Up2Us Sports AmeriCorps VISTA
Welcome Packet
------TABLE OF CONTENTS ------
About Up2Us Sports / 3The Up2Us Sports Mission / 3
Why Service Through Sports / 3
Who Are Our Members / 3
How Our Members Help Youth
What Makes Sports-Based Youth Development Great / 3
4
New VISTA Checklist / 5
Hours and Work Schedule / 7
Compensation and Reimbursements / 9
Timeline of Your VISTA Year / 11
Who Do I Call When I Have Questions About My Position? / 12
How We Are Connected / 13
The Role of AmeriCorps VISTA in Relation to Up2Us Sports / 13
The Relationship between Up2Us Sports and AmeriCorps VISTA / 14
Relationship between Up2Us Sports and Your Host Site / 15
How You Fit into this picture / 15
What is a VISTA Leader? / 15
Who Supports the Supervisors of VISTAs? / 16
------ABOUT UP2US Sports ------
Up2Us Sports is leading a national effort to ensure that quality youth sports programs are not just preserved but expanded—especially in communities where they can have the greatest impact on childhood health and wellbeing.
THE UP2US SPORTS MISSION
Up2Us Sports is a nonprofit organization leading the nation in advancing sports as the solution to the critical challenges facing youth today:
●Ending Childhood Obesity
●Reducing Youth Violence in Urban America
●Increasing Academic Success
WHY SERVICE THROUGH SPORTS
●The recent recession has led to $3.5 billion in cuts to after-school sports programs, predominantly in low-income communities where sports are a life-line to physical, academic and social health.
●Research demonstrates that the unintended impact of cutting youth sports is higher obesity rates, greater incidences of youth violence and poorer academic performance.
oOne in three children are overweight/obese
oMore than 750,000 youth are in gangs
oDropout rates exceed 50% in many urban public schools
WHO ARE OUR MEMBERS?
Our members are mostly community-based nonprofit organizations, but also include schools, parks departments, faith-based institutions and government agencies. They serve predominantly low-income youth in under-resourced urban communities and use single or multiple sports activities that range from traditional team sports to nontraditional sports (more than 60 sports in total).
HOW OUR MEMBERS HELP YOUTH
Up2Us Sports is a resource to over 1,200 sports-based youth development (SBYD) organizations across the country, serving millions of youth nationwide. Our members pledge to:
●Support at-risk youth
●Leverage sports as a primary methodology for engaging youth and teaching them life skills
Only sports-based youth development has all of the following:
------NEW VISTA CHECKLIST ------
(For getting situated at your new site!)
WHEN YOU ARRIVE
●Check with your supervisor to see if your site offers you any rental assistance.
●Make sure you’re clear on office policies and procedures
GETTING STARTED
●Open a bank account near you and ensure that your direct deposit checks are being sent to the correct account; register at track your paperwork online.
●If you have student loans, you can apply for loan forbearance or deferment at the same site. See VISTA Campus for more information and resources on your options.
●Make sure you read and understand the AmeriCorps policy about health coverage and the options they offer for supplementary healthcare coverage. AmeriCorps does not provide health insurance plans that satisfy the minimum requirements for the Affordable Care Act. Unless you qualify for an exemption from the Affordable Care Act, you must obtain health insurance outside of your AmeriCorps health benefits. Contact the VISTA Member Support Unit or your VISTA Leader if you have questions about this important requirement.
●If you need to apply for health insurance or Medicaid, you can do so at (this link connects you to health insurance plans in each state).
●If you want more information about the Affordable Care Act and exemptions
●Read over your VAD (VISTA Assignment Description) and go over it with your supervisor.
●Introduce yourself and your role as a VISTA to the members of your host site.
●Familiarize yourself with your new community!
●Send your VISTA Leader your work email address.
SELF-ORIENTATION AND RESEARCH
●Find out about the history of your host site organization.
●Become familiar with any files left behind by a previous VISTA.
●Confirm that files relevant to your position are clearly labeled and organized. Find out how to label and add to files and make them accessible to others. If there is not an organized system is in place, talk to your supervisor about developing one. Take initiative!
