2016-2017
ANNUAL REPORT
Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism OUR MISSION IS TO PROMOTE SERVICE AND VOLUNTEERISM IN GEORGIA THROUGH AMERICORPS NATIONAL SERVICE GRANTS, COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER RECOGNITION, AND SUPPORT OF LOCAL VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATIONS AND EFFORTS.
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GCSV 60 Executive Park South, NE Atlanta, GA 30329 (404) 679-4940 The Georgia Department of Community Affairs is committed to providing all persons with equal access to its services, programs, activities, education, and employment regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, disability or age. For reasonable accommodation or any other issues, please contact us at fairhousing@dca.ga.gov.
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2016-2017 ANNUAL REPORT
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Other Initiatives: Georgia Student Service Award
WWW.DCA.GA.GOV 3
From the Commissioner As Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA), it gives me great pleasure to present to you the 2016-2017 Annual Report of the Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism (GCSV). DCA is home to a variety of programs that provide valuable resources to Georgia’s communities in areas of economic development, housing, infrastructure and human needs. The GCSV, through its portfolio of AmeriCorps programs, supports these efforts by providing infrastructure in the form of human capital or AmeriCorps Members. These dedicated individuals provide job readiness training, support educational achievement, promote sustainable environments and healthy futures in our communities, and assist our veterans and military families. Local governments, non-profit organizations and educational institutions are increasingly turning to AmeriCorps to help solve some of their most pressing and urgent needs. Organizations that have evidence-based and/or evidence-informed solutions to local issues are utilizing AmeriCorps Members to intervene in the lives of children at-risk of failing; to help improve the quality of life for veterans and military families to; and to increase environmental awareness and economic opportunity, and promote healthy futures. These are just a few examples of how AmeriCorps is working to make Georgia a great place to call home.
Christopher Nunn Georgia Department of Community Affairs
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From the GCSV Leadership
Claire Bartlett, Chair
Linda Thompson, Executive Director
“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth.” - Muhammad Ali
At the Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism (GCSV), our mission is to encourage service and volunteerism in Georgia through AmeriCorps National Service grants, community volunteer recognition, and support of local volunteer organizations. Since 1994, GCSV has helped build a sense of community throughout the state by promoting volunteerism and citizenship. Both volunteers and AmeriCorps Members are the very backbone supporting the infrastructure that is helping our state grow and earn the honor of being the best state in the nation to do business for five years running. Academic achievement, disaster response and relief, environmental stewardship, support for our veterans and military families, healthy futures, and economic opportunities are just a few areas where volunteers and AmeriCorps Members have played instrumental roles. The annual impact report shows the return on taxpayer dollars that AmeriCorps Members, volunteers and affiliated organizations have contributed to Georgia over the past year. In 2016-2017, the Corporation for National and Community Service awarded $3,772,221 to GCSV. This funding was sub-granted to qualifying organizations to implement AmeriCorps programs in their communities and neighborhoods by recruiting individuals to serve as AmeriCorps Members and “Get Things Done!” in Georgia! This funding leveraged an additional $2,661,826.57 from organizations across the state. AmeriCorps Members recruited 8,646 nonAmeriCorps volunteers who served a total of 45,948 hours. In 2016, the Independent Sector stated the value of volunteer hours for Georgia was $24.39/hour, or $1,120,671.72. Combined, the value of volunteer time plus inkind and cash leverage totaled $3,782,498.29. So every $1 invested by GCSV was matched with $1.03 from other entities, or dollar-for-dollar leverage. As you read this report, you will see how the impact of AmeriCorps reaches beyond dollars and cents and positively contributes to the longterm quality of life for all Georgians, helping to make our state a great place to live, work, and play.
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GCSV
GCSV Board
Officers and Committee Chairs
Members
Semba Brittain
Claire Bartlett Chair, GCSV
Laurie Chandler
Kathy Colbenson Christy Ellerbee Dr. Myra Tolbert
Sandi Gentry
Vice Chair, GCSV Chair, Program Committee
Cayanna Good Quinntez Gurndy Jen Guynn
Aimee Yrlas Simpson
Chair, Service & Development Committee
Cynthia Jenkins Evan Karanovich Rachel Mast William McCalley
No photo
Lisa Perry
Richard McIntyre
Chair, Legislative Education
Elaine Pritchard Mary Sawhill Matt Westmoreland Glen Wilkins
Amieko Watson
CNCS State Director, Ex-Officio
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Mary Katelyn Williams
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About Us The Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism is a part of the Department of Community Affairs and serves as a point organization for promoting and recognizing service, volunteers, and by supporting quality service projects as well as a pass-through agency for funds from the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency. The Georgia Legislature created the Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism (GCSV) in 1994 in response to the National and Community Service Act passed by Congress in 1993. Its board may have up to twenty-five Members appointed by the Governor. Currently there are four GCSV staff located within the Community Development Division of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. Staff’s responsibilities are to provide oversight & compliance, technical assistance, and support to its portfolio of programs.
