Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with Americorps

Is AmeriCorps a good lead-in for Peace Corps?

ramenopres — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:03:28 -0800

(Inter)national service filter: Does an AmeriCorps stint make you a more attractive Peace Corps candidate? If what I really want to do is Peace Corps, would NCCC help me get there or be valuable of itself? Peace Corps fits into my goals, background, most intimate dreams and desires, etc. However, the application process is very long and I still don't have all of the skills to make myself a competitive applicant (I have a BA, limited experience with agriculture, team service project experience, etc., general savviness, motivation, international experience and language, but nothing like long-term business planning experience or forestry or ___). NCCC sounds like the kind of thing I enjoy doing --working on a team to do active projects-- and it would give me concrete skills in things like disaster response. Would that make me a way more attractive Peace Corps candidate (and is it realistic to go through the PC application process while serving the 10 months in NCCC)? Should I apply for VISTA programs instead? Hold out for the Peace Corps? (Go to grad school? Okay, that's a separate question.)

If you're familiar with NCCC, is it actually a good choice for someone who enjoys thinking and analyzing as well as getting down and dirty? The admission requirements seem sort of low and the interview felt more like advertising than screening.

Best use of my americorps award?

shinyshiny — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 18:36:08 -0800

2 parter...1) I have an americorps education award thats around $4200. Should I use it to take some courses, or pay back student loans? I'm jobless, back at home, deciding between working and saving money, or taking prereqs for grad schools. 2) Going crazy and want OUT of home asap...job or school? A little background:
-already have a B.A. and loan debt
-2 years of internships ended a few weeks ago, so am unemployed and back at home
-want to change career fields from liberal arts to environmental sciences/ecology
-if I took classes, they would be prereqs to get into a good masters program
-no working car and educational options in my area aren't that great/aren't related to my goals
-decent 4 year in the next county that offers everything + is affordable + can get there by bus
-job market is horrible in home county
-loan people want their money
-I can find a quick job to save and move closer to 4-year by end of '09, but won't be able to take classes and work because of commute times
-live close enough to Sacramento/San Jose/East Bay

Times are hard, I'm grateful I have a place to regroup, but I would obviously like to be on my own again. Family is driving me crazy, but I don't want to make my decision based on that. And I don't want to squander my education award. Advice?

New York City for 1000 a month?

Anonymous — Mon, 18 May 2009 13:04:29 -0800

Is is possible to live in NYC on a $1000 a month living stipend without incuring lots of debt? Hey, my username is too close to my real name, so asking anon. It's an Americorps position with a really good org in my field and includes health care, would wipe out my student debt with the edu award at the end of the year, and I get 500 in relocation allowance.

Help me become a Fed

Skwirl — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 07:19:28 -0800

How do I best utilize my Non-Competitive Eligibility from AmeriCorps to secure a job in the Federal government? After reading some of the other posts on AskMe about applying for Federal jobs, I'm pretty scared that my usajobs.gov resume isn't keywordy enough, or not descriptive enough, or too descriptive or whatnot to get past the first vetting. Is there a resume service that is extremely knowledgeable in editing Federal job applications? Exactly what kinds of questions and what kinds of cold contacts am I allowed to make as someone with the equivalent NCE of a current federal employee to leverage my current networking? For instance, do I have a little more leverage with the NCE status to send my resume and cover letter directly to the hiring manager and bypass all the keyword fiddling altogether?

My dream job would be just about anything with the Corporation for National and Community Service. My other goal right now is to move to the mid-Atlantic coast. My NCE expires in August and I'd also like to look into any Census 2010 jobs or other jobs that might at least get me an entry level or better job to land in with or without relocation help.

What DC programs are best for Journalism and volunteering?

ginagina — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 16:37:50 -0800

DC Masters in Journalism/volunteer work with students: Am I missing anything? The plan is to move to DC to get my masters in Journalism. While there, I'd like to volunteer in an AmeriCorps program as well.

I'm considering the following programs:
-Masters of Professional Studies in Journalism at Georgetown University
-Masters of Arts in Interactive Journalism at American University
-Heads Up AmeriCorps
-City Year AmeriCorps

Looking for any advice about applying to these programs or others like them. Would love DC specific, but any pointers are welcome!

Thanks so much!

How do I get my americorps moolah?

karyotypical — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:37:06 -0800

LoanForgiveness Filter: I just completed my first year with AmeriCorps and come to find out that the student loan forgiveness benefit doesn't apply to my Plus loan. So, can I take out a student loan for my brother and use the AmeriCorps benefit on that? So... after a year of working my butt off (and another year already started), I find out that my AmeriCorps loan forgiveness benefit doesn't apply to my college Plus loans. This is because my parents could get a better rate with a Plus loan from Sallie Mae than anything I qualified for, so rather than taking out a loan in my name, I just decided to let my parents take out what they could and agreed to pay them back. However, it turns out that AmeriCorps will only forgive loans that are in your name and Plus loans are (as far as I can tell) completely nontransferable.

So, since all my school costs were all financed by Plus loans, I was wondering if I could possibly take out a loan in my name for my brother (or co-sign?). He's in college now and I'd much rather have him get the money than let it go to waste.

