Twelve New VISTAs Complete PSO!

This week in Atlanta, twelve new NC Campus Compact VISTAs attended their AmeriCorps Pre-Service Orientation (PSO), a four-day training designed to prepare them for their year of service. In addition to meeting each other and VISTAs serving with non-profits across the southeast, our new VISTAs explored theories of poverty and social change, discussed capacity-building and sustainability strategies, and completed workshops on volunteer management and partnerships.

V for victory and VISTA!

Our program coordinator, Chad Fogleman, visited on Wednesday for lunch, dinner, and an evening session on community engagement (along with some games in the grass and a Cheerwine toast for good luck!) At Thursday's swearing in ceremony, everyone signed their commitments and proudly took the same oath taken by all federal civil servants, including the President. After pledging to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States" in their work to fight poverty, our newly minted VISTA members headed out to their service sites, ready to get things done! In the coming weeks, we will profile these new members on this blog.

Brianna (foreground, with glasses)
and Takira (far ground) sign on the dotted line!