Purpose The Georgia Commission receives funding from the Corporation for National and Community Service located in Washington, DC. These funds are sub-granted to qualifying local organizations. These organizations recruit AmeriCorps Members to provide direct services in Georgia’s communities and neighborhoods. Through AmeriCorps, organizations are provided the opportunity to address the most pressing local civic needs in their communities and neighborhoods in areas of Disaster Services, Economic Opportunity, Education, Environmental Stewardship, Healthy Futures and Veterans and Military Families.
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2017 AmeriCorps Member Swearing-In Ceremony On October 19, 2017, the Georgia Com-
mission for Service and Volunteerism celebrated over 200 new and returning AmeriCorps Members who took an oath to get things done in Georgia! The event was held at beautiful Clayton State University where Dr. Elaine Manglitz welcomed AmeriCorps Members, board Members and staff to their campus. Clayton State University is also the site of an AmeriCorps State program with a focus on tutoring.
The keynote address was provided by the distinguished Jay Bailey of Greenwood Archer. He encouraged AmeriCorps Members to follow their passion and thanked them for making a difference in the lives of others. Mr. Bailey is committed to living by his personal motto, “Build As We Climb”. He is a change agent, thought leader and an emerging philanthropist. Other speakers included Joseph Colbert, a Wildlife Manager at Jekyll Island Sea Turtle Center; Amber Scott, Executive Director of Leap Year; and Ralph MacDonald, a VISTA Member serving in Georgia. Dr. Myra Tolbert, Vice Chair of the GCSV led the swearing in of 2017-2018 AmeriCorps Members. A brief awards ceremony also took place during this very important event. Youth Villages received an award for their continuous generosity to help their neighbors. The Jekyll Island Sea Turtle Center had to evacuate their AmeriCorps Members as well as their sea turtles as a result of Hurricane Irma. Youth Villages were more than willing to house the evacuated Members and to provide oversight during this very difficult time. Extra Special People (ESP) and Youth Villages received awards for “Best Videos”. The event was amazing! On behalf of the Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism (GCSV), our appreciation goes out to the Corporation for National and Community Service, the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, all AmeriCorps Members and Alums, AmeriCorps VISTA and other National Service partners and friends, GCSV Board Members, and friends and supporters of AmeriCorps for making this event possible and for helping us to make Georgia a better place for all people to live, work, and play!
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Dr. Myra Tolbert with AmeriCorps Member Cristian (Cris) Escalera accepting the award on behalf of ESP.
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Mayor and County Commisioners Day
Municipal Officials Recognize Problem-Solving Contributions of National Service
Jen Guynn (GCSV Commissioner) and Amieko Watson (CNCS State Director) receiving the Dunwoody Proclamation from Mayor Denis Shortal.
Across the nation last March (3/17/2017), 4,520 officials signed on to support and recognize national service as a means to solving some of their toughest challenges. Of those, 106 were mayors and county officials in Georgia.
“Mayors and city leaders, county officials, and tribal leaders across the country are using national service more and more to solve their community’s toughest challenges. CNCS, America’s leader in volunteering and service efforts, engages over 325,000 AmeriCorps Members and Senior Corps volunteers in national service at more than 50,000 locations each year. Through partnerships with schools, faith-based groups, non-profits, and local agencies, national service Members are embedded within the communities in which they serve, using their ingenuity and training to make a tangible, lasting impact. Whether responding to natural disasters, tackling the opioid epidemic, educating students for the 21st century workforce, or supporting veterans and military families, AmeriCorps Members and Senior Corps volunteers help local leaders make their communities stronger.”1
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https://www.nationalservice.gov/special-initiatives/national-service-recognition-day/history/2017-participating-officials
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AmeriCorps Names 2017 Harkin Award Winners at National Conference
When the annual excellence
in AmeriCorps award winners were announced last fall by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal agency that administers AmeriCorps, a Georgia program basked in the spotlight. Created in 2014, the Tom Harkin Excellence in AmeriCorps Awards pays tribute to Senator Tom Harkin’s lifelong support for national service, while recognizing the outstanding and innovative AmeriCorps programs and Members that are tackling the nation’s most pressing challenges. During his time in the Senate, Sen. Harkin was a champion for AmeriCorps and other national service programs and helped to
strengthen national service programs for future generations. In 2017, five winners were honored for their community impact and commitment to service. Youth Villages AmeriCorps in Douglasville, Georgia, was recognized for “Most Significant Enhancement to an Existing Program”. The Youth Villages AmeriCorps program at the Inner Harbour campus provides tutoring, life skills coaching, and afterschool and summer programs to Inner Harbour youth, many from the foster care and juvenile justice systems. This year, the program implemented the ServSafe vocational 10
certification program, an accredited food and beverage safety training program administered by the National Restaurant Association that is recognized in all 50 states. The certification allows for employment in a broad range of positions in the food service and restaurant industries. This enhancement was particularly critical for youth who are transitioning out of the program, looking for employment. With this certification, the program is bridging employment opportunities to those served who can go on to pursue careers in the culinary arts.
