VYT VOICES
Vermont Youth Tomorrow AmeriCorps VISTA Program Winter 2020 Edition
Contents
3. VYT Team Introduction 15. Lyllie Harvey 4. Anna Tosi 16. Matthew Hudson 5. Mona Abdelghani 17. Sarah Hurley 6. Olivia Miller 18. Sneha Singhania 7. Benjamin Brownell 19. New Member Welcome 8. Brittany Worsham 20. Farewell VISTAs 9. Chet Cienkowski 21. VISTA After Hours 10. Dwight Lomax 22. End of Year Stats 11. Ellie Dickerson 23/24. Host Sites 12. Kaley Piersanti 25. Contact Information 13. Logan Racz 14. Lucy Bolognese
We are happy to share the VYT Voices Winter edition. VYT VISTA members serve at community based organizations across the state of Vermont supporting low-income youth and families. VYT members help youth acquire job skills and achieve academic proficiency, gain access to affordable housing and healthy food, connect to comprehensive health services, and cultivate the social assets that they need to transcend poverty , avoid unhealthy behaviors such as opioid and other substance misuse, and ultimately thrive. When our members began service we asked them why they chose to serve. This issue reflects all of the extraordinary reasons they chose to serve, as well as what they are already accomplishing in communities across Vermont. We hope you enjoy!
3.
Anna
Anna Tosi VYT VISTA Leader Montpelier, VT Greetings! My name is Anna Tosi, and I am serving as the Vermont Youth Tomorrow VISTA Leader in Montpelier, VT. I am a native Vermonter and entering my second year of service with VYT. A huge highlight from my previous service year was spending time with other VYT members and building lifelong connections. This was a big reason why I decided I wanted to support members and serve as the VYT Team Leader. I have really enjoyed getting to know all the VYT members - each of them brings so much passion, positive energy and kindness to our program. I am excited to learn together as a team this year and help other members achieve their goals during our year of service. Thank you for reading this issue of VYT Voices, I hope you enjoy it! 4.
Mona
Mona Abdelghani The DREAM Program White River Junction, VT Hello, my name is Mona Abdelghani, and I am in my second year of service as the Community Organizer VYT VISTA for The DREAM Program in White River Junction, Vermont. I grew up all over and moved to Vermont when I was twelve years old and have been calling it home ever since. I am a psychology major, with the future career goal of working with high school aged youth. I decided to continue my service for another year for several reasons, mainly because of the communities I serve. Getting to know and support my community has been one of the most rewarding professional experiences I’ve had and having the youth, families, and community partners I support ask me to stay for a second year was a huge part of my decision. I also wanted to ensure capacity building changes I’ve made during my service will be sustainable, and I hope those changes help foster a more connected community. Vermont has this special way of bringing people together, and the kindness and support Vermonters are willing to give others has been remarkableto be a part of!
5.
Olivia
Olivia Miller Winooski Community Services Department Winooski, VT
Hello friends! I am a second year VYT AmeriCorps VISTA member serving as the Community Engagement and Volunteer Coordinator VISTA for the City of Winooski. New Hampshire will always be home, however I am grateful to Vermont for taking me in, showing me the ropes, and giving me room to learn. AmeriCorps has offered me so many opportunities to grow personally and professionally. I am looking forward to the next several months of service in Vermont and have plans to build capacity for Winooski's volunteer program and expand our outreach in the community. Just one year of serving in Winooski was not enough for me! I feel so supported by my service site and the community that I wanted to stay for another round to continue to serve in this small and great city! I love serving alongside community volunteers. I'm excited to develop more opportunities that excite our volunteers to serve and strengthen the Winooski community.
6.
Ben
Benjamin Brownell Howard Center- Project Hire Burlington, VT I serve at the Howard Center’s Developmental Services Department where I support the Project Hire Program in its capacity building efforts to help clients find meaningful employment. Last year, I served with the State and National Branch of AmeriCorps in Oregon as an Education Coordinator at the Bend Boys & Girls Club. After moving back to the East Coast, I was eager to continue on with the mission of AmeriCorps in a new capacity. It has been a great several months here in Vermont. I’ve hiked up mountains until the ice forced me to slide back down, listened to a group of folks layered in winter coats jam on banjos and fiddles, and guzzled down all the different styles of caffeinated beverages the town of Burlington has to offer. I am now full of energy, I assure you. I’ve got to be. There’s a lot more to do here with my time as an AmeriCorps VISTA member. I’ve recently begun developing a health and wellness class in partnership with Project SEARCH, a Howard Center program located on the UVM Medical campus. The individuals involved with the program have been welcoming and have an inspiring amount of potential. I’ve enjoyed opening up the conversations as we’ve all gotten to know each other. My experience with VYT has been fantastic as well. We had a community-wide Dr. King event (community meal and social justice discussion) at the Unitarian Church of Montpelier in January. My fellow service members have been helpful, and I’m proud to be part of this collection of good-hearted people.
