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AmeriCorps programs across Iowa exist to support communities in multiple fields

Disaster Preparation

Economic Opportunity

Environmental Stewardship

Education and Youth Development

Organizational and Community Capacity Building

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Profiles of Inclusive Service

Winner of the 2016 Excellence in AmeriCorps Award for the AmeriCorps member with a disability who significantly contributed to disability inclusion efforts for national service programs

Following his internship with Public Allies Chicago, James continued his service with the organization as an AmeriCorps member serving with Chicago Public School (CPS) Office of Diverse Learners. It was important to the Office of Diverse Learners to host an AmeriCorps member who had similar life experiences to the youth they served, like James. James helped the department refine their system for tracking special needs students from year to year and ensured students were provided the proper accommodations. As a student with special needs, James said he was allowed to fall through the cracks, and through his service wanted to ensure that no child would be allowed to do the same. James revolutionized how CPS tracked their diverse learners and brought a great level of proficiency and expertise to his work because of his similar life experiences to those he served.

AmeriCorps Member James Taylor, Public Allies Chicago

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Profiles of Inclusive Service

Winner of the 2023 Excellence in AmeriCorps Award for Inclusive Service

Foster for Transition-Age Youth is a national AmeriCorps program that recruits young people from the foster youth community to train and serve as peer navigators and mentors in California, Kentucky, Nevada, New York, Ohio and Washington. iFoster’s basic structure inherently recruits from underserved and minority communities. Subsequently, those communities are heavily represented in iFoster’s cohort and the population it serves. In addition to purposely hiring former foster youth to serve in their cohort, iFoster directly engages with foster youth, child welfare agencies, and caregivers within the community through outreach, resource navigation, peer navigation, and community events. Those involved with the program are also given skills and tools to become self- sufficient and resilient during their transition from foster care to life outside of the child welfare system.

AmeriCorps Program iFoster for Transition Age Youth (TAY)

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The three AmeriCorps programs for youth

AmeriCorps Program	Description	Someone should join if
Volunteers In Service To America (VISTA)	Capacity building branch of AmeriCorps for individuals 18 and up. Members spend a year serving at one organization, helping to assess community needs, recruit ^Thv^eolu^bnt^eeeⁿrs,^efi^fnⁱd^tf^sun^odin^fg,^ean^ad^ce^hxpa^pnd^ri^ots^gpr^ro^agr^mams.^{vary. T}	They wish to enter the nonprofit industry. They prefer working indoors. _ra• _veTh_ley_cw_oa_snt_tt_so_,serve in one location.
hou ^{State National}mo	sing, living stipend, professional dev _rP_erog_wram_ilf_lor_loind_oiv_kidu_dals_if1_f7_eor_ro_eld_ner_tto_ds_eerv_pe_ean_no_drg_ia_nniz_gati_oon_n by performing hands-on service. Opportunities range from fulltime to minimal tim_me, 3_em_mon_bth_es u_rp _sto_ea_ry_vea_er. _{s in.}	elopment, and They want to serve in a hands-on whmiacnhnero. ne a They cannot commit to a year.
National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC)	Residential program that puts individuals aged 18-26 on teams and sends them around the country for 10 months, doing tough, hands-on service for various organizations.	They want a challenge. They want to travel. They want to work hard.

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Benefits of serving in AmeriCorps

When someone serves in AmeriCorps, they…

Receive money for future school costs
Earn a living stipend
Full time members are eligible to be covered by a

health insurance plan

Gain access to Schools of National Service benefits
May receive deferment or forbearance status on

federal education loans while in service

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Benefits of serving in AmeriCorps

Segal Education Award

After successfully completing service with AmeriCorps, individuals are eligible to receive the Segal Education Award.
Can be used for future school costs at any Title IV

institution, or to make payments on qualified student loans

Equal to the current Pell Grant
Individuals have 7 years from the date of receiving the

award to use it

In Iowa, using the education award does not count as taxable income at the state level

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Benefits of serving in AmeriCorps

Living Stipend

Members receive a modest living allowance that

helps to cover the cost of living

The Living Stipend amount will vary by AmeriCorps program, position, and service site.
VISTA’s reflects the cost of living in the county in which a member serves
State National’s is determined by the host site
NCCC is a residential program that includes room and board throughout service, so the living stipend is less than the others

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Benefits of serving in AmeriCorps

