Introduction
This paper presents an examination and evaluation of the impact of a policy at the grassroots level. The policy under investigation is the Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) program policy governing VISTA members’ participation in education courses. First, a brief history of the AmeriCorps VISTA program will be provided. A review of policy details will follow. Then, a summary of perspectives regarding the impact of the policy on the part of VISTA members is presented from data collected through interviews and observations. Finally, an evaluation of the findings and their relevance to the program is offered.
AmeriCorps VISTA Program History
According to the timeline available in Getting Started: A Guide for AmeriCorps Members (Corporation, n.d.a), the foundation upon which AmeriCorps was established began with Franklin D. Roosevelt’s creation of the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. The GI Bill of 1944 first generated the link between service and education, with education awards available to veterans who served the country during World War II. In 1961, John Kennedy created the Peace Corps, to which AmeriCorps is often compared as the domestic equivalent. Volunteers in Service to America, a program which also enjoys education awards, was first established in 1964 “giving Americans opportunities to serve full-time to help thousands of low-income communities” (Corporation, n.d.a, p. 12). VISTA is a capacity building program which places VISTA members in administrative (non-clerical) positions within community organizations throughout the U.S. In 1993, VISTA was incorporated into the newly established AmeriCorps, a national program developed as a result of the Clinton Administration’s Natio...
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...oaches for diverse populations. New York: Routledge.
Corporation for National and Community Service (n.d.)a. Getting started: A guide for AmeriCorps members. Retrieved September 30, 2008, from http://AmeriCorps.gov/pdf/ac_member_guide.pdf.
Corporation for National and Community Service (n.d.)b. Limited activities and arrangements while in service. In AmeriCorps VISTA member handbook (13). Retrieved from http://www.americorps.gov/help/vistahandbook/chapter13.html#limited.
Corporation for National and Community Service (n.d.)c. The history of AmeriCorps VISTA (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.americorps.gov/for_individuals/choose/
vista_legacy.asp.
Corporation for National and Community Service (n.d.)d. VISTA…In service to America. Retrieved from http://www.americorps.gov/pdf/06_0523_americorps_
vista_legacybook.pdf.
Department of Veteran Affairs. (1997). Master Agreement between he Department of Veteran Affairs and the American Federation of Government Employees (VA Pamphlet 05-68). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office
The Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA) is a public organization that is government provided. The organization funding is produce through taxes. The executive branch of the agency is located in Washington DC and is headed by Secretary of Veteran Affairs. There are Veteran Affairs Offices located in all 50 states, including American Samoa, District of Columbia, Guam, North Marianas Islands, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands. It ranks number two in the United States federal department with over 200,000 employees.
In the year 1944, US Legislation passed the Servicemen’s Readjustment act, commonly known as the GI Bill of Rights. It is one of the most significant pieces of legislation ever produced by the federal government; one that impacted the United States socially, economically and politically. The GI Bill offers a comprehensive package of benefits, including financial assistance for higher education for veterans of U.S. military service. The benefits of the GI Bill are intended to help veterans readjust to civilian life following service to their country and to encourage bright, motivated men and women to volunteer for military duty. Many factors and contributions have gone into the development of the GI Bill, and it has changed over the years. This research paper will introduce the reader to a brief history of the formation and evolution of the GI Bill, discuss the current benefits that it offers to student populations in response to their specific needs, and introduce current implications that the GI Bill has placed on student veterans and institutions across the nation.
Prior to war and the passage of the GI Bill the average American could only dream about college and owning a home. Designed to be used for college, technical or vocational courses, apprenticeship/on-the-job ship/on-the-job training, certificate programs, flight training and correspondence courses and home loan guaranty, the GI Bill has been credited with establishing the foundation of today’s middle class. By 1984, when the GI Bill was revamped, 7.8 World War II Veterans had participated in education or vocational training programs. The updated program became known as the Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB), after former Mississippi Congressman Gillespie V. “Sonny” Montgomery. His goal was to continue education programs and the VA home loan guaranty for the latest as well as, future generations ...