On the following pages, please find highlights of accomplishments from the Georgia Commission’s portfolio of programs for the 2016-2017 program year.
Highlights from Georgia’s 2016-2017 AmeriCorps Programs In 2016-2017, the Georgia Commission for Service
Whether it is providing tutoring, promoting healthy futures, or assisting our veterans, these things serve to improve the quality of life for Georgia’s citizens. Just as in Maslow’s Theory of Hierarchy of Needs, it is difficult for children to learn if their basic needs aren’t being met. For example, a child with an empty stomach, or a child without shelter or one who does not feel safe in their home or community may find it difficult to focus on education until such time that their basic needs are met.
and Volunteerism funded fifteen AmeriCorps Formula Programs and five planning grants. Of the fifteen programs, nine addressed various areas of education including early childhood intervention, homeless youths, college access, STEM, developmental learning, mentoring, tutoring and public speaking. Some of these programs even provided nutritional meals for their students and taught them living skills and independence. Other programs addressed environmental stewardship and provided services in some of the States National Parks such as removing evasive species, promoting public trails and rescuing Georgia’s wildlife. One program provided resettlement services for refugees from other countries while another program provided services to Georgia’s Veterans and military families. This particular program helped to provide medical and dental care to people without income, people with low income, homeless individuals and families, and to our veterans. Regardless of economic or social status, they made sure their clients received medical and dental services.
You will read in this annual report about the leverage obtained as a result of federal dollars, but there are some things in life that just cannot be measured in dollars and cents. We can measure improvements and successes in terms of grades as a result of tutoring and homework assistance, but what cannot be measured is the increased self-worth resulting from raising one’s self-esteem and the feelings of accomplishments both from the tutor and the tutored. We can tell you how many low-income or no income citizens received medical attention, but we’ll never know how many lives were saved or how many illnesses were prevented. One can only imagine.
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Clayton State University AmeriCorps Program
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uring the 2016-2017 AmeriCorps program year, the Clayton State University AmeriCorps Program was awarded 30 AmeriCorps Members. This dedicated AmeriCorps group had a notable impact on students at the four Clayton County high schools in which they serve. In all, 1,680 high school students were assisted through classroom placement, and AmeriCorps Members facilitated 13 development sessions in which 566 students participated. The development session topics included: “College Readiness”; “How to Get an A in Math”; “College Preparation”; “How to Apply to College”; “STEM Night: Slim Station”; “SMART Goals”; “SAT/ACT and College Application Preparation”; “Financial Aid”; “True Colors Personality Styles”; “College Class Experience: Social Entrepreneurship”; “Diversity Awareness and Privilege Walk”; and “Interview and Resume Tips”. As a result of participating in the development sessions: • 78% of the students committed to behavioral
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changes; 87% of the students indicated that their knowledge on the session topic was increased; and, 78% of the students indicated that the development session helped to develop them as a student/person.
The Clayton State AmeriCorps Program also hosts “L.I.F.E. Changing with the Corps” Mentoring Program. During this program year, 29 AmeriCorps Members served as mentors to 32 high school students. At the end of the year, 80% of the mentees stated they had a better attitude toward school and their own personal development as a result of participating in the mentor program. The Clayton State University AmeriCorps Program recruited 458 volunteers during the 2016-2017 Program Year who engaged in 1,775 hours of service initiatives; 65 of these volunteers were high school students, and 92% of the high school volunteers said they had an improved awareness of relevant social issues and an understanding of community needs. 12
Communities in School’s (CIS) Reading Tutorial Program In 2016-2017, the Communities in Schools
Reading Tutorial Program was awarded 26 AmeriCorps Members. The CIS AmeriCorps reading tutorial program is designed to help students from kindergarten through 8th grade who are not reading at the appropriate grade level. These Members serve metro Atlanta and the surrounding rural counties, providing small group and individualized tutoring on a daily basis. Research demonstrates that one-on-one relationships with a caring adult, such as mentor or tutor, results in higher student school attendance and, for students with discipline problems, an improvement in school behavior.
