Michigan’s AmeriCorps LeaderCorps and What it means for national service

Written by Kathleen Egan, Cross-Stream/Inclusion AmeriCorps*VISTA

Hello Learn and Serve Blog readers! My name is Kathleen Egan and I am the current Cross-Stream/Inclusion AmeriCorps*VISTA serving with the Michigan Community Service Commission. During my term of service, I am helping to support and facilitate collaboration between the three “streams” of national service, including AmeriCorps, Learn and Serve, and Senior Corps. I am also doing outreach to various organizations and groups to promote service as an opportunity for people with disabilities. The disability community is a talented, diverse, and largely untapped pool of volunteers that can use service as a way to build skills and explore career opportunities.

I can easily fill this blog up with any number of cross-stream and inclusion initiatives and stories (and maybe I will at a later date!), but today I’d like to focus on telling you about the Michigan’s AmeriCorps LeaderCorps. I am the AmeriCorps*VISTA representative on LeaderCorps and serve as the chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Team.

LeaderCorps is made up of one representative from each of the Michigan’s AmeriCorps*State programs, as well as representatives from AmeriCorps*VISTA and AmeriCorps*National programs. LeaderCorps members meet in person a few times each year and participate in monthly conference calls. LeaderCorps members serve as liaisons between their individual programs and the Michigan Community Service Commission. Each member is required to do two outreach presentations about AmeriCorps, a service project that engages the disability community, and assist with the coordination of AmeriCorps Week (May 14-21) activities in their communities. Members are also charged with promoting and participating in national days of service such as National Volunteer Week, Global Youth Service Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, and Make a Difference Day.

All LeaderCorps members serve on one of three Leadership Teams: Outreach, Diversity and Inclusion, or Alumni and Citizenship Engagement (also known as A.C.E). Each team creates their own goals and works toward promoting AmeriCorps to the general public, and keeping current and past AmeriCorps members connected to their communities and one another.

Each Leadership Team has a number of exciting things going on, but I’ll just share some of the highlights. The Diversity and Inclusion team is gathering photos and stories of service that demonstrate the impact of AmeriCorps members and programs on Michigan communities. These stories will be featured in a print and online publication that will be distributed during this year’s AmeriCorps Week.

The A.C.E team has created a Michigan’s AmeriCorps Alumni Facebook page to keep alumni connected with current news and events, as well as information about upcoming service projects in their communities.

The Outreach team is designing the second Michigan’s AmeriCorps newsletter, which is shared with members, alums, program sites, and friends of AmeriCorps. You can check out their first newsletter, which provides an overview of all Michigan’s AmeriCorps programs at http://michigan.gov/documents/mcsc/Winter_2011_LeaderCorps_Newsletter_347342_7.pdf.

Each member is also responsible for posting to the Michigan’s AmeriCorps LeaderCorps Blog. This is a great way to hear about what’s going on throughout the state from a variety of programs. I encourage you to follow or check in on the blog from time to time at http://miacleadercorps.blogspot.com/, and enjoy the inspiring stories members have to share.

Michigan’s AmeriCorps LeaderCorps is a team of 26 members committed to spreading the word about national service and making their communities stronger. Now I ask of you: how can we adapt this to service-learning in Michigan? At the Service-Learning Sustainability Symposium in February, the idea of a group that supports and encourages Learn and Serve schools and teachers was introduced. Do you believe this model is adaptable for this? Or perhaps it could be re-tooled for your own leadership team at your program?

Toot Your Horn!

Written by: Sue Wilson, a former Learn and Serve – Michigan grantee, and current District Academic Service-Learning Coordinator at Clarkston Community Schools

On February 25, I had the privilege of meeting with Tony Baltimore and Stuart Pigler, staff from U.S. Representative Mike Rogers’ office, along with Michigan representatives from VISTA, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve programs. We were there with the goal of informing Representative Rogers about the important work that is going on in our state as a direct result of the VISTA, AmeriCorps and Learn & Serve programs. As a Learn and Serve alumni, I know first-hand what a difference service-learning has made in my classroom, as well as our district. Trained teachers are passionate about integrating curriculum and service because they know the importance of creating opportunities for students to be involved in their own community. Students and staff are empowered, needs are met, and the community knows that our school district cares.

