Sometimes, I wonder if all the promotion sounds contrived. There never seems to be enough time to elaborate on what a great experience being a national service volunteer is--it's just Join AmeriCorps! Better yet, be a VISTA! It's great! You get to do this, this, and this...And you get to pay of your student loans and you meet great people and everything is awesome and...
Yippee. So what?
Recruitment always seems to come at a strange, fast-paced time that sometimes we forget to give people the big picture. Well, I'll tell you what--I have the time. I'm going to give you the big picture right now.
9,883,640 people live in the State of Michigan. Of those people 16.1% of them are in poverty. That's 1,591,266 people for those of you who don't want to do the math. These aren't lazy people--quite the contrary. If the recent economic recession has shown us anything, its that these 1,591,266 are largely our own friends and neighbors that have come on hard times. 1,591,266 people that have gotten caught by a vicious cycle that is incredibly difficult to break free from without access to the right resources and support from their friends and family.
As a result, community organizations around Michigan are under pressure to help these individuals. They are still covering the bases, but they are spread very thin. These organizations are only as strong as the community around them--they need community members to support what they do, whether its by volunteering their time to do things around the office, organizing a food drive, or by donating.
This is where Michigan Campus Compact AmeriCorps*VISTA members come in. MCC*VISTAs serve in institutions of higher education across Michigan. They recruit and train student volunteers to go out and serve their community. Some work to support service-learning, a practice in which campuses and community organizations work together to address a need in the community while satisfying an academic goal. Some others work with college student mentors who help Michigan K-12 students understand that higher education, a proven pathway out of poverty, is an option, regardless of their circumstances or encourage collaboration between community organizations throughout the state. MCC*VISTAs, in short, help to strengthen communities by encouraging civic engagement.
There are plenty of benefits for VISTA members--a living stipend, health coverage, child care assistance, a year of noncompetitive eligibility for federal jobs, and some others that depend on your host site, on top of the professional development opportunities, the fabulous people you'll be able to network with, and real-world experience that VISTAs get. But really, the greatest benefit of all is knowing that you made a difference in the community you served. For those who are on the cusp of entering the workforce, that's HUGE.
So, that's what being a Michigan Campus Compact AmeriCorps*VISTA is all about. If that's something you would like to get involved with, I encourage you to send me an email. Tell me why you're interested. Ask me questions. Let me know that you want to make a difference in Michigan!
-Liz-
-Liz-
Nicely Said!
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