During the 2016-2017 program year: • 76% of AmeriCorps tutorial students maintained average daily attendance of 95 to 100%; • 70% of AmeriCorps tutorial students with “chronic absenteeism” (absent 10 or more days prior to the program) improved their attendance; and • Of the 87 AmeriCorps tutorial students that had behavior problems resulting in suspension from school prior to working with their AmeriCorps tutor, 74% (64 students) decreased their number of suspensions, with 56% (49 students) being suspension-free while participating in the tutorial program.
Above, Erin Littles poses with an AmeriCorps Member displaying a “Thank You” letter from one of his students.
GCSV
At the end of the year students and teachers were surveyed. Among the students: • 93.3% reported some improvement in grades; and • 90.1% reported being more focused on school work.
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Covenant House of Georgia In 2016-2017 Covenant House of Georgia
contributed to the personal growth and education of residential youth by bringing their own young adult experiences to the workshops. They conducted workshops on citizenship, financial literacy and budgeting, time management, professional communication, goal-setting, communication strategies, engaging with law enforcement, and personal responsibilities. They also assisted 19 unique youth with Adult Basic Education and seven with TABE (GED) readiness testing.
was awarded 10 AmeriCorps Members who leveraged volunteers to serve homeless youth in a mentoring capacity in Atlanta at the Covenant House. AmeriCorps Members provide mentoring relationships for youth to move them toward their educational, vocational or employment goals. AmeriCorps Members provided services to advance economic opportunities for youth enrolled in their program. These Members were instrumental in placing 95 individuals in full- or part-time jobs. Additionally, AmeriCorps Members and volunteers
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Georgia Department of Natural Resources - State Parks & Historic Sites In 2016-2017, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources-Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites was awarded
15 AmeriCorps Members. Members, in conjunction with the Georgia DNR program, provided interpretive, educational, and recreational programming and enhanced and maintained the state’s natural resources through the removal of invasive species. AmeriCorps Members focused solely on creating and implementing new programs that pull people outdoors and into parks. Some of the different types of programs Members conducted at the sites included: Star gazing, kayaking, guided hikes, dusk hikes, yoga, and archery. Whether recreational or historical/ educational, all programming is aimed at getting people out to the parks to enjoy the outdoors. Data collection was one aspect of the program that would not have been possible without AmeriCorps Members. This is data gathered by AmeriCorps Members that provide insight into the visitor experience and what they are gaining from the programs provided. From the Resource Management side, Members kept weekly logs of their activities in the state parks, and compiled data into in-depth quarterly reports that showed: their resource management projects, sites visited, treatment methods used, quantitative data (miles/ acreage treated, effectiveness of treatment, weather patterns etc.)
The Makers Festival was an example of an AmeriCorps created festival at Red Top Mountain State Park. It was created by a GSPHS (Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites) Member during the first program year and has become an annual event. Artists, artisans and other makers bring their talents and objects to the festival to share with visitors. Makers demonstrate their skills and frequently invite park guests to participate in making items themselves. Last year, Members taught participants how to make their own telescopes and how to build and use a lathe for woodworking. The goal of the festival is to showcase the makers’ talents and to encourage participants to begin creating on their own. AmeriCorps resource management Members made a huge impact. The Georgia State Parks system had 3 full-time resource managers covering the entire state parks system. This lack of human capital left many projects undone. Because of the invasive species removal undertaken by Members, and the review of previously treated areas, it was determined what treatment methods were good, bad, and those that worked best. The removal of invasive species, specifically the removal method treatment may include removal using hack and squirt, basal bark spraying and manual extraction methods. Many invasive species can be removed with prescribed fire, so Members were provided with extensive training in the safety practices and applications of this technique. As a part of this training, Members earned nationally recognized prescribed burn certifications. Once trained, they participated in prescribed burns in various parks. Members may vary which mitigation technique they use, which chemical combination they use, and the process of applying the chemical treatment based on the type of vegetation, the weather conditions and the type of environment where the invasive species are located. Careful observation over time helped to understand which process worked best. 15
Georgia State University Research Foundation’s Technology, Engineering, Environment, Math & Science (T.E.E.M.S.) T.E.E.M.S. AmeriCorps is a STEM focused program housed in Georgia State University’s Alonzo
A. Crim Center for Urban Educational Excellence. They were awarded 26 AmeriCorps Members. Their mission is to optimize the life opportunities of children and families in urban communities by ensuring the availability of a prosperous and equitable school environment. They believe that through their work they can create a world where all children have equal access to educational opportunities that prepare them to be academically excellent, culturally competent, and critically conscious. Through their partnerships with the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Atlanta, Create Your Dreams, The Algebra Project, Young People’s Project and Communities in Schools, their AmeriCorps Members contributed over 23,000 service hours per year, serving over 2,000 students at 15 Metro-Atlanta schools and community learning sites. T.E.E.M.S. AmeriCorps Members serve as change agents who affect school culture by providing effective instructional support in science, math and STEM education, thereby increasing long-term student efficacy and STEM academic achievement. In addition to these efforts, they provide meaningful service to communities in the metro-Atlanta area, through events such as, but not limited to: MLK Day of Service, AmeriCorps Week, Atlanta Science Festival, Global Youth Service Day, etc.