7.
Brittany
Brittany Worsham WonderArts/Spark Greensboro, VT Hello, my name is Brittany Worsham, and I serve at WonderArts in Greensboro, Vermont. I’m extremely proud of the staff and volunteers at Spark and WonderArts and I truly believe in its mission to cultivate vibrancy and alleviate poverty in the community through arts, recreation, technology, and sustainability. I decided to serve as an AmeriCorps VISTA because I wanted to experience living in a new community while supporting a worthy cause, and serving in Vermont gave me the chance to live in a community different from the one in which I grew up. AmeriCorps VISTA has given me a fresh perspective on the importance of community and entrepreneurs. Even though moving from an urban to rural environment was challenging, the journey has proven to be its own reward. 8.
Chet
Chet Cienkowski Montpelier Community Services Department Montpelier, VT
9.
After spending over a decade in the private sector, I started looking for a position that would be more fulfilling and allow me to help people. I remember being excited as I read about open VISTA positions, and I was inspired at the thought of bringing awareness to systemic issues, like poverty, within the United States. Vermont’s kind of communal inclusion and openmindedness really appealed to me because I think small steps taken to include others can make a big difference. During my service as an AmeriCorps VISTA I hope to make a big difference in people’s lives as well. I would also like to get better at snowboarding and I heard some rumors it snows in Vermont occasionally. I am still relatively new as a VISTA, and I have no regrets. I look forward to the rest of my service term…well, I guess I regret not buying more wool socks but that’s it!
Dwight
Dwight Lomax Camp Thorpe Goshen & Burlington, VT
10.
I recently moved to Vermont from Florida to serve as a VYT AmeriCorps VISTA at Camp Thorpe. I majored in Criminology at Florida State University; and although it was great to learn about criminology, it’s an interest that is no longer at the top of my list. Now, what I wake up wanting to do every day is engage with people and make a difference. I love the satisfaction of helping propel issues or people toward their full potential. Often, people are only utilizing a part of their abilities. We don’t realize how special and powerful each and every one of us is. I try to shine a positive light on everyone who crosses my path to help them see how valuable they are. This is why AmeriCorps is a great fit for me. I thought a year in a new environment would help me grow in all aspects of life. Serving as a VISTA also gives me the chance to explore different career interests that I may want to pursue in the future. What excites me most about my service is the opportunity to tackle different capacity building tasks and figure out how to optimize our systems at Camp Thorpe. The view of the mountains is another exciting perk to living and serving in Vermont.
Ellie
Ellie Dickerson Middlebury College Center for Community Engagement Middlebury, VT
I grew up in Nebraska and moved to Vermont for school, graduating last spring from Middlebury College with a BA in International & Global Studies with a focus on Latin America. I currently serve in the Middlebury College Center for Community Engagement. The Center for Community Engagement (CCE) played an important role in my years at Middlebury College. I interned with a local food and warming shelter for one summer and spent time each week with my community friend, an elementary school student. I believe we all have a responsibility to get to know the community where we live and engage with others in meaningful ways. The CCE makes that happen for Middlebury college students and the entire Middlebury community, and I’m excited to support the CCE in its community engagement endeavors and to be a part of the thoughtful, caring, and robust CCE team! As I’ve had the chance to explore Vermont, I love the mountains and how accessible outdoor adventures are. I also love how much Vermonters care about their neighbors and seek to better understand people and ideas that are different from their own. 11.
