The MAVA VISTA Cohort will be presenting at next month’s June conference. All eight of them have contributed and will bring their experience at their organization’s and teach a little bit about what AmeriCorps VISTA is. In this month’s VISTA View we will highlight the cohort and what the presentation will focus on, as well as give a short background on VISTA.
The conference presentation which is titled: Volunteer Engagement Through AmeriCorps VISTA Service, will consist of three sections each presented by two or three VISTAs. The topics of the sections are as follows: focusing on identifying the need for volunteers, onboarding and orienting volunteers, and engaging with and appreciating volunteers. Each presenter has experience from their service year in their respective topic and will be able to answer related and relevant questions.
Sign up for the conference here, 2022 Hybrid Volunteer Engagement Leadership Conference - 6/8/2022, and look for their presentation at 10:30am on June 8, day 1 of the conference. If you miss it live, you will be able to watch a recording on the conference platform.
AmeriCorps VISTA is an opportunity to serve a local community while being placed at a nonprofit organization or a public agency. Here is more about it from the AmeriCorps.gov website:
"Since 1965, over 220,000 AmeriCorps members in the VISTA program have joined the fight against poverty by helping local organizations expand their capacity to make change. The VISTA program serves in each of the 50 U.S. states and in all U.S. territories.
Through capacity building activities such as fundraising, grant writing, research, and volunteer recruitment AmeriCorps members in the VISTA program serve in an office setting and gain experience and leadership skills. This opportunity prepares members for a life of service in the public, private, or nonprofit sector."
The eight VISTAs are each serving a one-year term at eight different metro area nonprofits. Amelia Blair-Smith is at YWCA Minneapolis, Cat Holl is at The Family Partnership, Chance Chapman is at CAPI USA, Jonathan Grinde (the author) is at MAVA, Julie Risser is at Planned Parenthood of North Central States, Lindsey Noyed is at Foundation for Essential Needs, NorKhadijah Lindgren is at Anoka Technical College, and Tim Francis is at Minnesota Tool Library. You can find more detailed bios about them here: VISTA Bios.
Each VISTA member started between August, 2021 and January, 2022.
For more information on MAVA's VISTA program, click here:
AmeriCorps VISTA.