“I am beyond proud to serve alongside such a passionate group of young leaders”, stated Vanessa Perez, Program Director. T.E.E.M.S. AmeriCorps Members are responsible for providing supplemental instruction and support in areas of math and science during the school day, as well as dynamic after-school programming designed to provide homework assistance in math and science while creating fun strategies to learning. In addition to meeting this need in local schools and community learning centers, Members also serve as mentors, provide student’s families with resources and support and coordinate events and efforts that focus on educating and developing students in all aspects. For example, recently, Members planned, coordinated and facilitated this year’s DREAMS Summer Institute with a focus on strengthening STEM fundamentals, college preparation, creative thinking and writing, as well as exploring and forming a cultural and social identity. The institute was housed at Georgia State University and successfully served youth across 6 Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta (BGCMA) clubs sites (Douglas County, East DeKalb, Grant, Paulding, Samuel L. Jones & Warren). 16
Hands on Atlanta Hands on Atlanta was awarded 30 AmeriCorps Members. The program’s school-based AmeriCorps Members
serve full-time to support students, teachers, administrators, parents and school communities in 35 partner schools in the metro Atlanta area. AmeriCorps Members serve as classroom assistants, reading/math tutors, volunteer recruiters and coordinators, community and parental outreach trainers, and after school enrichment providers. Because of the demonstrated success in the tutoring program, requests have been increasing for AmeriCorps Members at current schools and they are being asked to expand their tutoring model to additional schools. Through the AmeriCorps program, underserved students in 10 Atlanta Public High Schools received individualized and focused support for their social and emotional well-being and proficiency. Consequently, students who typically “eke under the radar� and often disappear from attending school without notice, received help developing school engagement strategies, conflict resolution strategies, and noncognitive skills that are causal in nature with academic success (time management, planning, seeking out appropriate supports). Due to the success of this effort, 66% of these students demonstrated improvement in at least one school engagement area on a final school engagement assessment administered via Scholar Centric, and 40% of SEL students demonstrated growth in two or more school engagement areas. In addition, five AmeriCorps Members were offered employment by the educators or nonprofit managers at their service sites as a direct result of their AmeriCorps experience.
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Jekyll Island State Park Authority Georgia Sea Turtle Center (GSTC) AmeriCorps Program The Georgia Sea Turtle Center was awarded
31 AmeriCorps Members. Members served in every aspect of the Center’s mission. Members are dedicated to educating the center’s guests and school outreach program participants in environmental stewardship, participating in sea turtle rehabilitation and diamondback terrapin monitoring, conducting night time sea turtle saturation tagging and nest management, and coordinating volunteers. Additionally, all Members are trained and available to the Glynn County Emergency Management Agency for community disaster response. AmeriCorps Members educated school children and public guests of all demographics throughout the entire year. The GSTC treated 403 turtles, including sea turtles, land turtles, and aquatic turtles. They also conducted health assessments on gopher tortoise in collaboration with a Master’s student at the University of Georgia. Further, the GSTC triaged 89 birds. Without AmeriCorps Members, they would not have had the capacity to treat this volume of turtles nor expand triaging to other critical species.
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New American Pathway’s AmeriCorps Project RISE (Refugee/Immigrant Success through Education) New American Pathway’s AmeriCorps Project RISE was awarded 24 AmeriCorps Members in 2016-2017.
Project RISE AmeriCorps Members served the needs of refugee children, youth, and adults from Sudan, Burma, Cuba, Bhutan, Iraq, Burundi, Afghanistan, Syria, and Somalia through afterschool programs, adult client services, workshops, and trainings. New American Pathway’s AmeriCorps Members are crucial to the resettlement of refugees in the Atlanta area. Without the Members, they would have far less capacity to integrate newly arrived citizens into the United States. These individuals come from all over the world, experiencing hardship, trauma, and turmoil, in order to start a new life here in the United States. Many times, AmeriCorps Members are the very first friendly faces they see when they get off their plane from the refugee camp. Members are involved in every intricate part of their journey, from assisting in enrolling their children in school, to assisting with finding English classes, all the way to assisting them with immigration and naturalization support. 93% of clients are self-sufficient in the first 180 days of their arrival, and that would not be possible without the support of AmeriCorps Members. Members assist them with navigating their new home, and with engaging the community in the work of resettling refugees.
