Any AmeriCorps Alumni on DU?

[RedCappedBandit]

Greetings DU!
Long story short, I'm looking for a unique experience after getting my bachelor's in psychology next spring. I want to do something to help those who need help the most. Knowing all the terrible things going on in the world, I am simply not satisfied sitting around while doing essentially nothing to change things. So, I've come to the conclusion that I would like to join the AmeriCorps.
At first I was interested in the Peace Corps, but I'm not sure I'm quite ready for that. Also, the required 27 months seems daunting at this point in my life; the ten months required for the program I'm interested in in the AmeriCorps seems a lot more feasible, especially considering I'd like to apply for graduate school upon my return.

Anyway, I'm hoping that there are some DUers who have gone through something like this! If you're out there, please share your experiences.. I would love to read what you have to say.

:hi:

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

1. I'm interested in knowing more too, have daughter who wants to join

They have a website.

http://www.americorps.gov/

Has anyone here worked for Americorp or have kids who have?

I think that seniors can volunteer too.

[uppityperson]

2. for some reason I'm thinking intheflow had something to do with them

I tried joining the peace corps twice. Turns out that every country I was offered imploded within a yr (nicaragua, iran, liberia) so I'm glad I didn't go. Good luck to you.

[RedCappedBandit]

4. Thanks..

Ideally, if I were to join the Peace Corps I would try to wait for an opportunity in Central or South America. If I were a braver person, I'd love to be able to say I wouldn't care how unstable the nation were to be. Unfortunately, I just don't think I'm quite there yet ;)
My plan is basically to use AmeriCorps to get experience in helping and dealing with people. A career in social work is the only thing I can see myself enjoying while also feeling fulfilled, however I am timid and shy and have a lot of anxiety when dealing with people! So, I'm very apprehensive about beginning my career without taking some drastic steps to better myself.
If I am not able to get into the grad school of my choice after AmeriCorps, I hope the experience will have changed me enough to prepare me for joining the peace corps. After that, if I still can't go where I want.. well I guess I'll have to worry about that when the time comes.
:)

[XOEnterprises]

3. I just filled out the application this summer.

I know it's probably different from the summer positions and the year long program, but here's a couple things that I learned from it:

-The application is almost obscene in length. If I remember correctly, it was almost 30 pages, plus finding references.

-Try to find the local office/coordinators for your area and work with them instead of going through the national office. It will probably save you a lot of time.

-I don't know how the program where you are is set up, but I had to go talk to people at the unemployment office in addition to the AmeriCorps people. I don't know if that's just a Washington thing or what, but that's how their program is set up.

Hope that helps!

[RedCappedBandit]

7. I'm going to try to apply for service beginning fall '09

As of right now, I can't even begin the process (or so it seems :shrug: )
What kind of questions were there in the application, if you don't mind me asking?
Also, were you required to have an interview with an AmeriCorps representative? What was that like?

Thanks :)

And good luck!!

[XOEnterprises]

8. Yeah, I think it's too late for the summer session.

Just more or less background (education, job history, any felonies, etc), what your basic skill set is, what job you're interested in taking, where you live, and then a motivational statement as to why you want to join AmeriCorps.

I didn't interview yet; I'm supposed to go in Monday for a training session, but since I've been denied the living allowance (I'm only intested in a summer position and I'm considered too "successful" for that), so I think I'm going to be looking elsewhere for summer employment.

[Critters2]

5. I used to supervise Americorps volunteers, when I was doing

health care advocacy. One thing I learned was that when they say "subsistence living", they meant it. I often gave my volunteers a little extra money for food, the occasional movie, some extras. They were barely making enough to live on.

[RedCappedBandit]

6. I think i'm okay with that

To expand on what I said in my original post, I really hate myself for living such a luxurious life while others experience such awful conditions. Not to say I'm obscenely wealthy or anything, just middle class.. but I often find myself disgusted at the discrepancy between the life I live and the lives of those suffering through poverty. A ten month journey outside of my comfort zone is the least I can do.
Thanks for the response :)

[dieselrevolver]

9. AmeriCorps alumn here

I worked in the Jersey City office for 3 years and met some really incredible people. If you're interested in volunteering for specific things like working at a homeless shelter, you have to let them know and they can refer you to the right office. There are field offices that only focus on environmental projects, so you have to look around to find something that suits you.

Btw, the wages are very low, it's mostly just getting-around money. But, I highly recommend it if you're interested in community service.

[mcctatas]

10. I did two years (1998-1999)...

It was a great experience, I worked with at risk kids in high school and also did job-placement/mentoring with them during summer. I learned a lot of valuable skills, recieved tons of free training (much of it was tailored to the individual member and we could request specific training as well). The $ to pay off student loans didn't suck either;)

[Zynx]

11. My sister did a year down in New Orleans post-Katrina. My dad and I did a one day volunteer job

with her doing mold remediation on a house.

[crispini]

12. Returned Peace Corps volunteer here.

It was a fantastic experience; highly recommended. The Peace Corps takes good care of you and it will totally change your perspective on life. :hi:

[zippy890]

13. My son is finishing his Americorps experience now

He spent the last year in N.Carolina working for Habitat for Humanity. by ever thing he has told us it has been a completely positive worthwhile experience.

He is very impressed with Americorps people and Habitat people that he has met through his work and the conferences he's attended.

Here he is with Garth Brooks & Trisha Yearwood at the Carter Foundation Habitat for Humanity framing frenzy in Gulfport Miss. last month.



My son has done a lot of great work, traveled and met some outstanding people dedicating their lives to bettering our country. He would tell you its an incredible experience and very rewarding.

[Chan790]

14. I did it. (A horror story filled with advice...and a recommendation to serve anyways.)

I didn't enjoy it but that had nothing to do with AmeriCorps, everything to do with the people running my program. Thankfully stories like mine are exceptionally-rare and there is a recourse built in. (As an AmeriCorps member you have the right to call Corp. For National Service to anon. report abuses and violations of policy. These reports are taken very seriously.) This information was withheld from us by my program from day-one because they knew they were crooked.

Research the heck out of the program you want to serve in. Ask for organizational references. (This is both a good idea and not uncommon in the NPO field.) Most are very very good. Mine...well...wasn't (and it seems that everybody knew it locally except me.). It was a first-year program which should have been a great match for my skill-set and interest (respectively development and literacy/education) except that it was badly run and I was assigned to a project site which was throughly uncommitted to the project. What they really wanted was a secretary but they didn't want to have to pay for it...so they signed up as a project site under false pretenses. I was assigned tasks like collating copies and answering phones. (My project description was development(fundraising), special events, and PR.) Meanwhile I'm getting crap from my program coordinator because I'm not making progress on program-benchmarks which they're being judged on. I explain exactly what is going on and my program coordinator's supervisor gives me the "How the f^ck dare you, your site supervisor has done more for the literacy cause than you ever will...he's a god to those that work in this cause. Don't you dare ever impugn his name again." speech. So I ended up with a site supervisor who was as crooked, a program coordinator who refused to stand up for me (She quit because she wasn't comfortable confronting the site supervisors), and an Exec. Director of the parent organization who didn't want to see the forest for the trees.

It's just like a job...it's not enough to like the project you're going to be working on...you have to like the atmosphere and the people you'll be working with. (I don't mean the other AmeriCorps members) On the whole, I'd definitely do AmeriCorps again...but I'd go into it more-educated and cautiously. I'm a "pollyanna" by nature. It never occurred to me that there are assholes and bad people in the NPO sector because they exist everywhere.