Kaley
Kaley Piersanti People's Health and Wellness Clinic Barre, VT Hello, my name is Kaley Piersanti, and I'm an AmeriCorps VISTA member serving as the Outreach & Development Coordinator VISTA at the People's Health & Wellness Clinic (PHWC). I graduated from Rowan University with a BA in Public Relations & Advertising, and an accidental concentration in Creative Writing. In my role at PHWC, I attend community coalition meetings and have been able to partner with community members working toward alleviating poverty and providing timely, valuable resources to Vermonters. I grew up in a military family, so I always knew I wanted to serve my country. After working and volunteering in varying capacities within healthcare and communications, I was looking to make right on my service goal. So, I started my search with AmeriCorps and found a great fit through VYT, PHWC, and Vermont. Every season here has its grandeur, and as they arrive, I naively assume it can’t outdo the last. I’ve lived in several states but Vermont seems to value community resources and services, while being future-oriented and beautiful, too. 12.
Logan
Logan Racz The Howard Center Burlington, VT I serve at the Howard Center, a healthcare agency that provides services to Chittenden county residents in the following areas: mental health, drug and alcohol relief, and developmental disabilities. I am based in the agency’s office of development and communications, and my primary responsibilities are creating content for our social media accounts, enhancing the client funds committee, and assisting in grant research and donor stewardship. I joined AmeriCorps after learning the true value of service from volunteering on the Cheyenne River Reservation with the Lakota tribe. Working with the nonprofit organization, Simply Smiles, I built houses and worked as a camp counselor for four summers. During that time, I built relationships and learned the history behind the creation of Native American reservation—this significantly changed my understanding of poverty. My initial understanding of poverty was pretty minimal, I knew that factors like lack of employment and rampant use of alcohol and drugs were signs of poverty, however I did not acknowledge the deep roots that make poverty a systemic problem. After volunteering, I feel as though I am able to identify factors that indicate a systemic issue, such as a lack of youth attending secondary education or a presence of extreme isolation that prevents access to employment. This knowledge of what keeps people living below the “poverty line” is the reason I chose AmeriCorps VISTA service. 13.
Lucy
Lucy Bolognese The Collaborative Londonderry, VT Hey there! My name is Lucy Bolognese, and I am the AmeriCorps VISTA at The Collaborative, an organization in southern Vermont which focuses on substance use prevention. I am an alum of The Collaborative’s afterschool care program in Londonderry, Vermont. The after school program I attended in kindergarten and first grade shaped who I am today and gave me the opportunity to grow and become a healthy, happy person. I joined the VYT VISTA program to serve at The Collaborative and give back to the community I grew up in and in the state that has always felt like home. I graduated from Mount Holyoke College in May 2018 with a degree in psychology and a passion for working with and helping children and youth. I love living in Vermont because of the crisp, clear air and the Green Mountains all around. I’m super excited for the second half of my AmeriCorps VISTA service year and hope that it is as productive and fruitful as the first!
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Lyllie
Lyllie Harvey Camp Thorpe Goshen & Burlington, VT I serve as a VYT AmeriCorps VISTA at Camp Thorpe, a site that serves people with disabilities who are at least 10 years of age. Camp Thorpe is a summer camp to which people can return, year after year, to engage in activities and embrace fun. I serve at my site because I believe that everybody deserves the chance to have a meaningful summer camp experience. I also love being in Vermont. I enjoy the cycle of the seasons, and how exciting spring can feel after a cold winter. Being outside in such a variety of weather allows for so many different experiences and opportunities to exist with myself and the world around me. My service site is near and dear to my heart as I grew up with an uncle who has significant delays due to his autism. I feel incredibly lucky to have spent my entire life getting to know him, and have found so much reward from learning new ways to communicate and receive love. I have seen a systematic “othering� of people with diverse needs and a lack of willingness to overcome a communication barrier since we often rely on language and communication to relate to one another. I love that Camp Thorpe strives to reach across these barriers, and create an environment where fun and joy can be had, regardless of ability.
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Matt
Matt Hudson The DREAM Program South Burlington, VT I am a graduate of the University of Delaware, where I majored in English and minored in Philosophy and Political Science. I have always found joy in community service. I was a Boy Scout growing up which fostered a real soft spot for camping and environmental stewardship and preservation. My VYT service feels like a fulfilling and important step in what I consider to be an ongoing commitment to community and public service. It’s been exciting to see the activities that the mentors and youth are engaging in and, as the Communications Coordinator VISTA, I really enjoy telling the stories of the mentoring pairs’ adventures. I moved up from Baltimore and I love it here! I enjoy Vermont’s close proximity to Canada and all of the beautiful hiking opportunities the Green Mountain State has to offer. So far I’ve been enjoying service and I look forward to what the rest of my service holds. DREAM on!
