Alternative Breakers Have Power

One of the big projects I was working on these past few months was being on the planning committee for MACC’s annual Fall Alternative Break weekend, which was developed out in Holyoke. This year, as usual the break took place on Columbus Day weekend. With a core team of 5 MACC VISTAs and 2 VISTA leaders we went all out planning our weekend for students from across Massachusetts. Based on a train the trainers model, our FAB (Fall Alternative Break) was developed to help students find out what it takes to put on an Alternative Break while participating in service throughout the weekend. It is really a mini-alternative break!

The VISTAs were on committees including fundraising, outreach, and reflection and training. I was lucky, because I got to be on all three committees and was able to find out from all corners what it would take to put the weekend together. One of my main projects was to work on and then present an Alternative Break 101 training, which was presented by Kate Jennings and myself. We made a wonderful flip chart and got to utilize our public speaking skills all the while enhancing our own knowledge about Alternative Breaks.

Columbus Day weekend arrived, and I found myself engaged in service while volunteering for a very interesting organization out in Holyoke, MA – Nuestras Raíces. Nuestras Raíces is a grass-roots organization that promotes economic, human and community development in Holyoke, Massachusetts through projects relating to food, agriculture and the environment. They do a lot of work with the Puerto Rican community within Holyoke, and are expanding to include other peoples such as the Russian Immigrant community there. Here are some picture highlights!

-Erika

Hello blog readers. So I have been totally slacking on my blogging duties and I apologize. Things around here have been busy and everyday I mean to get writing on updates and everyday it slips my mind. So today I have decided since it is rainy cold that it would be the perfect day to do some updating!

Things have been going relatively well. My work has taken all different turns and twists but I'm enjoying learning how the inner workings of this school. I have recently created a monthly newsletter dedicated to service that is happening in the Regis community. We call it RegiServes and it includes updates on our massive volunteer database project, volunteer opportunities on and off campus and we also spotlight a student, staff, faculty member or students groups that are doing GREAT things within the community! Since the holiday's are right around the corner I have included some Thanksgiving facts and the December issue will also include Christmas facts.

As I mentioned, we have started our massive campus wide volunteer database projects. Right now we are in the interview process, which is turning out to be a little more difficult then I thought it was going to be! A list of about 75 important people has been constructed and I am currently in the middle of interviewing and meeting with them to find out where and what their students or colleagues are doing in the community. It's a great concept and there is a huge need for one centralized place students, faculty and staff can locate volunteer opportunities, so I'm just hoping it all comes together by March! I mean, IT WILL!

I have been working closely with the office of Experiential Learning to help gather volunteers for a new community partner that has reached out to Regis College. Warm2Kids is a new center that has taken up residence in two Boys and Girls Clubs in Dorester. They are currently looking for students to help run programs and work in the centers. I went last week and got a sneak peak of the centers and met with the program directors. I'm hoping I can find a couple students who are able to work in the centers and really get these programs off the ground! Other then that, I am working to help the freshmen class (all 230) find volunteer opportunities for next semester and am working on a semester long reflection piece that will be done in and outside of the classroom. I truly believe reflection is a huge part of community service so I really like that I have been put in charge of creating and facilitating the piece!

I have been thinking a lot about home and friends/family I have been missing. Moving 700 miles from Detroit to Boston has been a huge adjustment but I think I have found a group of young professionals that work on campus that have taken up residence in my life. I can't stress how important it has been to be able to have these people around. I came here knowing no one and really questioning myself if I am strong enough to be here all alone. These last 3 months (WOW) have been a been learning period, not only learning about my new school/job but also about myself. Although, I cannot wait to head home for Thanksgiving and Christmas, I am really enjoying my time here. I even learned how to use the subway-so things are looking pretty good!

-Jessica Chandler, Regis College MACC AmeriCorps*VISTA

I can't believe it is already October. I feel like I just got done with PSO yesterday. The office of Student Involvement is busy here at Framingham State College, and I'm trying to keep up to pace with all the craziness! Since I am the first VISTA here, I decided to talk a little about what my experiences have been as the brand new AmeriCorps*VISTA on this campus.

To say it's been overwhelming would be an understatement, but with that comes a profoundly rewarding feeling of really getting things done here. I arrived here in late July to an extremely warm office staff greeting me with open arms. They were largely unaware of what exactly my job was all about but my supervisor made sure to include me in the Staff Retreat agenda to go over my job, in addition to a general overview of what MACC and VISTA do (and what they do together =]). At the retreat, I used my flip-charting skills to wow my co-workers as I laid it all out for them. After I finished explaining about capacity building, engaging college students and making change - I felt much more comfortable with them and I could tell they were much more aware of what I was all about.

Sure, students still sometimes confuse me with a prior United Way volunteer who once sat at my desk, but my name is getting out there and things are definitely getting done.

I have done a lot of work to build upon the already existing partnership that FSC has with the United Way. My relationship with my contact there is awesome, we work very well together and are both new to our respective positions so the fact that we're learning together makes everything that much easier. We have decided to co-sponsor a day of service every semester. Just one for now until we get a better hold on getting these things together. This November we are doing a big day of raking for local elderly people and we have started recruiting volunteers for that. Additionally, we also place volunteers all over the MetroWest area together and have been pretty successful thus far with getting people interested. I have a Volunteer Opportunities distribution list that I send all different opportunities out to people on every day. Students have been pretty receptive.

The one big obstacle I have found so far is that at Framingham State, volunteering isn't anyone's "thing." Let me explain what I mean by that. Some people have Student Government as their "thing" or programming is their "thing"...at many colleges, volunteering and service is a "thing" that students have. Any given "thing" tends to be a students' main extra-curricular commitment. My goal is to make service a "thing" on this campus. We have already talked about creating some type of center for it in order to help with that cause. I think it will take a couple years to really accomplish this, but as long as I lay the brickwork, it can definitely be built upon and achieved.

I'm proud of the work I'm doing and definitely proud of the FSC staff who are so excited to be on board with these initiatives. Next up, Alternative Spring Break - Eek! That's another post entirely. =]

Til next time,
*VISTA Dana