COMPACT VISTA DALYA KEFI CHECKS IN

Dalya Kefi has served in since this January with Montana State University and the Greater Gallatin United Way's kidsLINK Afterschool Program, so we decided to check in and share the great work she has been doing.

What is your background that led you to serve as a VISTA member?

MTCC AmeriCorps VISTA Dalya Kefi

My mother was in the Peace Corps when she was my age, and both of my parents worked with the refugee community while I was growing up. I was exposed to non-profit work and international development as a child and always knew I would work with disadvantaged populations. I have always had in interest in issues of poverty, equitable access to education, and social justice, so when I was looking for a job after graduating, AmeriCorps VISTA was a natural step.

Describe a typical work day at your host site.

This summer, I supported afternoon youth enrichment programming  at the YMCA Y Achievers summer literacy camp. That means my days are constantly changing. Every day at noon, the campers come to us from their morning teachers, where they work on literacy from 8-12. In the afternoons, they participated in a normal camp setting. We played games, made crafts, went on field trips and visited the local swimming pool. This is a big change from my normal day while at the Greater Gallatin United Way. While working on the kidsLINK Afterschool program, I spend most of my day behind a desk in the office. I will attend meetings in the community, plan for the upcoming 2015-2016 school year, and work with the World Language coordinators to establish a sustainable afterschool world language program for elementary students.

How have you incorporated your campus partner into your work?

My campus partner, the MSU Department of Education, works closeup with the kidsLINK Afterschool program during the school year. Education students host afterschool book and tech clubs for students in the various elementary schools. The World Language classes also work with MSU, and have student assistants from the MSU Department of Modern Languages for larger groups in the afternoon lessons.

What motivates you to do a year of VISTA service?

Quality education is a necessity. All children, regardless of socioeconomic factors, should have access to quality, affordable education. In the kidsLINK Afterschool programs, we support working families and make sure all students have the opportunity to enjoy extracurricular activities, receive a healthy snack, and have a safe place to be afterschool while their parents are at work.  kidsLINK Afterschool also provides homework help, helping kids complete homework for the next school day. By supporting families and kids in this way, we are helping students reach their full potential and be successful in school and at home.

What are your plans after VISTA?

After my VISTA year, I hope to attend law school and focus on international human rights law. I would like to work in international development with refugees and live overseas.
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Thank you for your service with the Compact, Dalya!

MTCC VISTA SUMMER ASSOCIATE ALEX FOWLER CHECKS IN

Montana Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA Summer Associates served ten weeks terms begining in June of 2015. These VISTAs focus on community needs like summer learning loss, nutrition, and STEM education.  This summer we had the pleasure of placing 28 VISTA Summer Associates across Montana. They came from near and far, and today we checked in with Alex Fowler who came to serve all the way from North Carolina!

Where are you from and how did you decide to come and serve in Montana?

I am from the foothills of North Carolina. I live in a rural town of 1,500 with pretty views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I currently am a junior philosophy major with minors in Health and Human Services and Entrepreneurship and Social Enterprise at Wake Forest University located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Montana has always intrigued me as I have a love for nature and wilderness. I am halfway through college now and thought it would be the perfect opportunity to get out west and experience things in a new light to refresh and rejuvenate myself as I go into the last half of my college career. I plan on pursuing a career in criminal/family law. Who knows? I could return to Missoula and attend law school at the University of Montana which I’ve heard has a rather prestigious program.

Where are you serving?  Can you describe a typical day or week?

I am serving at spectrUM Discovery Area in downtown Missoula. It was created to provide a place for children to interact with science in ways that they never could in a typical classroom setting. My position is the Americorps VISTA SciNation Summer Associate. SciNation is an organization of STEM and education leaders from Tribal Health and Human Services, Ronan Elementary School, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Wildlife Management Program, and Salish Kootenai College on the Flathead Reservation. They cooperate with spectrUM to help plan our outreach efforts and curriculum on the reservation. In a typical week I am either helping to plan the logistics and activities we will be taking during our events/conducting the events. We typically rent out a university vehicle, load up all of our supplies, and head out to the reservation site for that week to engage with students in numerous science activities.

What is the main focus of your project?