TALK TO YOUR SUPERVISOR FOR GUIDANCE ON THE FOLLOWING
●Familiarizing yourself with the demographic characteristics of your site. This information should already be recorded the Project Narrative that your site submitted when it applied for your position – ask your supervisor. If necessary or helpful, you may want to create a fact sheet on local demographics (poverty, housing, education, population statistics, etc.)
●Any work related concerns that arise during your year of service.
ACQUIRING ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE AND BENEFITS
●Health Coverage: It is important that you familiarize yourself with the minimum healthcare requirements you must meet while serving and benefits that AmeriCorps offers
●Food Stamps (if you are eligible):
oVisit general information on the Food Stamps program and how to apply.
oStart by finding out you how much you may be eligible to receive at Specific programs vary from state to state.
oA letter explaining your income situation as a VISTA is available on your My AmeriCorps profile (my.americorps.gov) under My Service Letter. It is called “VISTA Public Benefits Disregard” and effectively disregards your VISTA stipend as income for this process. You can present this income disregard letter when you apply for food stamps in person or when you apply online.
●Housing Assistance: for general information, and for state-specific
●Find out about Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Programs in your state. Email r visit state program information.
VISTA RESPONSIBILITIES
●Agree on a clear workhours policy with your supervisor, and keep a timesheet. If your site has a standard timesheet, use their format. Make sure you have a plan for informing your supervisor about when you will be out of the office, when you are expected to arrive in the morning, etc.
●Keep good notes for reports, and make time to write them. Reports are like grant reports for your VISTA position (which is a kind of grant), so they are very important if your site plans to receive other VISTAS in the future. You will write the report, and your supervisor will read, edit, and approve it. You and your supervisor will receive a template, a set of instructions, and due dates as the reports draw near (Every six months, in April and October).
●Go over your work plan and VAD with your supervisor on a regular basis. A good time for this important refocusing process is after completing your report. Are you keeping all your position’s goals and objectives in view?
●Make sure you understand the AmeriCorps VISTA program’s policy on political involvement, especially since it is an election year where you might be more active than normal. Here is a link to the policy in the handbook on VISTA Campus.
●Get familiar with the VISTA Member Handbook, and the VISTA Campus site ( It can answer a lot of common questions about your role in your organization, VISTA policy, and the benefits you receive.
●Remember that your goal is to build the long-term capacity of your organization, which means leaving good institutional memory about everything you’ve done – so that programs you’ve started can be continued year after year by other volunteers. Agree on an organized filing system with your supervisor, take good notes, keep copies of all important documents (including submitted grants, financial documents, agreements, etc.) and train volunteers and other organizational members in all that you do, when possible.
------HOURS & WORK SCHEDULE ------
WHEN SHOULD I BE WORKING?
It is very important that you talk to your supervisor early on to establish clear rules about your work schedule: what time you are expected to come to work, how you should notify your supervisor when you will be out of the office for field work, what to do if there’s inclement weather, what protocol you should follow if you work from home, etc. Good, early, and frequent communication about your work schedule can help you avoid headaches or confusion later on.
HOW MUCH SHOULD I BE WORKING?
According to the VISTA Member Handbook, part of the VISTA shtick is that “Members remain available for service, without regard to regular working hours, at all times during the member’s service, except for periods of approved leave.” This provides flexibility for you to work on evenings and weekends to get your projects done and to interact with community volunteers who often aren’t available until those times. In practice, the State Office tells us this means that VISTAs are expected to work, at a minimum, whatever hours their sponsor organization considers to be full time (usually around 40 hours per week). Most sponsoring organizations let their VISTAs take holidays whenever the rest of the organization takes a holiday. If your sponsor doesn’t honor a particular holiday, even if it’s federal, then you should plan to go to work on that day. Those of you who are working with small organizations and projects that have no staff need to communicate clearly and often with your supervisor to create a schedule that works for both of you. Needless to say, even in light of the “being available at all times” talk, we all have to work within reason so that we can mind our health and lead sane lives. If you feel that your sponsor is asking unreasonable hours of you, you should get in touch with the Up2Us Sports VISTA Team.
CAN I HAVE A SECOND JOB?
