Jasmine Walker here, a proud AmeriCorps VISTA. Today is full of empowering young ladies to be all they can in the world of STEM. The girls made a slogan that states:

“I have a voice. What I say matters, How I say it matters, but it must be said!”

#dayinthelife #americorpsweek #madeinamericorps

It’s Paula again! A bit about Reading Partners: it connects volunteers from local communities with students in neighborhood schools to provide them with one-on-one tutoring and the tools they need to achieve grade level literacy results. Community volunteer tutors are the lifeblood of our organization.

The statistics on elementary reading achievement in Baltimore alone are staggering: results from the spring 2018 Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) assessment indicate that only 14.2 percent of Baltimore City’s third- through fifth-grade students met or exceeded expectations of grade-level reading. However, with the help of volunteer tutors, more than 83 percent of students who are enrolled in our program meet or exceed their literacy goals!

A #DayinTheLife of a site coordinator includes overseeing the tutors and students who come into the reading center, and filling in when tutors can’t make a session. According to MV, this is one of the most fulfilling parts of her service. “I love being able to just focus in on one student and see their growth. It's like looking through a microscope, you get to zoom in on a student and really see how they’re doing.” MV told me. “I’ve worked with students in the past, but to be able to see their growth over a full school year has really taught me to appreciate the process a student needs, as well as the power of relationships. Americorps has given me the opportunity to form bonds and truly become a part of a community at my school with not just students, but teachers, staff, and volunteers.” #DayinTheLife

#MadeinAmericorps
#AmeriCorpsWeek

Cory here again! The AmeriCorps NCCC-FEMA Corps Class 25A induction ceremony today was an awesome success. I had the amazing opportunity to serve as the emcee for the event! At this ceremony, our entire class formally pledged into AmeriCorps NCCC. Our keynote speakers at the ceremony were Gina Cross,  Acting National Director of AmeriCorps NCCC, and Vincent DuBois, FEMA Corps Section Chief at FEMA. The motivational messages from today’s speakers truly inspired me, and I can’t wait to officially begin the year with my AmeriCorps NCCC-FEMA Corps Team.

You can find the pre-ceremony live stream at the AmeriCorps NCCC Southern Region Facebook Page (link below). Videos and photos of the ceremony will be uploaded on that page over the next few days.

https://m.facebook.com/AmeriCorpsNCCCSouthern/

#MadeInAmeriCorps #AmeriCorpsWeek
#AmeriCorpsNCCC #DayInTheLife #NationalService

Hey everyone! It’s Emily again, back on after experiencing some glitches on Instagram! Yesterday was Bayou 3’s first burn with the U.S. Forest Service! After packing up our tools and doing our morning safety briefing, we executed a prescribed burn on 146 acres of land. Prescribed burns are essential to the health of forests because they promote new growth of plants and trees. It was so fun to learn how to safely and effectively carry out a burn.

Serving with AmeriCorps has given me work opportunities that I wouldn’t have had anywhere else, and it has allowed me to travel to parts of the country that I would have never visited before. I’ve met some amazing people along the way, and it has really helped me grow as a person!

#madeinAmeriCorps #AmeriCorpsWeek #nationalservice #DayOfTheA

It's Randy again! Just finished tilling and seeding the beds within the hoop house at the Marvin Gaye Greening Center, a community garden in ward 7. The crops will be used to help feed the community this spring and summer. Today Delta 53 is joined by two staff members from NCCC headquarters, Gina Cross, the Acting National Director Of AmeriCorps NCCC and Jake Sgambati, the Acting Deputy Director of AmeriCorps NCCC. Pictured above is them swearing in for a day of service with the team!

AmeriCorps NCCC is a program that developed my leadership skills throughout my current service year. I have been able to receive trainings on how to lead a team through the support of the staff. My life after AmeriCorps plans are to apply to become a foreign service officer. An important aspect of becoming a foreign service officer is working with a team and being able to lead that team effectively. My service term has allowed me to progress and grow as a leader and as a team player.

#MadeinAmeriCorps #dayinthelife #Americorpsweek

Just got back from my meeting with HR, and things are looking good for the Neighborhood Block Party Trailer! The trailer will give residents a low-barrier opportunity to foster connections with members of the community. I started this project in June, and it’s been rewarding to see it move past the idea phase. Last year, I did a lot of grunt work, which wasn’t the most fun. At the start, I spent the majority of my time toggling between Google and Excel, and became somewhat of an expert in navigating city websites.

After finishing initial research and a memo, there were no updates for months. I learned quickly that things in government work on their own schedule. Ultimately, the project wasn’t approved until the beginning of this year and since then things have been progressing just as slowly.
Even though everything is still happening on its own time, meetings like the one I had today remind me that progress is still being made. At this pace, my AmeriCorps term will end before residents are able to access this new resource, but at the end of the day I know that I played an essential part in the whole process.

#dayinthelife #madeinamericorps #americorpsweek