I'm a firm believer in the following quote:

"Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all." – Aesop

As a result of our meeting in Lansing, we walked away with the understanding that our role in the national service family is to make sure our community, local government, and representatives in Washington need to be aware of what we're doing. It's out of our nature to "toot our own horns" -- however, if we don't toot, no one will know the great things going on in our communities.

So, call your newspapers and local TV stations and tell them the great things that are going on in your VISTA, AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and Learn & Serve programs!

Learn and Serve – Michigan would love to hear the great things going on in your programs too! Please leave us a comment, and be sure to “toot your horn!”

Creating a 2011 Global Youth Service Day Project

Written by: Learn and Serve – Michigan Team

Global Youth Service Day is a campaign that celebrates and mobilizes millions of children and youth to contribute to their communities every day of the year through service and service-learning. These efforts are especially ramped up this April 15, 16, and 17 – the 2011 Global Youth Service Day, or GYSD.

The Michigan Community Service Commission and Learn and Serve – Michigan are proud to serve as the 2011 GYSD Lead Agency in our state, which means we assist in the coordination of projects and get individuals and organizations connected to valuable resources.
Are you interested in creating a 2011 GYSD project? There’s still plenty of time to do so! Check out the simple five steps below to help you out:

1. Investigation
Identify a local, national, or global need you would like to address. Use a variety of sources to research the need and identify community partners. What are some things you’re very good at that you could use as part of the project? What are some skills your friends or family could bring to the table as well?

2. Preparation & Planning
Develop a strategy for change and a common vision for success. Determine what you will do and then create a timeline, assign responsibilities, develop a budget and an outreach plan, and find a project location. Include your community partners in this process.
Once you’ve finished planning your project, post it online at www.gysd.org. At this website you can also mention whether your project is open to volunteers in your community.

3. Action
Now it’s time to actually conduct the project! Does everyone know where to go and what task to do? Make sure someone is ready to answer any questions from volunteers, the community, elected officials, special guests, or local media. Document your action by taking photos, videos, and notes.

4. Reflection
Include reflection before, during, and after your project. Reflection helps you understand why you are providing the service, what differences you are making, and what you are learning along the way.

5. Demonstration/Celebration
Share what you have done and what you have learned from the experience by teaching others. Draft a report for the community, present your results, write letters to public officials, or send out a newsletter to parents and/or peers. Host a volunteer and partner awards ceremony that recognizes the contributions each person brought to the project.

This information was provided by Youth Service America.

Doesn’t it seem easy to get involved in the 2011 Global Youth Service Day? And even if you can’t plan your own project, it’s easy to get connected to pre-existing opportunities by visiting www.gysd.org and conducting a search.

Join Michigan’s efforts to engage youth in changing the world – volunteer on Global Youth Service Day!

Learn and Serve America Serving Us All

Written by: Matt Robinson, Education Consultant with KIDS Consortium in Maine

During the last week Learn and Serve America grantees in Michigan and Maine have independently done some incredible work that I have witnessed. Let me tell you a bit about what the dedicated and talented people working on behalf of our youth are doing to make learning an engaging and meaningful experience serving students and their communities.

In Lincoln, Maine, on February 16th and 17th leadership teams of LSA grantees RSU #67 (Lincoln, Chester, and Mattawamkeag) and RSU #34 (Alton, Bradley, and Old Town) met to design assessment tools to help support the continuous improvement of quality service-learning. The ink on the first drafts isn’t dry yet, but already the potential for these tools to help teachers, students, and community partners to have more, clearer, and better results is exciting.

In a February 17th press release two other Maine school districts received Learn and Serve America grants. The Sanford School Department and MSAD #17 (the Oxford Hills School District) have been awarded LSA grants by the Maine Commission for Community Service, the agency responsible for managing LSA funds and supporting Maine LSA grantees.

In Bellaire, Michigan, on February 9th and 10th, planning teams from all over Michigan attended the 2011 Service-Learning Sustainability Symposium with Learn and Serve-Michigan to develop action plans that will support the sustainability of service-learning as a teaching methodology. The enthusiasm and thoughtfulness displayed by the teams was inspiring. For a more detailed description of the goals and the thinking behind what it takes to sustain service-learning visit http://learnandservemi.blogspot.com/2011/01/what-it-takes-to-sustain-service.html.