The main focus of our project is outreach. The youth we work with would typically have minimal opportunities to visit our museum during the summer. With summer break in full swing, there is a definite lack of educational endeavors that youth on the Flathead can participate in, and spectrUM and SciNation have collaborated to fill that gap. By partnering with school districts and other community partners, we have created a program called Science Bytes, which is in its inaugural year. You might be asking what Science Bytes actually is. For the majority of our outreach events, we have helped teach summer school for the first half of the days. During the second half, we transition to the area’s federally funded feeding site, located on the school’s premises and interact with even more students from the Boys and Girls Clubs Foundation to local church youth groups. Not only do the students get an enriching, nutritious meal for free, but they also get enriching science education at the same time. In one effort, we are helping to fill an educational barrier and aiding in promoting food security on the Flathead Reservation. Our shining achievement, however, was during the Arlee Celebration. We erected a large tent deemed as the “Science Learning Tent” manned with STEM role models from the Flathead community as well as numerous staff of our own. We served over 1,000 people in the two day period. The event was indisputably a success and was the climax of my service here. I was able to interact with the native culture in ways that I could never imagine, and I know I am a better person from the experience.

What do you plan on doing after your service?

I mentioned this earlier, but I will be making the 35 hour road trip with my best friend who is flying out to accompany me on the trek home. I will hope to finish school with high marks and enter the legal field.
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From all of us at the Montana Campus Compact affiliate campuses and network office, we thank Alex deeply for choosing to serve in Montana, and we wish him the best of luck in the future and hope to see him again in back in Montana.  

MTCC WELCOMES 16 NEW VISTAS TO SERVICE!

Montana's July 2015 VISTA Class with Lieutenant Governor Angela McLean

The Montana Campus Compact welcomed sixteen new AmeriCorps VISTA members into year-long terms of service with affiliate campuses last week.  These brand new MTCC VISTAs come from cities across the country as well as right here in Montana.  Staff and VISTA leaders spent five days in Helena helping to train, orient and  prepare these inspiring folks for their service.  

Following Montana's Pre-Service Orientation and Swearing In Ceremony with Lieutenant Governor McLean in Helena, MTCC's VISTA class spent two and a half days at the Montana Learning Center on Canyon Ferry for Campus Compact orientation and training, and learning the expectations of service with the Campus Compact network. Staff and members participated in a service projects with Helena Food Share, got familiar with one another, and MTCC's staff and VISTA leaders.  
On Saturday, July 18th we said our goodbyes and sent them on their way to their communities across the state. We wish them the best of luck during their service.  Our July 2015-2016 members and projects include:

Yaritza Aguilar- Dawson Community College Student Success- Glendive
Claire Anderson- Flathead Valley Community College and Sparrow's Nest- Kalispell
Olivia Carney- UM Blackstone LaunchPad- Missoula
Sara Feilzer- The University of Montana and spectrUM Discovery Area- Missoula
Lauren Hall-Montana State University and Montana After School Alliance- Statewide
Deanna Linn- Montana State University and the Girls STEM Collaborative- Bozeman
Jill McIntyre- MSU Blackstone LaunchPad- Bozeman 
Kelsey O'Donnell- UM Blackstone LaunchPad- Missoula
Alexandra Opie- Montana State University and the Children's Museum- Bozeman
Alanna Reid- The University of Montana and Girl Scouts- Missoula
Kelsie Severson-The University of Montana and Big Sky High School- Missoula
Erik Swanson- UM and the Missoula Public Library MakerSpace- Missoula
Jennifer Thimell- MSU Northern Lights Student Success- Havre
Michelle Van Meter- MSU Northern and HRDC IV- Havre
Brylee Zumpf- The University of Montana Western and Women's Resource Center- Dillon
Austin Terreri- VISTA Leader- Statewide, from MTCC Network Office

Keep checking back as we will be posting about the successes and strides our members are making in communities across the state!

CURRENT MEMBER CAT LENIS CHECKS IN FROM SPARROWS NEST

Cat Lenis is serving as a Montana Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA with Sparrow's Nest of Northwest Montana.  I was lucky enough to get in touch with her and ask questions about the amazing work she has done and is continuing to do for the Flathead Valley.

What is your background that led you to serve as a VISTA member?
I was born, raised and went to undergrad and grad school in Worcester, Massachusetts.  Although I love it there I was ready for something new once I graduated with my Master’s in Community Development and Planning.  I knew some people that did a year of VISTA and it seemed like a good post-college transition and opportunity to test out my skills. For some reason-- although I knew no one here, Montana popped into my head. So I looked for positions here. I’ve worked with youth in various capacities—from teaching middle school girls to working at a residential youth home for teens with various mental health challenges, so knew I’d want to work within that realm. I liked that VISTA wasn’t direct service and I liked that the organization I ended up working for—Sparrow’s Nest of NW MT, was a startup at the grassroots level.