Other education-related benefits

AmeriCorps alum are able to claim extra financial

benefits from Schools of National Service

Should an individual have student loans, they may be eligible to enter those loans into forbearance or deferment status while serving
Members can apply to have interest that accrues on their qualified loans while serving be repaid by AmeriCorps

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Benefits of serving in AmeriCorps

Health insurance and other benefits

Full time members qualify for health benefits
VISTA and NCCC members have access to health benefits through International Medical Group (IMG)
Primary or secondary options exist
State National members who serve in a fulltime capacity are eligible for health coverage according to their specific program
AmeriCorps members may be eligible for, or continue to be eligible for, certain public benefits while serving in AmeriCorps

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Benefits of serving in AmeriCorps

Members and alumni say their service…

Let them focus on important issues of today, and empowered them by including them in the solution
Gave them time to focus on learning about themselves
Helped them discern their career path
Unlocked an alternative pathway for a career
Built a resume that helped them stand out
Introduced them to people from different walks of life

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Benefits of serving in AmeriCorps

Connecting Volunteering and Service with Employment

Volunteers have 27 percent higher odds of finding a job after being out of work than non-volunteers.
College graduates with AmeriCorps experience on a resume had a positive and significant effect on the likelihood of getting an interview offer: 24 percent of college graduates who were national service alumni received an interview offer, compared to 17 percent of college graduates without a service record.

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Things to know about AmeriCorps

Accommodations

AmeriCorps programs have a history of adjusting service tasks and creating accommodations so that individuals with disabilities can serve
AmeriCorps is a training program where individuals who join are trained up on what they need in order to do the service activities
AmeriCorps is about passion and desire

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Self-Advocacy for Individuals with Disabilities in AmeriCorps

What to know about AmeriCorps & reasonable accommodations

When Applying: While in Service:

Review the position description to identify the essential functions. If it's not clear, ask.
Know your own abilities and what accommodations you might need.
You are entitled to reasonable accommodations during the application process (not just after you are selected for a position).

You can have help from family, a health professional, or another representative to request an accommodation.
You may need to provide documentation.
Examples of potential accommodations include:

Allowing modified work schedules, breaks, or

telework;

Providing assistive technology or modified equipment/devices;
Allowing leave time.

See: AmeriCorps Policies and Procedures

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Things to know about AmeriCorps

Examples of accommodations at Volunteer Iowa programs

Installed physical workplace

accommodations

Installed software on computers
Funds allocated for translators and

interpreters

Modified schedule for members
Funds used for program staff to undergo

trainings

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Living/Learning/Working and AmeriCorps

Living: individuals should have the skills to arrange their own living situation (AC State & National or AC VISTA) or to be able to live in a group setting with other members (AC NCCC).
Learning: individuals should identify positions of interest and that they have the necessary baseline knowledge to learn the essential functions.
Working: individuals should understand the expected service schedule (FT or PT). Most positions will require skills such as prioritizing tasks, meeting deadlines, and working independently.

Life in AmeriCorps

Living: in AC State & National and AC VISTA programs, members are responsible for their own living arrangements; in AC NCCC room & board are provided.
Learning: each program will identify skills members should already have but programs are required to provide training to carry out the specific responsibilities of the

position. Programs have additional requirements to provide members orientation and training to prepare for life after AmeriCorps.

Working: AmeriCorps members spend the majority of their time providing service activities to benefit their community. Through this service they develop both "hard" and "soft" skills for future employment.

What do IEP Teams need to know about AmeriCorps?

Preparing for the Transition

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Questions for finding your AmeriCorps fit

Questions to ask yourself

What are you passionate about?
What are you good at doing?
Is there a skill you would like to learn, or field you would like to gain experience in?

Questions to ask a program you are interested in

How does [program name] support its members?
Has [program name] implemented accessibility accommodations for members in

the past?

How will [program name] help [applicant name] build skills they can utilize after their term of service?

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Questions for finding your AmeriCorps fit

Other things to consider include:

Age of applicant
Location of the service site
The length of service

The number one thing you can do to determine if a program is a good fit is to contact the specific program and have a conversation about skills, the needs of the program, potential barriers to service, and potential accommodations.

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The following resources are available on the ISTLC Resource Page Kirsten and Amy will share with you all:

Side-by-side comparison of benefits for each program
How AmeriCorps benefits interact with public benefits
AmeriCorps Fit Finder
Volunteer Iowa’s AmeriCorps program directory
AmeriCorps’ nationwide position search tool
Information on the ed award, living stipend, and other

benefits mentioned in the webinar

LinkedIn, Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube

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