2010-2011 Seattle Member Handbook
2010-2011 Notre Dame AmeriCorps Team
*Returning member
COLLEGE ACCESS NOW (CAN)
Caroline Sacerdote
Franklin High School (Seniors)
Chukwuka (Chuka) Okoroafor
Franklin High School (Juniors)
Kelsey Campbell
West Seattle High School (Juniors)
Katherine (Katie) Panhorst
Garfield High School (Seniors)
Craig Pilawski
Garfield High School (Juniors)
COMMUNITY SCHOOLS COLLABORATION (CSC)
Thomas Okae-Asare
Bow Lake Elementary School
Benjamin (Ben) Estes
Chinook Middle School
Nichole Won
Tyee Educational Complex (Global)
Kelsey Ottum
Tyee Educational Complex (A.C.E.)
*Vijou Bryant
Tyee Educational Complex (Odyssey)
READ RIGHT
Skye Wait
Garfield High School
Matthew (Matt) Collier
Garfield High School
URBAN LEAGUE SCHOLARS (ULS)
*Jessica (Jess) Norberg
Garfield High School (12th)
Elliot Jones
Garfield High School (11th)
Sheldon Botler
Garfield High School (9th/10th)
Contact Information
Sheldon Botler / Urban League Scholars (Garfield - 9th/10th) / / 206.335.1443*Vijou Bryant / Community Schools Collaboration (Tyee Educational Complex - Odyssey) / / 206.724.5038
Kelsey Campbell / College Access Now (West Seattle - Juniors) / / 360.204.1135
Matt Collier / Read Right (Garfield High School) / / 610.331.6807
Ben Estes / Community Schools Collaboration (Chinook Middle School) / / 360.201.5100
Elliot Jones / Urban League Scholars (Garfield - Juniors) / / 206.659.2902
*Jess Norberg / Urban League Scholars (Garfield - Seniors) / / 360.909.4943
Thomas Okae-Asare / Community Schools Collaboration (Bow Lake Elementary) / / 502.762.8165
Chuka Okoroafor / College Access Now (Franklin - Juniors) / / 253.473.8663
Kelsey Ottum / Community Schools Collaboration (Tyee Educational Complex – A.C.E.) / / 360.739.7961
Katie Panhorst / College Access Now (Garfield - Seniors) / / 334.707.1784
Craig Pilawski / College Access Now (Garfield - Juniors) / / 269.779.6067
Caroline Sacerdote / College Access Now (Franklin - Seniors) / / 904.563.5775
Skye Wait / Read Right (Garfield High School) / / 206.850.0510
Nichole Won / Community Schools Collaboration (Tyee Educational Complex - Global) / / 719.231.9589
2010-2011 NDA – Seattle Contact Information
*2009-2010 returning member
Please remember this information is confidential. Please only use this information for the purposes of this team. Email address and phone numbers should not be further distributed without permission of individual.
Member Birthdays!
Skye Wait September 5
Chuka Okoroafor October 10
Caroline Sacerdote November 6
Kelsey Ottum November 26
Craig Pilawski December 15
Vijou Bryant March 24
Jess Norberg April 1
Nichole Won April 6
Kelsey Campbell May 15
Ben Estes May 19
Sheldon Botler May 20
Katie Panhorst June 7
Thomas Asare July 8
Elliot Jones July 20
Matt Collier August 3
Frequently Used Terms
The world of AmeriCorps uses a different language to talk about who we are and the kind of labor we engage in. Here’s a short list of terms you will most likely hear and be expected to use as an AmeriCorps member.
AmeriCorps members: AmeriCorps members should not be called volunteers, workers, staff, participants, or employees, as you are not technically any of the above. You are NOT a staff person at your site as you do not receive the benefits of employment. You are not a traditional volunteer since you receive a stipend and are expected to serve full-time.
Living allowances, stipends: AmeriCorps members earn living allowances—not salaries or wages.
National service, community service: This term refers to any of the programs affiliated with the Corporation for National and Community Service, including AmeriCorps.
Serve, service: When possible, serve and service should be used rather than work when referring to AmeriCorps members. This language helps reinforce the fact that you are neither an employee nor a volunteer.
Service-learning: “Service-learning is an educational method that engages young people in service to their communities as a means of enriching academic learning, promoting personal growth, and helping them to develop the skills needed for productive citizenship” (Dunlap, N.C., Drew, S.F. and Gibson, K. (1994) South Carolina Department of Education).
