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Last month, programs across the nation celebrated AmeriCorps members serving their communities. We enjoyed highlighting many sites and members on social media, sharing our AmeriThanks across programs and focus areas.
During the week, Governor Inslee visited two WSC host sites - Kitsap Conservation District in Poulsbo and Tri-State Steelheaders in Walla Walla -.where our members had the opportunity to discuss their service and show off projects they've been working on.
The Governor shared, "Back in 1993, I was proud to cast my very first vote as a U.S. Congressman to help create AmeriCorps. The program has offered generations of patriotic Americans the chance to serve their country. This week, I’ve had the chance to meet with a few of the current cohort to celebrate AmeriCorps Week."
We appreciate the Governor's recognition of AmeriCorps in our state!
Governor Inslee with WSC members and Kitsap Conservation District staff, touring a garden project where the members and women from the Mission Creek Corrections Center help to grow produce for the Central Kitsap Food Bank.
Governor Inslee visited the Mill Creek flood control channel with WSC member Brock Peterson, Tri-State Steelheaders staff and representatives from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.
 In 1983, the Washington state legislature established WSC to promote community service and support youth employment, and was the first program of its kind in the nation. A decade later, the federal government created the AmeriCorps national service program, looking at WSC as one of the models for that program’s design.
You're invited to join us and the Federal Way Public Schools AmeriCorps team in celebrating our anniversary! On May 19, we'll be at Celebration Park in Federal Way from 9:00am to 2:30pm to do some trail maintenance, weeding, and tree planting. In addition to that in-person event, there will be other ways to connect to current and former sites and members, so keep an eye out for more details to come!
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Mark your calendar and start planning! Earth Day is April 22, and is one of WSC's special Days of Service this year. Find a project on our Earth Day of Service webpage, or if you'll be hosting a service project, let us know about it and we'll share it out! |
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WSC is partnering with BASTA to provide a series of Life After AmeriCorps trainings April 27 - May 11. Sessions are optional, but members are highly encouraged to join. Please register using the link below by April 21 so we know how many people will be attending each session. Keep an eye out for an email with more information, and contact Bryce if you have any questions.
Register by April 21: https://forms.gle/AJkWuZgnXYpFARGb6
Sessions will be 10am – 11am:
April 27 – Job Search Strategy
May 4 – STAR Stories
May 11 – Interviewing 101 |
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Site staff, if your member(s) are scheduled to end their term in June-August, their second evaluation is due by May 31 (if your member is to exit prior to May 31, their second evaluation must be done before then).
Use this opportunity to also (1) look at hours served to date (via TimeTracker) and our guideline of where they should be in order to meet the minimum required hours for their term, as well as (2) preparing for their exit from service.
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Reminder: Our 2023-24 Intent to Continue and Request for Applications to host AmeriCorps members through our programs are now being accepted and awarded - AND we have a new referral raffle for new sites awarded in the WSC program!
Contact us if you have any questions or need assistance in applying.
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Member recruitment for our upcoming program year is underway, and we'll be attending several upcoming events! Are you interested in tabling with us, or would you like to invite a WSC team member to attend a community event to support your recruitment efforts? Please send an email to Ariel to make this happen!
 Teaching has always appealed to me, but it’s never felt like something I could actually do.
For years, teaching seemed like a pipe dream, fit for someone else just a little bit more talented, a little bit smarter, a little bit more confident. I joined AmeriCorps without really thinking about teaching; it seemed like a good opportunity to get some environmental experience under my belt and try out something new. I’ve now passed the halfway point in my service term, and the inclination to look back at how I’ve changed over these past few months is strong. It’s just now starting to sink in: every day, I’m doing the thing I never thought I’d be able to do.
More often than not, I find myself speaking to a room full of people. I lead classes on recycling, I host training events for groups of volunteers who come from every possible background. I organize and lead ivy pulls, litter clean-ups, plantings, and everything in between.
I was right in my initial assumption that WSC would be a good opportunity to learn about the environment. I’ve learned how to identify different plant species, and I know more about Solid Waste now than I thought it was possible to learn. I hope this knowledge stays with me, but I can’t say it’s all I’ve learned. To be honest, I wouldn’t even say it’s been the bulk of my experience so far. The real meat and potatoes of my experience as an AmeriCorps is something a bit more personal. It’s a little less complicated than the recycling industry, and probably less interesting to most people. It’s something I think I already knew, but this experience has made me sure of.
I am a teacher.
-- Christopher Fauls, City of Vancouver's Waste Prevention and Reduction Specialist
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