Nonprofits are dealing with many risks that seemed especially significant. For example, Nonprofits might encounter fiscal risk caused by the difficulty of finding enough resources and funds to subsidize their mission and objectives. Throughout history, fiscal distress has been a way of life for the nonprofit sector as many nonprofits are competing to access the needed resources and raising money to fund their activities. Nonprofits also might encounter the risk of losing market shares due to the uneven opportunity in accessing resources required to establish new facilities or new programs and services in response to the rapid surges in demand. Accordingly, nonprofits are required to maintain effectiveness
Federal Communications Commission- Job Corps. Dictionary of American History. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1976.
Crutchfield, Leslie R., and Heather McLeod Grant. Forces for Good: The Six Practices of High-impact Nonprofits. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2008. Print.
Ever since the pilgrims first set foot on North American soil there has always been some form of a pension to soldiers of battle. The purpose of this compensation to the soldiers was to allow them to be able to successfully live a post-military life. Over the growth of America the compensation for a soldier’s tenure began to grow as well. From the start of the Old Soldiers Home to the birth of the Veterans Administration (VA) to the inception of the GI Bill the government has adopted more and more methods to aid veterans in their post-military life. However even with all these programs veterans still find themselves struggling to be a part of society as an everyday citizen. Why is it that with all these government programs, veterans are still struggling to adjust to civilian life?
...evant to the achievements performed by the Salvation Army. People who seek help through the Salvation Army may develop a better outlook about their lives, as well as feel a since of hope. In turn, donations and goals accomplished by and through the Salvation Army foundation give the administrators confidence that their programs are working. Social networking has allowed these organizations to have campaigns for fundraising they are associate within communities and other non-profit organizations.
Most nonprofit volunteer groups can be described as holistic and geared toward supporting those that are disadvantaged. The volunteer seeks to meet a need and/or be a role model. The desire is to give tools to an individual that can make their situation better than it was before. Many nonprofits are religious based entities ran by pastoral leaders. Other nonprofits are mainly community based operations set up to meet a physical or emotional need, provide food, offer shelter, counseling, or utility assistance
Employee retention requires a whole lot more than just competitive salaries and great benefits. Employee recognition and pay based on performance are just two ways on how to get started in retaining your best. Employees want to feel part of something bigger than them. Corporate volunteer programs are a proven way to increase employee moral and retention. This report will briefly show that family video is already doing all that is necessary when dealing with pay, benefits, and room for advancement. It will discuss how a corporate volunteer program would be the best choice for the company to undergo in order to help increase employee retention. The other benefits that result from a corporate volunteer program and the costs of the program will also be presented.
The student veteran population can be described as an ethnically diverse group of men and women who have served time in the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps or Coast Guard. After service, many veterans seek new careers through the college classroom in the effort to transition into a new phase in their life. Most student veterans are between the ages of 24-40 and are entering the classroom with varying experiences from other student veterans, and are in a different phase of life versus traditional incoming freshman. For many student veterans, they may be the first in their family going to college and may already have a family of their own. As compared to traditional freshman, student
Orem, D. (1999 July 4). Lessons From Service Learning. The Washington Post, Pg.B.06. Retrieved May 3, 2004 from ProQuest database.
The Charity Organization Society was based in the scientific movement of organizations. Workers believed that charity work needed more definition and organization and that charity should be focused more on individual need rather than as a whole population. Focusing on individual need was intended to improve relief operations while making resources more efficient. They also intended to eliminate public outdoor relief. With the promotion of more organization and efficiency the new Charity Organization Societies were born. Trattner states that these new requirements for organization and efficiency spread so “rapidly that within 6 years 25 cities had such organizations and by the turn of the century there were some 138 of them in existence” (Trattner, 1999).
Though, the concept of community service is not very new, its importance has developed in the past few years. There are thousands of organizations all over the world that engage and support millions of young people all over the world. People of all age groups, with a maximum number of youth involved in the process of community service. Community-based organizations include social service organizations, non-profit providers and associations that engage both young people as well as adults as volunteers. The process is beneficial both for the individuals as well as the society.