AmeriCorps VISTA On-Site Orientation & Training Plan

Project Site Supervisors are required to develop & submit a plan for orienting their VISTA member to their project. Orientation can take anywhere from 1-3 weeks depending on each VISTA’s situation. The settling in phase will undoubtedly take even longer. Use the following outcomes & activities as a guide to developing your OSOT plan. The list is fairly comprehensive but each site & VISTA project has its own unique needs & situation and each VISTA member has their own learning style & pace for transitioning into a new environment. So tailor the plan to fit your & your VISTA’s needs - knowing it will change as you work through it.

Outcomes

VISTA will-

  • Feel welcomed as a member of their project site team by:
  • Settling into their own thoroughly-equipped office space

(In other words, make sure space is fully prepared in advance including internet access)

  • Receiving an organizational email address (if possible) on the first day
  • Meeting all staff
  • Learning where office supplies, forms & other materials are kept
  • Being oriented to standard office policies & procedures (including normal work hours, time-reporting, dress code, etc.)
  • Being instructed in use of office equipment
  • Being given a tour of facility
  • Being given a tour of the community (if they’ve moved in from somewhere else)
  • Feel supported in their project by:
  • Being given a written schedule for the first two weeks of orientation
  • Having regularly-scheduled calendar of meeting times with supervisor
  • Knowing when & how to get questions answered from supervisor in between scheduled meetings
  • Having had VISTA site co-workers briefed in advance of their arrival about the nature and function of the VISTA project, the capacity-building nature of the VISTA role (as distinguished from direct service), the fact that VISTA members are working from a project plan and should not be seen as an intern or temp. worker who can be handed any jobs someone else doesn’t want, etc.
  • Complete any additional personnel forms required by the Project Site and/or Sponsoring Organization.
  • Understand role of Sponsoring Organization vs. Project Site
  • Learn the project site’s-
  • History
  • Mission
  • Organizational structure
  • Culture (dress code, decision-making processes, other office protocol)
  • Begin exploring the community (if they’ve moved in from out of town)
  • Understand the goals & expected outcomes of the VISTA project by:
  • Walking through the work plan with their supervisor (& focusing on intended outcomes)
  • Reviewing the VISTA Assignment Description (VAD)
  • Have a sense of where to begin with their VISTA project by:
  • Having assistance in developing a to-do list for getting started
  • Being told where to turn for help with various pieces of the project
  • Being introduced early on to key stakeholders

OSOT Format:

Keep VISTA member busy. A VISTA who is not sure what to do or where to begin or is uncertain of how he/she should be spending their time is off to a poor start. It is critical to set a positive tone for the year.

Give VISTA member ownership & accountability in the orientation process (i.e. if member needs to begin learning their new community, send them to the local Chamber of Commerce to get a free road map & learn about local attractions & highlights).

Make sure their daily orientation activities are varied and interesting (i.e. do not hand member a stack of policy manuals and say, “Go read these & let me know if you have questions…”).

Focus on making VISTA member feel comfortable & clear in his/her role & setting.

If your VISTA member is moving to the region for this position pay attention to the personal aspects of their transition in addition to the professional. Help them settle into the community as well as into your workplace.

Be organized.

Submit an outline of your OSOT Plan to your Sponsoring Organization prior to VISTA member’s start.

This should include a listing of activities & address the outcomes identified above & any additional ones you develop.

You can use an hour-by-hour schedule or day-to-day, whichever works best by you.