Learning. Serving. Bonding. These three words perfectly summarize
the month of August for our 2015-16 cohort of VISTAs.
This year North Carolina Campus Compact welcomed twelve new members and welcomed back
five returners. Read more about our members here and about this year’s projects
and host sites here.
VISTAs are young professionals who have dedicated a year of
service in a low income community to build the capacity of an organization
meeting certain needs of that particular community. Our VISTAs are at both
colleges/universities as well as community partner organizations. The members
started off their year with lots of learning, from the intensive on-site
orientation planned by their hosts to the various webinars and orientation we
provide as supplements to equip them with what they may need for their year of
service.
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| VISTAs at PSO |
All new members to the VISTA program must attend a
Pre-Service Orientation (PSO) hosted by the Corporation of National and
Community Service. Our new members attended one from August 3rd to 6th in
Atlanta, GA where they spent an intensive four days of learning about poverty
in the United States, familiarizing themselves with their detailed Volunteer
Assignment Descriptions (VADs), and meeting many other VISTAs from all over the
country. On August 5th, VISTA program coordinator Carolyn Byrne and VISTA
Leader Catherine Casteel, traveled to Atlanta to meet with this enthusiastic
cohort. They met during lunch and dinner, and it was the first time the entire
team got a chance to meet each other, and learn more about Campus Compact and
the history of civic engagement in higher education institutions. Carolyn and
Catherine gave the VISTAs a chance to get to know one another and later
facilitated a discussion about exploring the history of university-community
relationships in the places they will be serving. The VISTAs definitely left Atlanta
excited about learning and serving at their sites!
After being sworn in on August 6th, the VISTAs traveled
straight back to their placements to begin their year of service on August 7th.
It was also the last day of service for our outgoing VISTAs, so some of our new
members were able to meet their predecessors and get some last minute,
on-the-ground advice. Our returning members just rolled into their second year
on the very same day. The host sites conduct their own on-site orientations
that allow the VISTAs to shift from learning broader themes to and settle into
their specific assignments for the year. NC Campus Compact also hosted two
webinars in the weeks that followed, covering topics such as asset based
community entry, performance measures and monthly reports and preparing the
VISTAs for the upcoming orientation at Elon University.
This year, for the first time, Campus Compact hosted our
VISTAs for a two-day training at Elon on
August 27th to 28th. The two days were
filled with workshops of different topics presented by both staff and guest
speakers. The goals of having an intense two-day orientation were to allow the
members ample opportunity to bond with each other as a cohort, learn more about
specific topics and tools that they will need to succeed in their year, and
also hear from experts in the field. Each carefully planned session was made
better by the eager participation, great questions, and thoughtful reflections from
all the VISTAs. August 27th started bright and early as our members drove in
from all corners of North Carolina. After introductions, our five returning
VISTAs shared their IMPACT stories- a summary of their year of service with
both highlights and challenges and projects that they are proud of. Shannon
Barr, (High Point University), Justin Brantley (Feast Down East), Meghan Engstran
(Meredith College), Matthew Kauffmann (Community Empowerment Fund) and Natasha
Vos (Wake Forest University) had different approaches to their
presentations but each highlighted the importance of clear communication
and innovation when faced with any challenges. Hearing of real
experiences allowed the new members get a perspective on their year ahead and gave
them the opportunity to ask questions.
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| VISTA Natasha Vos sharing her Impact Story |
Over the two days the NC Campus Compact
staff led different workshop sessions that were both informative and
interactive. VISTA Program Coordinator, Carolyn Byrne, led thought provoking
sessions on Cultural Competency, setting goals for the year, the importance of
self-reflection and revisiting the topics discussed at PSO. Chad Fogleman, NC
Campus Compact Assistant Director, offered information about theories of change and logic models which led perfectly
into VISTA Leader, Catherine’s session on performance measurements and the
importance both numbers and narratives as they reported each month on their
progress. VISTA leader, Perdita Das also led a session on project and event management
on the second day to conclude the orientation. The sessions gave the VISTAs a chance to break out into their focus areas (Education, Economic Opportunity, and Healthy
Futures), and have meaningful discussions and share experiences.
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| Workshop presenters at orientation |
We were very excited to hear from an array of guest speakers
over the course of the two days as well. We welcomed back three VISTA alums,
Sara Acosta (2010-12), Derald Dryman (2010-13), and Mariel Steinbeiser (2010-11), to join us
for lunch the first day to share their experiences. We were also excited to welcome
Dr. Robert Korstad, professor of Public Policy and History at Duke University who talked
about the North Carolina Fund and some statistics on the poverty in
North Carolina. He was joined by Adrienne Harreveld, Program Coordinator for
the Research Network on Racial and Ethnic Inequality. On August 28th, we
welcomed Hudson Vaughn and George Barrett (who served as a VISTA last year)
from the Marian Cheek Jackson Center in Chapel Hill, who led a fun session on
creative tips and best practices of effective community partnership
development. We also had Mary Morrison, Assistant Dean of Students and Director
of the Kernodle Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement at Elon University, lead an
energetic workshop on student volunteer recruitment, management, and
recognition. Hearing from those with such extensive experience in the field
gave our VISTAs knowledge and confidence as they embark on their own journey of
this new experience.
Apart from these thrilling workshops, the VISTAs had an
opportunity to serve together as well. On the morning of the second day, the
VISTAs along with the VISTA leaders and program coordinator , had the opportunity
to work on a house with Habitat for Humanity of Alamance County in Burlington. It was a beehive of activity
as they shoveled around the foundation, cut boards, picked up glass and much
more. Although it was only an hour and a half, the large group of volunteers
helped Habitat take care of many small assignments in one day and the VISTAs
learned more about Habitat, their application process, the volunteer hours
needed per house and as they reflected when they returned to Elon, they wanted
to "know more" and it "made them feel more together as a
cohort."
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| The VISTAs serving with Habitat for Humanity |
The two days were long, fun, full of conversations and
laughter and a great start for a great year. As the members reflected upon the
orientation, they shared words like "cohort," "support,"
"knowledge" and "inspiration." We are inspired too and
cannot wait to see what this year brings. Good luck VISTAs!