So, in general, I'm wondering:
1. Can I take out a student loan for my brother? and have it paid off by AmeriCorps? How would I do this?
OR
2. Is there some way I can actually transfer the Plus loan to my name or strings I can pull to get it paid off by AmeriCorps?

And if all else fails, any awesome ideas for what to do with the extra educational money besides grad school?

Thanks!

Suggestions for activism on a college campus?

nuclear_soup — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:28:34 -0800

How can I make volunteering/charity fun or interesting for college students? I just started working as an AmeriCorps *VISTA at a college, and I'm trying to think of fun events to hold on campus that have something to do with volunteering/social issues and/or philanthropy For example, in November I'm planning a Hunger Banquet, and in the past this campus has been involved with projects such as Daffodil Days. We also have students who are involved with organizations in the community. I did some googling, but I didn't seem to find anything that seemed quite right. Did any of you do anything great at your colleges, or know of any good ideas? This is a pretty small (around 2,000 students) liberal arts college, if that makes a difference. Ideas for events to plan, causes to donate to, or even documentaries to screen on campus are all welcome. Thanks in advance!

Is AmeriCorps worth looking into?

macrowave — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 23:30:00 -0800

I'm thinking about applying for an AmeriCorps job with serious reservations. It's all vague right now... I wish I could be more specific, but I'm having a hard time navigating their system. Basically, I just don't know how the program operates.

In a nutshell I'm a recent undergrad. I took a long time to get through college. I was once an art student at a stupidly expensive school. I almost graduated but then faltered in my senior year. I'm in a bunch of debt and recently got a B.S in communications from a state school in Illinois. I'm still waiting tables and close-ish to 30.

My second-round college plan was to study journalism. I did incredibly well, all things considered, won impressive awards, learned things, and met incredible people in the field. Ideally, I'd love an internship at NPR, Vocalo, WTTW, et al. I'm thinking about applying to U of I Springfield's Public Affairs program. I've also been thinking of getting a Master's In Education with an emphasis on HS journalism (however that works) but...

I'm at a point in my life where I can't work for NOTHING. Internships available to recent college grads are impossible for me financially. I am currently paying the principal interest on my loans by waiting tables 30-50 hours a week. I want out. It is dehumanizing and I've been making money this way since I was 16.

So I've been thinking about doing AmeriCorps. Hypothetically, I could "volunteer" there and only work a food service job a couple of nights a week to make ends meet. Is this possible? Can you work on top of an AmeriCorps job? In Chicago? And can it lead to actual employment and/or grad school scholarships? Any first-person accounts would be greatly appreciated.

And, no, I don't know which specific program I'm talking about. Something to do with schools, community building, or some other thing that I will eventually love but have yet to hear about. I don't understand the breadth of various programs available. Have you or anyone you know done any of them?

How do I deal with non-profit disorganization?

amileighs — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 08:54:16 -0800

I have been working for a non-profit in New York City for the past year. It is a great program, using education as an anti-poverty tool. There have been money and organizational problems since I began working here, but now it seems as though everything is falling apart. I need advice. I am an Americorps VISTA volunteer, which means I only have a one year term with my organization. My service ends at the beginning of August.
The main problems facing my organization are as follows:
-There is not enough staff to cover the programs we have. Staff continues to leave, and we have to keep destroying programs that we have.
-There are not defined enough roles for the employees. For example, I write grants, press releases, do administrative work, recruit volunteers, manage volunteers, and handle events....All with no real support or clear protocol established.
-There is no organization in the office (everything is broken, my boss refuses to throw out old papers and electronics so it looks like a tornado hit it)
-We don't have enough money to cover program costs, and are using grant money allocated for future programs to cover old debts.
-Recent specific things have occurred that have made me want to write to the Board of Directors or take some more serious action. A co-workers previous 6 checks have bounced, other workers have not been paid and are calling and calling, our employees have been kicked off of their health insurance without being notified for two months....
I have spoken to my boss (the CEO) mulitple times about this and all the concerns I had. He assures me that everything is fine, and keeps giving me work to do as though nothing is wrong. I can't pretend that everything is fine, this chaos makes me angry, and extremely stressed out to the point that I think it is bad for my health.
I need help. First of all, what actions can I take in the situation? How common are these outrageous problems in the non-profit world?
Secondly, I have about two months left here. How do I cope? How do I deal with my anxiety and stress about a situation I cannot change? How do I spend my day in this horrible chaos? It seems to seep into me, and I can't just ignore it. I also have very long hours in which there is no work for me to do, and although i try to occupy myself by reading, writing, etc, it is these times that the stress is the worst.

Is professional altruism dead?

Smarson — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 09:01:18 -0800

Are National Service Organizations (AmeriCorps, VISTA, and NCCC) all they're cracked up to be? * I have a niece who is looking to do something for a year post undergrad. and pre master's program. She is an amazing girl who has a strong sense of civic duty/ patriotism and wants to serve her country, but despises all things republican/ Bush Administration (she prescribes to the "love your country, hate it's administration" philosophy) and is also opposed to violence, hence no military service. So as an alternative she is looking into National Service Programs like AmeriCorps, VISTA, and NCCC. Will this give her the experience she is looking for? I've heard critiques that describe them as "ruining the concept of volunteerism," and not providing any substantial difference. I've also heard that these programs offer invaluable public services and go a long ways towards showing people a harder side of life in America. Opinions? Personal experiences?