alc final powerpoint

HOW CAN VISTA MEMBERS & LEADERS INCREASE LOCAL & REGIONALCOLLABORATION & NETWORKING AMONG THE VISTA POPULATION?

ALC Presentation

Perdita

LOCAL & REGIONAL VISTA

COLLABORATION & NETWORKING

Action Learning Challenge Project Presentation

July 13th 2015 2PM EST

Chris

Gretchen

Perdita

Ryan

Vanessa

Kapila

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WEBINAR ETIQUETTE

MEET THE TEAMAmeriCorps VISTA Leader Action Learning Challenge Team Members

CHRIS MACKEYAmeriCorps VISTA Leader

Toward a Sustainable Kentucky

Highland Heights, KY

GRETCHEN CHOMASAmeriCorps VISTA Leader

Spokane County United Way

Spokane, WA

PERDITA DASAmeriCorps VISTA Leader

North Carolina Campus Compact

Elon NC

RYAN HASKELLAmeriCorps VISTA Leader

The Market Foundation

Seattle, WA

VANESSA REYESAmeriCorps VISTA Leader

Virginia Mentoring Partnership

Richmond, VA

PRESENTATION OVERVIEW

The Challenge• What is the Need?

• Vision, Mission, & Goals

• Why Collaborate?

The Project Outcome

• Collaboration Toolkit

• Recommendations for CNCS

ReflectionsTeam Testimonials

WHAT IS THE NEED?

CHALLENGE

VISTAs across the country and locally currently have an underutilized space (VISTA Campus, social media) to connect or communicate with other VISTAs thus isolating some members.

WHAT IS THE NEED?

SCOPE

The challenge is nationwide and affects every AmeriCorps VISTA member, leader, and project.

WHAT IS THE NEED?

CAUSES

The VISTA program, by design, is decentralized and independent. This can lead to isolation and make it more difficult to build a community.

WHAT IS THE NEED?

CONSEQUENCES

A weak or nonexistent community causes VISTAs to miss out on chances to collaborate and improve their program and personal professional development.

WHY IS COLLABORATION IMPORTANT AMONG VISTAS?

Builds lasting connections and

relationships

Enhances the efficiency of the VISTA program

Gives additional support to

individual VISTAs.

Holds value both personally and

professionally for the VISTAs

Strengthens VISTA projects

Creates meaningful

relationships

Provides a strong support system

for VISTA members

Helps relocated VISTAs form a

sense of community

Increases a sense of

connection with national service

Increases networking

opportunities

VISIONThe vision of the AmeriCorps VISTA ALC team is increased deliberate collaboration among VISTAs locally, regionally and nationally; leading to better VISTA retention, greater satisfaction among members and programs, a greater sense of community, increased peer support structure and greater branding of the VISTA identity.

MISSION

The purpose of the project is to provide AmeriCorps VISTA members with an improved sense of community by providing them with an easy-to-use, sustainable, online tool that increases collaboration, satisfaction, member retention and improved the VISTA brand identity. This, in turn, will strengthen the AmeriCorps VISTA program and benefit the people we serve.

GOALSGoal 1: To provide a mechanism/tool for VISTA members that will allow them to easily use the VISTA Campus (or other platforms like social media) to search and connect with VISTAs for the purpose of promoting collaboration and meaningful relationships.

Goal 2: To develop a strategy to promote and utilize this collaborative mechanism before, during, and after PSO.


The Challenge• Vision, Mission, & Goals


• What is the Need?

The Project Outcome• Collaboration Toolkit



TOOLKIT OVERVIEWTo

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Guide for VISTA Leaders

Guide for VISTA Members

Recorded Webinar on Utilizing VISTA Campus

for Collaboration

GUIDE OVERVIEW

IntroductionWhat We

Know NowWebinar

Social Media & Marketing

Guide

Collaborative Opportunities During New VISTA OSOT

Events & Meetups

Community Connections

Appendix

VISTA Leaders AND VISTA Members

Included only in the VISTA Leader Guide

WHAT WE KNOW NOW

• Combined 9 years in VISTA

• Stories and key points

• With what we know now...

WEBINAR• Thorough tour of the collaborative tools on the VISTA campus

• Quick tutorial on how to create an account

• Highlight Maps, Forums, Learning Connections, VISTA Meetup

• Easy to follow, step by step printed guide in the toolkit

SOCIAL MEDIA & MARKETING GUIDE• Creating a community & maintaining interest

• Making connections: #AmeriCorps #SupportTheCohort

• Using scheduling tools to help manage your plan

• Online meeting platforms

COLLABORATIVE OPPORTUNITIES DURING NEW OSOT

• Purpose: Promoting collaboration & networking during OSOT

• Suggestions for communicating with new VISTAs & building sense of VISTA community

• Templates: PowerPoint, welcome letter, organizational chart

EVENTS & MEETUPS• Why meeting up is important

• Planning a casual event

• Planning a formal event

• Planning a multi-day retreat

MAKING COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS• Benefits

• Identifying potential partners

• Inside and outside AmeriCorps Connections

• Making an ask

RECOMMENDATIONS TO CNCS

1. Before during and after PSO

2. VISTA Leaders

3. VISTA Campus

4. Observations


The Challenge• Vision, Mission, & Goals


• What is the Need?

The Project Outcome• Collaboration Toolkit



“

”

For an Action Learning Challenge project with a goal of increasing collaboration between VISTAs I have enjoyed the chance to collaborate, network, and talk with other VISTA leaders (and ALC team members) during the past few months. I hope we can continue collaborating during the remainder of our VISTA terms and after.

VISTA Leader with Toward a Sustainable KentuckyHighland Heights, KY

Chris Mackey

“

”

I am grateful that I have had the opportunity to work with such a reliable and dynamic team. The ALC process has helped grow my capacity to work with and trust others to be strong teammates despite time differences and distance and think more strategically and systematically than I might typically.

VISTA Leader with Spokane County United WaySpokane, WA

Gretchen Chomas

“

”

Being a part of this Action Learning Challenge Team has been a great experience, both personally and professionally. I believe I have been privileged to work so closely over the past few months with this team of exceptional leaders, who worked seamlessly with each other to create this product that we are all proud of. I have been able to apply many of what I have learned to both my work and myself already and I have definitely gotten over my fear and hesitancy of online collaboration. It can be done! Thank you ALC!

VISTA Leader with North Carolina Campus Compact Elon NC

Perdita Das

“

”

Working on this ALC team has been an eye opening experience. After hearing horror stories about working at a distance and having my own bad experiences with online courses I was skeptical. However, I don't think I've ever worked with a better more capable team than I have these last few months. Everyone came together when needed and contributed their skills and perspective. I've learned so much about working as a team and practical tips on using online tools for working on project.

VISTA Leader with The Market FoundationSeattle, WA

Ryan Haskell

“

”

We ended every meeting with personal reflections about our experience. During this process, I would be amazed by the cohesion of our team and the progress that we made each week. I personally have learned that great things can be accomplished despite physical distance.

VISTA Leader with Virginia Mentoring PartnershipRichmond, VA

Vanessa Reyes

COMMENTS & QUESTIONSThank you for attending our presentation

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