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Teach for America (TFA) Metro Atlanta T
each for America – Metro Atlanta was awarded 125 AmeriCorps Members. TFA provides a critical source of well-trained teachers who help break the cycle of education inequity. Corps Members teach for two years, going above and beyond traditional expectations to help students achieve at high levels. Armed with experience, conviction, and insight that come from leading children to fulfill their potential, TFA alumni work from all sectors to shape schools, policies, and investments in low-income communities. Teach for America is a vital part of a movement working to change the region’s educational landscape and expectations for student achievement, and has maintained quality results and strong partnerships as they’ve grown, as evidenced by regular recognition from their partner schools, districts, and fellow educational leaders. Results from the most recent Teach for America National Principal Survey demonstrated that 97% of Metro Atlanta principals indicated they would recommend a Teach for America Corps Member to another school leader, and 91% would hire another Teach for America Corps Member to fill a teacher vacancy at their school (Rudnick et al., 2015). Corps Members and alumni educators are making powerful contributions to their school communities, and regularly appear among district and school award recipients. Most recently, TFA celebrated teacher of the year winners at the school and district level, just to name a few: Atlanta Public Schools 2016-17 Middle School Teacher of the Year & 2016-17 District Teacher of the Year and Fulton County Schools 2016 Principal of the Year, three Fulton County Schools 2016 Elementary Teachers of the Year, and one Fulton County Schools 2016 High School Teacher of the Year. They are a pipeline for strong teachers needed in Atlanta schools, as third-party studies consistently show TFA teachers yield greater results with their students than teachers who are not connected with Teach for America, demonstrating that their
recruitment and coaching models are sound: • Researchers from the National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER) at the American Institutes for Research (AIR) found that Corps Members and alumni educators in Atlanta are making a positive difference in student learning and academic achievement, most notably in four subject areas: social studies, science, American literature, and math. • The Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts found that partnering school districts benefit from hiring Teach for America Corps Members; Teach for America teachers are likely to positively impact student achievement. • A study from Mathematica Policy Research also confirmed that Teach for America teachers are just as effective as other teachers and that students of Teach for America teachers learned 2.6 months more mathematics in a year than students in the same schools taught by teachers from traditional preparation programs or less selective alternative route programs. 20
The University of Georgia’s 4-H AmeriCorps Project Georgia 4-H AmeriCorps was awarded 60 AmeriCorps Members. They
engage AmeriCorps Members in direct service and capacity-building to address critical community needs. Through sixteen counties across the state, members serve to further the 4-H mission and build capacity in their communities by addressing critical issues like (1) childhood obesity, (2) military family support, (3) providing youth development through inschool 4-H club meetings, and (4) supporting youth in their endeavor to build confidence and develop their public speaking skills. AmeriCorps Members are a vital part of expanding the reach of Georgia 4-H. In smaller, rural counties, the 4-H Agent is the only individual committed full-time to delivering 4-H programming. AmeriCorps Members help reach more youth and expand programming. For example, in Fulton County, AmeriCorps Member Blake Kennedy coordinated with community partners to offer Relationship Smarts programming during the summer. This was an expansion of service beyond 4-H in school educational club meetings. Another AmeriCorps Member in Fulton County, Gage Williams, provided pollinator and beekeeping lessons to schools. Fannin County AmeriCorps Member, McKenzie Owenby, provided a sewing machine camp where 4-H’ers made backpacks. It was so successful they planned an additional camp for the summer. Samantha Price, an AmeriCorps Member in Peach County, conducted a Computer Day Camp for 4-H’ers to learn how to use Microsoft PowerPoint and Word. In Barrow County, AmeriCorps State Member McKayla Snow developed a partnership with the Barrow County Boys & Girls Club to bring 4-H programming to the youth they serve. During this reporting period, McKayla initiated an Agriculture Series and led the youth through a process similar to the 4-H Project Achievement process. They worked in groups to pick an agriculture-related topic, researched it, then delivered a presentation to demonstrate what they learned. McKayla successfully expanded the reach of the Barrow County 4-H program by developing a partnership to reach youth in a non-traditional setting – outside the elementary school classroom and away from the 4-H Extension office. In Douglas County, second year AmeriCorps Member Barbara Cunningham increased the scope of the science programming delivered to youth during in-school club meetings. As a retired teacher, Barbara pulled from her extensive knowledge of teaching techniques to bring hands-on experiential learning to the classroom. Activities she coordinated included the design and construction of a kaleidoscope, a marble run, and a 3-D model of an arm complete with tendons and ligaments. Her students were able to see firsthand how all parts of the arm work together. She also brought this programming into 4-H home school clubs in Douglas County. In Fannin County, the site supervisor said: “With the AmeriCorps Member, we were able to get back in the county’s three elementary schools to deliver club meetings. Our AmeriCorps Member added three new afterschool club meetings: Poultry Club, Livestock Club, and Garden Club.” Prior to McKenzie Owenby’s first term of service, Fannin County was no longer conducting in-school club meetings. Their Board of Education has been a great partner in implementing AmeriCorps in their county to bring 4-H back into the elementary schools. 21
United Way’s Project Health Access
In 2016-2017, United Way’s Project Health Access
was awarded 20 AmeriCorps Members to help build the capacity of community clinics to increase the health outcomes of the uninsured and underinsured in the metro area and in targeted communities. Corps Members also helped to ensure access to SSDI/ Medicaid for disabled and/or homeless individuals.