The common thread, in addition to their Learn and Serve America affiliation, is the commitment of federal and state agencies in concert with local educators and administrators to doing thoughtful work to support service-learning. Through these collaborations, service-learning becomes sustained learning that transforms communities.

Learn and Serve America is a program for the Corporation for National and Community Service that supports K-12 service-learning throughout the country. You can learn more at http://www.learnandserve.gov.

NOTE: This blog originally appeared on Volunteer Maine’s Blog. You can find it here: http://www.volunteermaine.org/blog/learn-and-serve-america-serving-us-all%29. Thanks for letting us repost it!

Why National Service Funding is Important

On February 19, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1, legislation that would make deep cuts in government spending for the rest of the fiscal year. The measure - which eliminates the Corporation for National and Community Service and its programs - passed 235-189. The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) is a federal agency that provides funding for Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America. The current Continuing Resolution that provides funding for programs such as the CNCS ends Friday, March 4. However, the House Appropriations Committee revealed late on Friday, February 25 an extension that would allow most programs to continue to operate at FY 2010 levels through March 18. This excludes $4 billion of cuts and terminations to programs. The CNCS was not among the programs cut at this time. Below are three programs supported by the CNCS and the impact it would have on Michigan if eliminated.

1) Eliminating Senior Corps: The Impact in Michigan
Senior Corps engages Americans age 55 and over to meet a wide range of community challenges through three programs - RSVP, Foster Grandparents, and the Senior Companion program. Without funding made available through the CNCS for Senior Corps, more than 11,000 people would be left without an opportunity to support their communities as Foster Grandparents, RSVP volunteers, or senior companions in Michigan. Senior Corps programs address issues made possible by the funding and if these funds were to be cut, many of these issues would not be able to be addressed. These issues include: more than 2,600 homebound seniors and other adults would not receive companionship to help maintain independence in their own homes, more than 6,100 young people with special needs would not have Foster Grandparents to serve as one-on-one tutors, and more than three million hours of service would not be conducted in communities. Overall, more than 2,000 Michigan organizations would be affected by the elimination of Senior Corps funding. For more information on the impact of eliminating Senior Corps in Michigan, click here: http://www.mnaonline.org/CMDocs/MNA/Public%20Policy/Eliminating%20Senior%20Corps%20-%20The%20Impact%20in%20Michigan.pdf.

2) Eliminating AmeriCorps: The Impact in Michigan
AmeriCorps is a national service program designed to strengthen citizenship and the ethic of service by engaging thousands of Americans on a full-time or part-time basis to help communities to address their toughest challenges. Without AmeriCorps in Michigan, more than 2,000 individuals would be forced to seek alternative forms of employment. Many of these AmeriCorps members serve to address issues because of the funding made possible from the CNCS that would be eliminated as a result of the budget cuts. The impact of losing the funding on these issues include: losing literacy and academic support that is provided for more than 8,418 children and youth, losing foreclosure prevention assistance for more than 5,372 individuals, and lack of disaster relief services for 4,245 individuals after large and small scale disasters in their communities. Above all, 350 Michigan organizations representing 83 counties in the state would be affected by this elimination. For more information on the impact of eliminating AmeriCorps in Michigan, click here: http://www.mnaonline.org/CMDocs/MNA/Public%20Policy/Eliminating%20AmeriCorps%20-%20The%20Impact%20in%20Michigan.pdf.

3) Eliminating Learn and Serve: The Impact in Michigan
Service-learning is a teaching and learning approach that connects meaningful community service to the curriculum. Without these resources in Michigan, K-12 schools in 21 counties across the state would lose their resources to service-learning, and more than 2,500 teachers would not be able to engage 50,000 students in service-learning activities this year. Without these programs, students would lose programs that encourage a life long commitment to civic engagement, improve student motivation for academic achievement, and builds critical thinking and communication skills. For more information on the impact of eliminating learn and serve funds in the state of Michigan, click here: http://www.mnaonline.org/CMDocs/MNA/Public%20Policy/Eliminating%20Learn%20and%20Serve%20-%20The%20Impact%20in%20Michigan.pdf.

For more information on the impact of the elimination of national service funding, check out Michigan Nonprofit Association’s call to action at: http://www.mnaonline.org/servicefunding.aspx.