Describe a typical workday at your host site.
My day typically runs 9:00-5:00 but there are the occasional community presentations at varying times: e.g. a 6:45 am Rotary meeting or a 7:00pm Women’s group potluck. My office is on the second floor of a local church’s parish house so when I’m not there (which again, really varies) I’m often at a meeting or presentation or picking up or dropping off donations (both monetary and not).
When I am at the office I answer a lot emails, social media messages and phone calls as I manage those three contact portals. I’m also always trying to stay up to date on federal and state policy surrounding youth homelessness as well as best practices. There’s also the occasional grant-writing, agenda writing, newsletter making, planning and just general organizing.

How have you incorporated your campus partner into your work efforts?  

Our campus partner liaison, Wendy, at FVCC has a seemingly endless supply of knowledge regarding volunteer recruitment, creative donation drives and cool fundraising ideas. She has also helped supply us with some great college student volunteers. There are so many more ways we can partner with FVCC and we plan on doing so in the very near future: mainly our upcoming April awareness campaign of which I will not currently divulge. 

What are your motivating factors that justify this type of work?
With great power comes great responsibility. No, but seriously. I was privileged enough to go to university and work at some amazing places and don’t want to “waste” my education or experiences. Also, there’s a lot of injustice in this world and I can’t possibly sit idly by. There are so many innovative and great ways to solve issues and I just love seeing communities using their unique strengths to aid their current needs. The possibilities are endless and just so beautiful.

What are your plans after VISTA?
Travel! Hopefully. Move farther West or abroad. Work for a place that I believe in. Do a lot of activities outdoors, build something, continue to meet inspirational people… challenge myself towards something that means something for something infinitely larger than myself. Or something.

Keep up with Sparrow's Nest of Northwest Montana and all of the amazing strides they're making on FaceBook.  We wish you the best of luck with the conclusion of your service as well as your future endeavors. We know you'll do amazing things wherever you go.

MTCC VISTA ALUMNA BESS PALLARES CHECKS IN

Bess Pallares, MTCC VISTA Alum

This year marks the 50th anniversary of VISTA.  In celebration of this special anniversary we will be featuring alumni periodically to see where they are now.  We checked in with Bess Pallares who served as an AmeriCorps VISTA with the University of Montana and Missoula County Public Schools.  Check out the amazing things she has done and is currently doing below.  Thank you for your service, Bess and good luck with everything you do!

Where did you serve?

I served with Missoula County Public Schools and University of Montana as a VISTA with the Partners In Education project from July 2010 to July 2012.

What was your service experience like and how did your project address the poverty problem in your community?

My service experience involved a lot of capacity building, program evaluation, and community partner development. Coming from a journalism background these were new challenges for me, but I had great support from my supervisor and the other excellent folks with Missoula County Public Schools and its partner organizations. My work focused on two main areas: the Graduation Matters Missoula campaign and addressing volunteer policies and involvement in the schools. These issues play a huge role in not only assisting students and families currently experiencing poverty, but in providing a strong foundation for students to succeed and stand a better chance of moving out of poverty as adults. The earning potential and quality of life for high school graduates is significantly stronger than those who drop out. My work was centered around partnering with community organizations to support school initiatives in support of graduation and making sure more volunteers can be involved safely in the schools to provide much-needed assistance for teachers with over-crowded classrooms and few resources.

During your service, what accomplishment are you most proud of?

In my first year of service I helped develop a new district policy that requires MCPS volunteers who work with students unsupervised to undergo a criminal background check. I researched background-checking systems and developed print and digital forms for volunteers to register with the district and submit to the checks, as well as a database to track volunteers and keep schools updated on volunteer permissions. Keeping the importance of parent involvement and affordability to families experiencing poverty in mind, we chose a system that cost just $6.50 per check, and any parent or volunteer who was unable to pay for their background check had the fee covered by the district or special Parent Teacher Association funds. This was a fundamental step in allowing the district to increase community involvement while helping to ensure student safety in schools.

Where are you today and what are you doing?

