November 2023
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In 1990, November was federally signed into law as Native American Heritage Month (also referred to as National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month). Native American Heritage Month (which includes Native American Heritage Day on November 24) gives us an opportunity to celebrate and learn more about the rich cultures and histories of our nation's Indigenous peoples, honor their resiliency in the face of adversity that spans U.S. history, and acknowledge Native American contributions to the prosperity and diversity of the United States. Today, there are 574 federally recognized Tribal Nations in the U.S., with 29 of them in Washington State along with three additional tribes in our state currently working on federal recognition status. While there are too many resources available to list all of them here, your learning journey might include NativeAmericanHeritageMonth.gov and the National Archives. To learn more about the tribes in our state, check out WashingtonTribes.org, and University of Washington's guide and digital collection.
Valued site partners: Last call for our host site referral raffle! Do you know a great potential WSC/WRC/PHA site? Refer a new site that gets awarded for 2023-24, and you could win a $1000 discount on this year's member placement fee. Just make sure any site you refer lists your organization and contact info in the "how did you hear about us" section of the application. Applications are due by November 30.
Resource Kit for New Members
Did you know? Our Service Resource Kit on the Member Resources Tab of our website can help you with housing, transportation, food, and more. Don’t forget to take the time to access the support you need to have a successful year of service.
Member Assistance Program
Enhanced benefit alert! In collaboration with our state's service commission, we are proud to offer the premier MAP membership for our members this year. Keep an eye out for an invitation from your WSC Coordinator to our informational webinars to learn more about the new MAP benefits. Webinars are scheduled for:
Nov 20 noon-12:45pm | Dec 15 10:45am-11:30am | Jan 12 noon-12:45pm
Due December 15
December is right around the corner, so please mark your calendar! Project performance reports from site staff will be due by December 15; sites will receive an email when the report form has been opened in America Learns.
Members, your first-quarter story of service is also due by December 15; please submit your story in TimeTracker. We look forward to hearing about and sharing what your service journey experience has been so far! Take a look at our "cheat sheet" for tips on writing your story.
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For Members: "Breaking Up with Burnout"
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Getting settled into a year of service isn't easy, and with the holidays and winter doldrums approaching, it's common for members to start feeling burned out this time of year.
To help get ahead of that, Do Good Be Good is offering a workshop that can help you recognize the first signs of burnout and tips on how you can best manage stress and practice self-care. When registering, enter "WSC/WRC" as the AmeriCorps Program Name. Once registered, if you miss the live session, you'll be emailed a link to the recording.
Nov 15 11:00am | Register here
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MLK Day (January 15) is an official National Day of Service, where Americans are called to volunteer in honor and celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legacy of community building, equity and service to one another.
As a time-honored tradition, AmeriCorps members engage the public in awareness of service and volunteering on MLK Day through service projects. Now is a great time to start planning what your MLK Day project will be, especially if you'll be recruiting volunteers.
To get you started, AmeriCorps will be hosting the following webinars:
Nov 15 | Best Practices in Volunteer Mobilization
Dec 6 | Tools & Resources to Promote & Engage
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Members, it's time to gear up - we're currently in the process of sending WSC AmeriCorps gear to service sites. Once you get it, let us showcase your service on our social media pages in your gear! Email service-in-action pics to Jason McLaughlin.
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