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New York Campus Compact and AmeriCorps VISTA
New York Campus Compact has been partnering with the Corporation for National and Community Service since 2003 in order to assist member campuses in increasing the number of faculty and students making a difference through volunteer service and service-learning.
The NYCC VISTA program enables colleges and universities to better respond
to pressing issues facing low-income communities by improving the quality of and capacity
for campus-community service and service-learning programs. These campuses build community-campus partnerships to mobilize intellectual, human, and material resources
to address community-identified issues of concern.
NYCC AmeriCorps VISTAs
NYCC VISTA Program: 2004-2008 Statistics
86 VISTA members
have contributed over
120,000 hours of service
at
40 VISTA projects
and coordinated more than
9,000 student volunteers
in over
210,000 hours of service
and helped to generate over
$600,000 in resources
for their communities.
AmeriCorps VISTA is one of five national service programs administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) and it is the only such program specifically dedicated to alleviating poverty by helping individuals and low-income neighborhoods to make positive changes for themselves. VISTA positions are indirect service, meaning that volunteers are charged with creating/enhancing programs and building capacity, rather than performing direct service in the community. The VISTA grant is built around a three-year time line so that projects can build sustainable infrastructure and ensure that the program will continue even after the grant terminates. Each VISTA member serves a one-year term, although individual volunteers often renew for a second year. Since 1965, more than 140,000 Americans have served through VISTA. Today, nearly 6,000 individuals serve throughout the country, working to eliminate illiteracy, improve health services, create businesses, increase housing opportunities, bridge the digital divide, and strengthen the capacity of community organizations.
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