I live in Portland, Oregon, and I’m halfway through a master’s in book publishing at Portland State University. I work as a freelance comic book editor, and for the next year will serve as the acquisitions co-manager for Ooligan Press, the student-run publishing house based at PSU.

How has your service impacted you personally and professionally?

Personally, as a graduate student with limited means and a family to support, I have continued to use the lessons in thrifty living I developed as a VISTA. I’ve learned I can handle just about anything for two years! Professionally, the confidence I developed in building community partnerships and the problem-solving skills I learned during my service have helped me boldly pursue my dream career as a comic book editor. The job is vastly different, but through VISTA I developed fearlessness and faith in my own abilities. I am forever grateful for my Montana Campus Compact experience and friends I made in the program.

Keep in touch, Bess and good luck!

WELCOME ABOARD, MTCC VISTA SUMMER ASSOCIATES!

Twenty Nine MTCC VISTA Summer Associates were just sworn in, this is the Missoula crew.

Monday, June 1st, 2015, Montana Campus Compact  welcomed an unprecedented 29 AmeriCorps
VISTA Summer Associates to our campuses and communities across Montana! These Summer Associates will serve for 10 weeks in communities across the state, providing hands-on learning opportunities and educational programming for youth.  Each project is associated with one of four focus areas: K-12 success, college access, summer learning loss or summer food programming.

Some will be serving in tandem to strengthen current MTCC AmeriCorps VISTA projects like Jacquelyn Turmel serving homeless teens with Sparrow's Nest of NW MT in Kalispell, Others represent exciting new partnerships for MTCC, like Summer Associate VISTAs Lisa Nguyen and Scott Omundson with Sunburst Enterprises whose Gardens from Garbage summer lunch program is helping food-insecure kids with nutritious food.

These Summer Associates were sworn into service via webinar by Montana's state CNCS director, Jackie Girard after a Pre-Service Training session to help them understand the requirements, conditions and personal & professional benefits of their VISTA Summer Associate service.

Montana Summer Associates serving across the state are: Jessica Eiskant and Stephanie Kolb, with Girl Scouts of Montana and Wyoming (GSMW) in Billings; Allie Helterbran, Tara Gilsrud and Alicia Leitch with Human Resource Development Council IX in Bozeman; Amber Flores with Bitterroot Ecological Awareness Resources in Hamilton; Jaycey Ellis with Gallatin Valley YMCA in Bozeman; Lisa Davis with Children's Museum of Bozeman.  VISTAs serving in Missoula include: please list missoula VISTAs

MTCC VISTA ALUM ALEX HERLICH CHECKS IN

Alex Herlich served as a Montana Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA with Salish Kootenai College's Upward Bound program which helps first generation and low income students attend college.  Alex was responsible for developing public relations and community networks, overhauling recruitment policy, building at-distance summer curriculum, and piloting an arts outreach program with on-campus summer programs. In an effort to keep in touch with the amazing individuals who commit to a year of service, MTCC will periodically feature an alum or current member spotlight.


When and where did you serve during your term as an AmeriCorps VISTA?

I served from January 2014-January 2015 at Salish Kootenai College (on the Flathead Reservation in Pablo) with Upward Bound. Upward Bound is a federally funded program that exists to help low-income, would be first-generation college students through the college application process.

How did your year of service impact your life?

It reiterated my desire to work with people and be in the human service field. Beyond the work I was doing in the office, I had a really interesting and fulfilling experience immersing into a local community. Coming from a suburb of Boston and then going to college in the second biggest city in New England, I did not have any life experience living in a community under 30,000. Working and living on the Flathead Reservation gave me an opportunity to meet and get to know people from all walks of life within the community. So in that way, it gave me an appreciation for smaller communities and the difference that can be made in those places.

What did you do after your term as a VISTA?

I returned to the east coast to family and friends while applying to jobs and couch surfing for a month.

Where are you now and what is your daily work life like?

I am living in Worcester, MA where I went to college. I was recently hired as an Education Specialist for a program called Education for Employment. I am working with high school dropouts in Central Massachusetts to help them get their HiSET (the modern equivalent of the GED) and then figure out what the next step is, whether that is a job, trade school, or college. A typical day is three or four hours with students in the morning, tutoring, counseling, or taking them on service trips or college tours. After that, a lunch break and then time in the afternoon doing paperwork and working to connect with community partners and maintain/develop relationships with schools, the Department of Children & Families, and community centers.