care coordination services such as following-up with patients to ensure they made appointments or received the necessary referrals post-visit to support their health plan. These services could not be provided by medical professionals or clinic staff. They do not have the capacity to serve individual patients and provide them with the oftentimes lifesaving information and resources needed to maintain or improve their health conditions. Corps Members also provided benefits enrollment so that many individuals received the medications and additional social services they needed to meet their health needs. Partner sites continue to emphasize the impact Corps Members are making. A few sites considered creating staff positions after hosting AmeriCorps Members. Many of these sites are unsure on how they can obtain the funding, but after hosting an AmeriCorps Member have recognized the necessity of their service.
GCSV Project Health Access Members provide services in the healthcare setting that are critical to patients’ overall well-being. Through health education workshops and information sharing, Corps Members are able to provide information that may not necessarily be medical but impacts the overall health of their clients. Corps Members facilitated health education workshops on everything from stress reduction, STI awareness, to nutrition and chronic disease management. Corps Members provided
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WINGS for kids AmeriCorps Georgia WINGS
for kids was awarded 58 AmeriCorps Members in 2016-2017. The vision of WINGS is that all kids will develop social and emotional skills so they can be successful in life. Their mission is to teach these skills – how to behave well, make good decisions and build healthy relationships - to elementary school age kids. AmeriCorps Members help do this by weaving a comprehensive social and emotional learning curriculum into a fresh and fun afterschool program. Kids get the life lessons they need to succeed and be happy and they get a safe place to call home after school. WINGS works with economically disadvantaged children who often experience traumatic events in their families and communities. Research shows that children living in poverty experience higher levels of childhood trauma than those living in more affluent communities. This raises stress levels, disrupts learning and can lead to behavioral issues, all of which can have long-term negative consequences. Experience shows that these are the kids who often benefit most from the social-emotional skills WINGS teaches. AmeriCorps Members help maintain a low student-to-staff ratio of 12:1, which allows WINGS to engage with the kids at an individual level, break down barriers, and build trust. They are an integral part of the organization as they interact daily with the kids for a full academic year. This allows time to form bonds and observe the positive changes in behavior that result from the skills students learn in the WINGS program. The relationships that Members develop with the kids over the course of a year helps to increase the effectiveness of the program. WINGS directly serves almost 700 children each day after school. It would be prohibitively expensive to hire enough staff to maintain the 12:1 ratio, in that they would be forced to either reduce the number of children served or expand the groups to a size that would make it difficult to form personal relationships with the kids. Although WINGS has a volunteer program, they have a limited number of participants, most of whom would be unable to commit to the same schedule as AmeriCorps Members.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• WINGS recently completed a four-year randomized control trial study by the University of Virginia and Yale University. Initial results have been positive. • After undergoing an extensive self-assessment using the Georgia Afterschool and Youth Development Quality Standards, WINGS has taken steps to improve linkages with the school day. • WINGS is establishing a leadership development program for directors and assistants, which includes creating individualized development plans in collaboration with staff to improve competencies and SEL field expertise. WINGS continues to provide performance feedback to all staff. • WINGS continues to collect and use feedback from teachers, parents, children, community partners, and district representatives to improve programming. 23
Youth Villages Inner Harbour Campus AmeriCorps Program Youth Villages AmeriCorps was awarded 26
AmeriCorps Members in 2016-2017. They are partnered with the Youth Villages-Inner Harbour Campus, a not-for-profit residential treatment facility serving youth with emotional and behavioral challenges, with the majority in the foster care or juvenile justice system, in addition to children of military families. Corps Members are responsible for increasing academic performance and engagement, improving civic engagement, and facilitating the acquisition of life skills to support school, work and future success in a vulnerable population of students. AmeriCorps Members make a real difference in the lives of children served on the Youth Villages Inner Harbour Campus. Without AmeriCorps students with emotional and behavioral issues, of which many are in the foster care and juvenile justice system, would not receive critical interventions in the areas of tutoring (core subjects), life skills instruction, service learning activities, and afterschool and summer programming, in addition to student leadership opportunities and campus events. The national service presence on the Inner Harbour Campus greatly contributes to each