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Sarah
Sarah Hurley The DREAM Program South Burlington, VT I am a recent graduate of PACE University where I received my degree in Acting. As a huge nerd who loves new things and new adventures, AmeriCorps seemed like an amazing way to gain professional experience after college. I knew I wanted to do a year of service and was originally leaning towards City Year when a close friend suggested I look into The DREAM program, which is part of VYT. As someone who aspires to become a pediatric speech-language pathologist, VISTA service has given me an opportunity to research the "summer development slide" and the "achievement gap" which inordinately impact youth growing up in poverty. This research will inevitably inform my career and practice after I have left service. I am originally from New Hampshire, so Vermont wasn't entirely foreign to me. Having a view of mountains rather than of skyscrapers has been a fun change of pace. I am also counting the days until maple creemees once again are available at the waterfront in downtown Burlington!
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Sneha
Sneha Singhania The DREAM Program South Burlington, VT I’ve spent most of my life in Maryland and just recently moved to Vermont to serve. In college I studied mechanical engineering, which led me to a job in construction project management. While I loved project management, I was hoping to find a way to have more of a positive impact on the fight against poverty and that led me to AmeriCorps VISTA. Growing up with a really big family and being involved in different mentoring programs at the University of Maryland, I was able to create a strong connection to youth development, which ultimately led me to VYT and The DREAM Program. I am hoping my year with AmeriCorps will help me have a better understanding about how poverty affects people in our communities and also about effective ways to work toward alleviating the struggle. I am excited to serve in Vermont because of the incredible outdoor opportunities available here!
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Welcome "I serve in a community coordinator and resource development VISTA position with Essex CHIPS in Essex Junction. I love collaborating with passionate individuals to the benefit of our community. In this coming year I'm looking forward to assisting CHIPS provide support to at risk youth." Nicholas Ellis Essex CHIPS - Essex Junction, VT Started February 2020
"I’m excited to get to know the Randolph community! A lot of things have changed recently, and I’m looking forward to creating community events that will bring people together after the challenges we’re currently facing." Bethany Lambert
Randolph Area Community Development Corporation Randolph, VT
Started March 2020
Nicholas & Bethany 19.
Farewell VISTAs!
Cailyn McGrath Randolph Area Community Development Corporation Randolph, VT
Kelly Tierney ReSOURCE Development Williston, VT
Morgan Jones Franklin Northeast Supervisory Union LEAPS Enosburg Falls, VT
Thank you for your year of service! 20.
Members continue...
team building outside of service 21.
hours
1. 2.
VYT members procured $434,040 in cash, in-kind, and volunteer resources to enhance programs and initiatives that support low-income youth and families
The efforts of VYT members benefited 19,497 individuals directly; at least 7,706 individuals were engaged in substance (including opioid) use or misuse prevention or treatment programs and initiatives
3. 4.
VYT members developed 86 new funding streams to support programs and initiatives.
VYT members recruited and/or managed 551 community volunteers, mentors, and tutors who gave more than 8,664 hours of service to communities, organizations, and youth
5.
VYT members created 6 outreach plans and facilitated 145 presentations to community stakeholders and prospective beneficiaries, reaching 1,276 individuals
Accomplishments 22.
VYT 18-19
Host Sites Camp Thorpe (Goshen & Burlington, VT): Camp Thorpe is dedicated to providing a fun and safe camping experience to children and adults with special needs. The Collaborative (Londonderry, VT): The Collaborative promotes the development of a healthy involved community supporting substance free youth in a caring environment. The DREAM Program (South Burlington & White River Junction, VT): DREAM's mission is to close the opportunity gap for youth in low income housing. DREAM serves youth ages 5-21 who live in low-income housing communities in and around Burlington, White River Junction, and Bennington, Vermont by providing programming and mentor relationships with college students.
