What Makes A Great VISTA?

AmeriCorps is facing some tough times right now--At best, we're looking to dodge budget cuts left and right, but there is still a very real worst-case-scenario of it getting zeroed out in the budget.  However, there's another problem that we have that is a little more uplifting, if that makes any sense.  Since today's job market has proven difficult for recent college graduates to navigate, more and more of them are considering national service  as a way to gain real-world experience and become more marketable when they search for jobs somewhere down the road.  I still have a lot of friends that are in college, so I try to encourage them to spread the word about the opportunities that AmeriCorps has to offer, using that professional experience bit as the biggest focus.    So, for those of you who want that sort of experience, great.  You've come to the right place.  But before you apply or sign on, I want you to know exactly what you're getting into.  National service, much like any other major decision in your life, is not to be taken lightly--In fact, I think it's even more serious than a job with the one-year term functioning as your commitment to the betterment of your community.  You could quit I suppose, but by doing so, you would effectively be leaving that community high and dry since AmeriCorps positions left vacant are rarely filled.  So, before you sign that year of your life away, I want you to read the following to see if you really have what it takes to be a great VISTA.

The way I see it, being a great VISTA can be boiled down into four C's: Compassion, Creativity, Commitment, and Character.

1. Compassion: Compassion is the capacity to feel empathy or sympathy for others.  The mission of AmeriCorps*VISTA is to end poverty in America.  In order to serve that goal, you need to have a deep understanding of those who are in poverty in our country.  You need to know what low-income individuals face on a daily basis: the stigma, the oppression, the hunger, the need.  Beyond that, you need to be able to internalize those hardships; see through their eyes, walk in their shoes, feel what they feel.  If that's not something you feel comfortable doing, the road to the end of your term will likely be a rocky one, since that's what we deal with every day.  It's not so much being a "bleeding heart" as it is having the drive that you need to do this work.
   
2. Creativity: Sometimes when I reflect on my first year of VISTA, I think of it as some sort of survivalist scenario.  When you become a VISTA, many members are placed in an unfamiliar environment with nothing but a VISTA assignment description, and that's about it.  Often times, it can be helpful, but just as often it will likely be vague, so you can't rely on the assignment description alone.  You need to be able to come up with creative solutions to the complex societal problems that you will face as a VISTA in order to both be successful and to gain anything from the experience.  That being said though, we aren't expecting you to be able to create those solutions off the bat--it takes some time being immersed in your new environment and understanding it before you can decide how to best serve your community, but the important thing is to have that ability to think out of the box, because clearly, whatever's in the box isn't working for us.
   
3. Commitment: Great VISTAs are committed both personally and professionally to what they do.  On the personal side of things, they are drawn to a cause that each position hopes to aid, whether that's affordable housing, education attainment, financial literacy, whatever.  That passion is what drives VISTAs to achieve and what keeps them from becoming overwhelmed.  Professionally, great VISTAs feel a bond with their community, the organization they serve, the population they serve, and strive to do anything they can to strengthen those relationships.  Even in the most dire situations, one's commitment can be that ember that keeps burning when the rest of the fire has died out.
   
4. Character: The strength of one's character is the greatest indicator for a successful service term in more ways than one.  I know that character is one of those sort of catch-all terms, so let me explain...They need conduct themselves in a manner that is both professional and accessible, they need to be comfortable enough with themselves to be able to go outside of their comfort zone in order to change their community for the better.  They need to be able to shine through adversity they face and be resilient enough to bounce back and power though, and when they're done, they need to recognize that as much as they did for the community, the community gave back to them ten-fold.

...But that's just how I see it.  What do YOU think makes a great VISTA?  Leave me a comment--I'd love to hear from you!

-Liz-