child’s success in school, work and life. This year, the program also added a vocational program, in which older students can earn a ServSafe certification to acquire employment in the food service and hospitality industry, in alignment with the life skills performance measure. Though the program was able to implement this only in late spring, 19 students earned this certification prior to the end of the school year. Corps Members also support schools, nonprofits and organizations in the local Douglasville and metropolitan Atlanta community through meaningful service through weekly projects, communitystrengthening activities, and disaster response (when needed). Additionally, the program established new or maintained existing partnerships regarding funding or donations to support program activities with partners including Kids Gardening/Chartwells, Herman’s Garden Seeds/Seed Savers Exchange, Seed Money, Youth Service America, the Sodexo Foundation, State Farm, the Cathedral of Christ the King, and the Douglas Chamber of Commerce.
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The Power of Volunteerism and Leverage D
uring 2016-2017, Georgia AmeriCorps Members served a total of 305,486 hours. These AmeriCorps Members served 128,801 clients and recruited 8,646 non-AmeriCorps volunteers who served a total of 45,948 hours. Based on the “Value of Volunteer Time” by the “Independent Sector” (http://independentsector.org/ volunteer_time) the value of volunteer hours in the State of Georgia for 2016 was $24.39 per hour. This equates to $1,120,671.72. In 2016-2017, the Corporation for National and Community Service invested $3,772,221 in the State of Georgia. These dollars were sub-granted to qualifying agencies by the Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism, located within the Department of Community Affairs. As a result of this federal investment, those organizations leveraged an additional $2,661,826.57. Combined, the value of volunteer time plus in-kind and cash leverage totaled $3,782,498.29. This means that for every $1.00 invested by the Corporation, the state of Georgia matched it with $1.03, slightly greater than dollarfor-dollar leverage.
GCSV Thank you Georgia!
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Other Initiatives
Georgia Student Service Award In an effort to engage high school youth in service and high-quality service-learning, the Georgia Commission
for Service and Volunteerism (GCSV) instituted the Georgia Student Service Award during the 2011-2012 school year as a pilot project to recognize teenagers who make significant contributions to their communities through volunteer service. The GCSV continues to promote this program to recognize students engaged in volunteerism. More than 65 schools have participated in the program since its inception. The Georgia Commission awards certificates and service honor cords at graduation ceremonies to Georgia students who meet a predetermined threshold of service hours in their communities. To qualify for the Georgia Student Service Award, an average of 75 service hours per year or 300 hours by graduation is required. Graduating seniors who reach the milestone will receive a certificate and a red, white and blue service cord to be worn at graduation ceremonies. During the Spring of 2016, 207 Georgia students received awards and together, these students served a total 57,746 service hours. A Member of the school staff must act as sponsor/administrator and register their school by going to dca.ga.gov and searching for “Service Awards�. The sponsor/administrator must certify and submit student information and service hours. This record of service may only include direct contact hours (hours on task). Service can be performed through school sponsored activities and/or through outside organizations such as churches and other clubs. Both public and private schools are eligible to participate in the Georgia Student Service Award program. Home schooled students may also participate if hours can be certified by an adult. GCSV is located within the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) whose mission is the promotion and support of service and volunteerism by Georgians in communities across the state.
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GCSV Contact Us
Georgia Department of Community Affairs Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism 60 Executive Park South, NE Atlanta, Georgia 30329 email: AmeriCorpsGA@dca.ga.gov http://www.americorpsga.org/ Linda Thompson Executive Director (404) 679-1584
Kimberly DuPree Program Officer/Financial Grants Administrator (404) 679-4922 Zaneta Ivery Program Officer (404) 679-0562 Tamara Anthony Program Officer (404) 679-1738 27
Housed within the Georgia Commission for Service & Volunteerism Georgia Department of Community Affairs 60 Executive Park South, NE Atlanta, GA 30329 (404) 679-4940 www.dca.ga.gov