Essex CHIPS (Essex Junction, VT): Essex CHIPS is a small non-profit agency whose mission is to support, engage, inspire, and empower youth to make healthy decisions and become community leaders. Their impact is reflected in a higher quality of life for all particularly those disadvantaged by social inequities & poverty. Franklin Northeast Supervisory Union LEAPS Program (Richford, VT): LEAPS stands for Learning & Enrichment Activities that build Positive relationships & Self-esteem. LEAPS offers a variety of out-of-school activities for youth in grades K – 12 that create opportunities for youth to explore interests, increase social-emotional well-being, career training, and support academic success. Howard Center (Burlington, VT): The Howard Center provides mental health, substance use, education, and developmental services across the full age spectrum. Howard Center, Project Hire (Burlington, VT): The Howard Center provides mental health, substance use, education, and developmental services across the full age spectrum. Project Hire is a program that helps adults with developmental disabilities find meaningful, competitively paid careers. Project Hire helps clients with career planning, resume writing, job search, benefits counseling, and related activities, while also supporting individuals in working toward independence and self-sufficiency. Middlebury College Center for Community Engagement (Middlebury, VT): MCCCE prepares students for lives of meaning and impact through service, scholarship, and citizenship. Six youth and mentoring programs work to strengthen communities, contribute to the public good, and improve outcomes for youth across Addison County.
Montpelier Community Services Department (Montpelier, VT): The City of Montpelier’s mission is to serve the citizens of Montpelier and increase opportunity for all its residents. The Community Services Department helps low-income people through free and reduced cost programs.
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Host Sites Continued... People’s Health & Wellness Clinic (Barre, VT): The People’s Health & Wellness Clinic’s mission is to provide primary health care and wellness education to the uninsured and underinsured community members of Central Vermont who cannot otherwise afford these services. Randolph Area Community Development Corporation (Randolph, VT): RACDC’s Mission is to preserve and develop safe and affordable family and elderly housing for low and middle income residents; attract and retain sustainable businesses with livable wage jobs; and build community alliances to support downtown and village center revitalization in VT’s White River Valley. ReSOURCE (Williston, VT): ReSOURCE’s mission is to meet community and individual needs through (1) education and job skills training, (2) environmental stewardship, and (3) economic opportunities. Winooski Community Services Department (Winooski, VT): The City of Winooski has a high number of community members struggling economically, with 81% of youth in grades Pre-K through 5 eligible for Free or Reduced Lunch, and 24% of the population living below the poverty line. It is home to a very diverse population with 24 native languages spoken in our schools, and 28% of Winooski’s 800 students are considered “English Language Learners.” The challenges of generational poverty and English language proficiency facing many of our families make the need for accessible, low-cost, high-quality programming compelling. WonderArts (Greensboro, VT): WonderArts is a multidisciplinary community organization that connects, empowers, and supports our rural Vermont communities by providing hands-on activities and enrichment to all ages. Activities include enrichment programs for youth in school and afterschool, and each program supports the wellbeing and resilience of the community.
VYT Leader (Montpelier, VT): The Vermont Youth Tomorrow AmeriCorps VISTA Program (VYT) supports effective initiatives across VT that help low-income youth and families develop job skills and academic proficiency, gain access to affordable housing, health care, and healthy food, and cultivate the social assets that they need to transcend poverty, avoid unhealthy behaviors such as opioid use, and ultimately thrive.
24.
Vermont Youth Tomorrow AmeriCorps VISTA Program (VYT) Mission: Support effective initiatives across VT that help lowincome youth and families develop job skills and academic proficiency, gain access to affordable housing and healthy food, connect to comprehensive health services, and cultivate the social assets that they need to transcend poverty, avoid unhealthy behaviors such as opioid and other substance misuse, and ultimately thrive. Vision: Hope, justice, and wellbeing for all Vermont youth Motto: Ingenuity choreographing youth potential VYT is a program based at the Washington County Youth Service Bureau/Boys & Girls Club.
The opinions expressed in the articles in this newsletter belong to the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the site where the AmeriCorps VISTA members serve, Vermont Youth Tomorrow, the Washington County Youth Service Bureau, and CNCS.
Connect With Us! twitter.com/VTAmeriCorps @VTAmeriCorps instagram.com/americorps_vyt_vydc @americorps_vyt_vydc facebook.com/vermontyouthamericorps
linkedin.com/company/vermontyout hamericorps
VYT AmeriCorps VISTA Program P.O. Box 627 / 38 Elm Street Montpelier, VT 05601-0627 802.229.9151 phone / 802.229.25808 fax http://www.vermontyouthamericorps.org/
VISTA Team Leader Anna Tosi vyt.leader@wcysb.org
Assistant Directors Caitlin Miller cmiller@wcysb.org Danielle Shaw dshaw@wcysb.org Olivia Gotaski vydc.vytad2@wcysb.org
Program Director M. Kadie Schaeffer vyt.vydc@wcysb.org