Site Project, Site Supervisor, Site Partner: A site is an organization where a member is placed to fulfill the majority of his/her service. The NDA team has four local partner sites this year (College Access Now, Community Schools Collaboration, Read Right, and Urban League Scholars). Each NDA member has two sources of direct supervision and support: the NDA program director and a site supervisor.
Umbrella organization, parent organization: An organization that provides resources and funnels money for smaller organizations. Notre Dame Mission Volunteers (NDMV) is the parent organization for Notre Dame AmeriCorps (NDA). The Church Council of Greater Seattle (CCGS) is the parent organization for Sound Youth (SY), our former partner organization and where the NDA program director’s office is located. The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) is an umbrella for all AmeriCorps programs.
The following names, phrases, and symbols can be used to help promote national recognition:
AmeriCorps The AmeriCorps national service network
“Getting things done” AmeriCorps member
The AmeriCorps logo
NDA MEMBER SUPPORT FLOW-CHART
Corporation for National and Community Service
*Approves and provides funding for Notre Dame Mission Volunteers AmeriCorps programs.
*Holds ultimate decision-making power in enrollment, suspension, termination, etc.
*Regularly audits NDMVA at a national level to ensure the program is in line regarding performance measures, financials, and other requirements as determined by AmeriCorps and CNCS.
Partnering Sites
*participates in recruitment & selection process
*provides on-site orientation, introduces member to site community, and provides additional training to prepare member to successfully complete assigned tasks
*provides functional workspace and communication tools (e-mail, phone, business cards, etc)
*site supervisors meet with members regularly & provide on-going supervision & mentorship, and advocate for member at the site and in the community.
*assists members in completing reports, timesheets, and other admin tasks
*first point of contact for any site-related issues or questions
Notre Dame AmeriCorps - Seattle
*recruits sites and members
*provides templates and instruction for reporting, paperwork, and timesheets
*collects & synthesizes reporting and paperwork to send to Baltimore
*provides orientation to the local AmeriCorps program
*acts as go-between & advocate between member and NDMVA
*visits sites and communicates with site supervisors and members
*provides training and community-building activities through-out the year
*organizes member appreciation events and activities
*first point on contact for any AmeriCorps or team-related issues or questions
Notre Dame Mission Volunteers AmeriCorps (Baltimore)
*manages national AmeriCorps grant
*synthesizes reporting from all operating sites
*Annually audits local operating sites to ensure local programs are in line regarding NDMVA and CNCS requirements.
*assists local director in answering questions regarding AmeriCorps member stipends, benefits, contracts, and other program-related issues
*links to National Trust to administer Education Awards
*provides mid-year training in Washington, D.C./Baltimore, MD
Notre Dame AmeriCorps Program
Overview
Notre Dame AmeriCorps – Seattle is one of 23 operating sites of Notre Dame Mission Volunteers AmeriCorps (NDMVA), a national AmeriCorps program. While each operating site of NDMVA is grounded in the values and mission of the parent organization and its framework of supporting national service members, each site is unique in the way it addresses community issues through its partner organizations and how it supports its members.
NDMV and AmeriCorps
NDMV is a program developed by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in response to local educational needs. The Sisters “work to enable those who are materially poor to obtain what is rightfully theirs by changing unjust structures. They believe that education in varied forms is the best way to accomplish this goal”.
In 1995, NDMV sought a partnership with AmeriCorps to expand its service through Notre Dame AmeriCorps. Notre Dame AmeriCorps members come from an AmeriCorps*National Direct grant awarded to NDMV by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) for nearly 375 full-time members serving across the U.S.
NDMVA and NDA-Seattle Mission/Values
Notre Dame Mission Volunteers AmeriCorps (NDMVA)
Mission:
Notre Dame AmeriCorps, believes that education is the fundamental tool in the struggle of the poor for human dignity, self-esteem, and self-determination. We seek to build community among our members, as well as the people with whom we work by reaching out across culture and class. We are committed to helping people help themselves. Our goal is to promote and encourage education, community empowerment, leadership development and multicultural harmony in hopes of producing greater unity, less violence, and better-informed citizens in our communities.
Approach:
Across the nation, NDMVA creates holistic educational programs for at-risk children and adults in economically disadvantaged communities. We target children in Head Start and school settings as well as adults who are high school dropouts in need of GED, literacy, or parenting skills. Our volunteers are recruited from the local communities and from college campuses nationwide. To further our goals, we develop service partnerships with groups and individuals in the public and private sectors.
Our members work to empower the economically disadvantaged and oppressed through education and personal hands-on support. They tutor children and adults (literacy, GED, and ESL), organize after-school enrichment activities, model and teach conflict resolution and parental effectiveness, and involve community professionals in the learning process.
