needs of first responders in their
  area
• Organize block watches
• Disseminate disaster preparedness materials/kits
  and other information to disadvantaged or other
  traditionally under-served residents.

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How is Service different from a Job?

• Its Adventure
• AmeriCorps lets people
• live up to their dreams
• help children learn
• protect the environment
• bring needed services to a low
• income community.

There are opportunities in AmeriCorps for anyone
whos willing to do something special, something
unique, something exciting.
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Its Experience.

• AmeriCorps is a real-life
• education and work experience
• wrapped into one.
• Members learn
• teamwork
• civic engagement
• responsibility
• and other essential skills that will help them
  for the rest of their lives

You gain the personal satisfaction of taking on a
challenge and seeing results.
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Its Benefits.

• Most AmeriCorps members receive
• a living allowance
• health insurance
• student loan deferment
• training

After you complete a full-time service term
(10-1/2 months) you receive a 4,725 education
award to help pay for college, graduate
school,vocational training, or to repay student
loans. Part-time members receive partial amounts.
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Its Helping Others.

• AmeriCorps members serve communities in many ways
  by
• tutoring children and adults
• building new homes for low-income
• families
• helping protect the environment by
• working in national parks
• working with homeless families as they move to
  permanent housing
• building computer learning centers for
• low-income communities

developing education programs to help
families transition from welfare to work
helping families affected by domestic
violence rebuilding communities affected by
natural disasters and more!
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Project Objectives

• Each project has specific goals and objectives
  it will use to measure its accomplishments in the
  community. They are identified by three main
  focus areas
• Needs and Services
• Strengthening Communities
• Member Development

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Needs and Services

• Each AmeriCorps member has a set of direct
• service objectives with set goals for the year.
• Project objectives focus in one of the five main
• priority areas

Education Human Needs Public Safety
Environment Homeland Security
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Strengthening Communities

• In addition to addressing needs and services,
• Washington AmeriCorps projects strive to make
• communities stronger.
• By engaging citizens at the local level to
• address critical community needs, high quality
• service projects serve as a vehicle to make
• communities stronger.

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Member Development

• Washington Service Corps conducts a statewide
  SERVES
• Institute which offers learning opportunities to
  all Washington
• Service Corps AmeriCorps members.
• At the Institute you will
• attend conference-style workshops and
  interactive training sessions
• connect and network with other members engaged
  in similar
• activities across the state
• gain knowledge in AmeriCorps affiliation, civic
  engagement,
• diversity, effective communication, team
  building, and career
• development.

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Walk the Talk-Talk the Walk

• As an AmeriCorps member, you have a unique
  opportunity to help get the word out about what
  AmeriCorps is and how other people can
  participate.

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Walk the Talk-Talk the Walk

• Before you joined
• How did you hear about AmeriCorps?
• Why did you decide to join?
• Were your friends and family supportive of your
  decision? If not, how did you convince them it
  was a good opportunity?

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Activity 30 second elevator speech

• You step into the elevator and
• someone asks you Whats AmeriCorps?

You have 30 seconds until your arrive at your
floor to explain what you do in the
community What will you say?
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Sample script

• I am an AmeriCorps Member with the Washington
  Service Corps
• placed at your site in your community.
  AmeriCorps members
• serve 40 hours a week for an 10 1/2 month
  commitment. The main
• priority areas are in education, human needs,
  public safety, and the
• environment. At my service site, ITalk about
  your personal
• experience including stories or how AmeriCorps
  has impacted your
• life or the lives of other people in the
  community.

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And then theyll wantto know...

• Whats it really like to be an AmeriCorps
  member?
• What have you enjoyed most about your experience?
• What have you learned about yourself?
• What have you learned about your community and
  other people?

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AmeriCorps Pledge

• I will get things done for America to make our
  people safer, smarter, and healthier.
• I will bring Americans together to strengthen our
  communities.
• Faced with apathy, I will take action.
• Faced with conflict, I will seek common ground.
• Faced with adversity, I will persevere.
• I will carry this commitment with me this year
  and beyond.
• I am an AmeriCorps Member and I am going to get
  things done.
• -The AmeriCorps Pledge

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National Service Resources

• Corporation for National and Community Service
  www.nationalservice.org
• Washington State Commission for National and
  Community Service
• www.ofm.wa.gov/servewa/
• National Service Resource Center
• http//www.etr.org/nsrc/
• National Service News
• http//www.nationalservice.org/news/

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WSC Contact Information
Washington Service Corps 605 Woodland Square
Lp SE P.O. Box 9046 Olympia, WA 98507 Toll Free
Phone [phone] e-mail wsc_at_esd.wa.gov Web
Site www.wa.gov/esd/wsc
The staff of the WSC would like to wish you a
great experience and year of service!