FY 08 AmeriCorps T/TA Services

Based on the priorities and funding provided by the program offices, the Office of Leadership Development and Training has worked with the national training and technical assistance providers to develop workplans for FY 08 T/TA activities. The services being provided by each provider can be found at www.nationalservice.gov/resources which is currently being updated with FY ‘08 information.

FY 08 T/TA provider workplans were based on the following priorities:

• Maximizing access to information and services to the greatest number through distance T/TA such as webinars, conference calls, e-alerts, discussion lists, etc., and continued emphasis on The Resource Center as the single portal to T/TA information and services through e-courses, effective practices, recorded tutorials, toolkits, etc.

AmeriCorps grantee and sub-grantee staff should sign-up for E-alerts about new products and services at www.nationalservice.gov/resources.

National training events addressing national priorities and needs include:

• National Tribal Conference – October 2007
      
• State Commission ED’s meeting – December 2007
      
• New Grantee Staff Training – late February-early March 2008
      
• Disability Inclusion Leadership Institute – Spring 2008
      
• Financial Mgt. Institute – Spring 2008
      
• Resources Now! Institute – Spring 2008
      
• National AmeriCorps Grantee meeting at the National Conference – May 31- June 3, 2008
      
• National Disability Conference – September 2008

Specific locations, dates and registration information will be available as soon as arrangements with facilities are confirmed. Check The Resource Center’s Conference and Training Calendar for updates.

Key elements of the AmeriCorps FY 08 T/TA plan include the following:

• The Training Officer Community of Practice will continue to meet by conference call bi-monthly and to have discussions through basecamp. The Community provides peer support among state commissions and national direct parents about training activities. To join contact Jewel Bazilio-Bellegarde at 202-606-6839 or jbazilio@cns.gov

• The Disability Coordinator Community of Practice will continue to meet by conference call and through basecamp. To join contact Jewel Bazilio-Bellegarde at 202-606-6839 or jbazilio@cns.gov

• Senior Corps is directing its T/TA resources to the National Senior Corps Conference to be held in conjunction with the National Conference on Volunteering and Service in June 1-3. 2008. Therefore, unlike in the past, T/TA providers do not have funding for cross-program training for state-based training events.

• We expect you to use your own training resources for on-site training and not national T/TA providers with the following four exceptions. Training deliveries are available for AmeriCorps programs on the topics of:
      
• Financial management - Walker and Co.
      
• Disability Inclusion - National Service Inclusion Project (NSIP)
      
• Operating Tribal programs - ACKCO
      
• Volunteer Management - Points of Light Hands on Network

If you wish to make use of these providers for on-site training, please inform your Program Officer by November 1 (state commissions should use PDAT plans as the vehicle for making these requests).

• Intensive distance coaching, webinars and on-line tutorials and tools from Project STAR in the areas of performance measurement and evaluation (STAR@jbsinternational.com) and from LEARNS in tutoring and mentoring (LEARNS@nwrel.org)

• New on-line member recruitment and development materials in the EnCorps collection (http://encorps.nationalserviceresources.org/ The collection contains field-developed and field-tested materials identified through the ongoing collaboration of state commissions, sub-grantees, VISTA projects and the Northwest Regional Education Laboratory.

• Continued organizational development support from Project TASC for state commissions and national direct grantees.

Training Officers with the Office of Leadership Development and Training continue to work with AmeriCorps program officers and are available to state commissions and national grantees to support training planning and delivery as follows:

AmeriCorps*National: Gina Fulbright-Powell

Atlantic Cluster: Jason Scott

South Cluster: Jewel Bazilio-Bellegarde

North Central Cluster: Cee Cee Molineaux

Southwest Cluster: Ralph Morales

Pacific Cluster: Susan Schechter

Please follow up with your program officer if you have any questions about the resources that are available.

Sincerely,

Kristin McSwain, Director AmeriCorps State/National

Gretchen Van der Veer, Director Office of Leadership Development and Training