We seek to build community among our members, as well as the people with whom we work. Currently, our members come from 20 states and a myriad of racial, ethnic, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Notre Dame AmeriCorps-Seattle
Program Goals:
● To address poverty as it impacts children, youth, and families in Seattle, working as a community to effect positive change
● To empower Seattle’s young people by:
■ Providing platforms for youth expression
■ Supporting academic achievement
■ Building a strong community of adult allies
● To approach our service—including team trainings, activities, and discussions—through a lens of social justice
Program Values:
● Team-building
● Social justice
● Youth empowerment
● Service
● Professional and personal development
While our parent organization is faith-based, our larger umbrella of AmeriCorps is anon-religious service organization. The services we provide are not religious in nature, nor is service restricted by religious affiliation. Notre Dame Mission Volunteers is progressive organization with a broad concept of social justice at their base.Program staff and team members have included Christians, Jews, Muslims, agnostics, atheists, and more. We are LGBTQ-friendly and committed to fostering a respect for a diversity of experiences and beliefs.
Partnership with Sound Youth VISTA and The Church Council of Greater Seattle
***As of the 2010-2011 program year, Sound Youth VISTA and NDA – Seattle (SY/NDA) will no longer operate as one team. There is no doubt that there are many incredibly positive things that have come from this partnership; however, with the announcement by the state that Washington VISTA members would not begin their service until mid-November, SY/NDA made the decision in mid-August 2010 to run our programs as two separate teams. While we still plan to collaborate and share resources, NDA – Seattle will consist of only a 15-member direct-service team, while SY VISTA will be comprised of up to nine VISTA members. We believe that while some things will be lost in this partnership, there is an opportunity for each of our programs to develop and flourish in our own right. Sound Youth VISTA and Notre Dame AmeriCorps – Seattle will continue to share office space through The Church Council of Greater Seattle.***
History of the SY/NDA Partnership and CCGS:
● Around 1996, the Sound Youth and Notre Dame AmeriCorps programs formed an intimate partnership to develop one team of AmeriCorps and VISTA members. This partnership was beneficial because it allowed us to share program resources, better support our members, and expand the scope of our youth work.
● Combining VISTA and Direct Service programs meant that there was a network of capacity builders (VISTA) who raise funds, recruit volunteers, and grow programs AND a group of service providers (AmeriCorps*Direct) work directly with youth and families every day.
● The Church Council began hosting capacity-building VISTA members in the early 1980s to support the Bellevue community with after school programs. This VISTA program has expanded over the years to meet the emerging needs of diverse youth throughout Seattle and King County. The Church Council’s VISTA members come from a state grant through the regional Corporation for National and Community Service office.
● Formed in 1919, the Church Council has a long history of dedicated service in this region. The Church Council is committed to: expanding partnerships and collaboration among communities of faith; providing basic human services; and working for long-lasting societal change through education, community-organizing, and advocacy work.
Our 2010-2011 Partnering Sites
College Access Now (CAN)
CAN serves juniors and seniors at Garfield, Franklin and West Seattle high schools in Seattle. CAN students come from low-income families, have GPAs between 2.0 and 4.0, and are in the first generation in their families to attend college. CAN's students represent a very broad range of racial/ethnic backgrounds, and over half live in homes where English is not the primary language spoken. CAN provides critical services such as, education (including ACT test preparation); Follow-up and Advising (including application and essay-writing support, task monitoring, and financial aid/scholarship applications support) ; Campus Visit; Advocacy (including help addressing financial aid package issues, decision-making assistance, and connecting to campus resources); Promoting a college-going culture in high schools where CAN operates.
Community School Collaboration (CSC)
Community Schools Collaboration was first established as a public/private partnership in Tukwila in 1998 with the vision of providing a safe place afterschool for students to receive academic support and enrichment and has been growing ever since. CSC works in South King County schools, some of the most diverse schools in the nation and one of the poorest regions in King County. Currently, 71% of Tukwila School District students and 63% of Highline School District students are racial or ethnic minorities. Many of these are newly arrived refugee and immigrant youth. Tukwila School District serves 1,500 refugee and immigrant youth, speaking 70 languages, and Highline School District, 3,700 youth, speaking 61 different languages.
CSC utilizes the nationally recognized, research-based “full-service community schools” model, combining direct services with strong partnerships with families, cities, school districts, and other community-based organizations. Their mission is to engage and collaborate with schools and community partners using culturally competent strategies to support child, youth, and family success.