In May 2015, CNCS lifted the ban on outside employment for VISTA members. There are a few stipulations to this new policy - any outside employment must be part-time, and not be in any conflict with your full-time VISTA responsibilities, nor conflict with any applicable law or CNCS program requirements or policies. Both your host site and Up2Us Sports must approve your employment by filling out and submitting the Outside Employment Request Formto Up2Us Sports for approval. Under no circumstances may you be an employee of or contractor for the sponsor or project to which s/he is assigned to serve (this means you cannot be paid or hired by your organization or by Up2Us Sports). If you are interested in hearing about what previous VISTAs have done to earn money on the side, please reach out to your VISTA Leader.
------COMPENSATION & REIMBURSEMENTS ------
Here’s an overview of when to expect your reimbursements in the first few weeks of your service:
Via Direct Deposit (approximately two weeks after you arrive at your worksite).
●Your first installment of living allowance -- VISTA paydays are every other Thursday.
●Fingerprinting subsidy of $25 if you participate in the PSO Blend
oThis subsidy is intended to offset the costs of fingerprinting. We encourage you to research fingerprinting service providers in your area in order to avoid incurring costs greater than the subsistence provided to you. If serving in NYC, try this resource for finding a provider:
●A resettling stipend of $550, included with your first direct deposited living allowance. This stipend is awarded if you have to move to a new housing location to begin your service, and is not dependent on relocation distance traveled. Make sure that you’ve submitted correct information on your Orientation Registration and Relocation form in order to receive this money.
If you relocated more than 50 miles to serve: Mileage reimbursement for moving and driving to the airport (federal mileage reimbursement rate is 48.5 cents/mile) up to a total of $1,000 relocation allowance (this is in addition to the resettling stipend of $550). You will receive more information about this in an email from AmeriCorps, or contact the VMSU.
Pay stubs are delivered electronically through your My AmeriCorps account. If you have concerns about whether you are receiving pay, you will need to check your bank records and contact the VISTA Member Support Unit.
Upon completion of your service, (if eligible) you will also receive a relocation allowance to return to your permanent residence. You will receive this regardless if you stay in your new city or return to your permanent residence after service.
WORK-RELATED MILEAGE REIMBURSEMENT
Your host site should reimburse you for authorized travel that you do while on the job (not including your normal daily commute). If you will be using your own vehicle for service-related activities (again, outside of your normal commute), you will need to submit a V-81 form (more info on that here) so that CNCS has documentation. Your host site, not Up2Us Sports nor CNCS, is responsible for reimbursing you for those transportation expenses. Speak to your supervisor if you need clarification about your host site’s reimbursement process, or VISTA Leader should you have concerns about transportation expenses.
OTHER VISTA MEMBER BENEFITS
In addition to your living allowance, VISTA members may receive health benefits (choice of healthcare allowance or health benefit plan), a choice of an Education Award or End-of-Service stipend, life insurance, Non-Competitive Eligibility for federal jobs, and may be eligible for child care benefits. CNCS created a handy Key Points for VISTA Benefits, which we strongly encourage you to read and familiarize yourself with.
------TIMELINE OF YOUR VISTA YEAR ------
MONTH 1 / On-site Orientation and Up2Us Sports Training and OrientationMONTH 2-3 / Site visit from Up2Us Sports representative (for those VISTA members outside of NYC, you will receive one formal site-visit that will occur between month three and nine of your service year.)
MONTH 3 / First Up2Us Sports Performance Review between VISTA and supervisor
PROGRESS REPORTS DUE IN OCTOBER AND JULY
MONTH 6 / Second Up2Us Sports Performance Review between VISTA and supervisor
MONTH 11-12 / End of the year evaluation and exiting procedure
ONGOING SUPPORT
QUARTERLY CONFERENCE CALLS
For the duration of your service year, all VISTA members are incorporated into a mandatory conference call structure on a quarterly basis. All Up2Us Sports VISTA members join a conference call run by Up2Us Sports to share your experiences, participate in trainings and team building activities, and generally to promote project-wide group cohesion. Up2Us Sports will also hold VISTA calls based on role responsibilities such as development/fundraising, volunteer outreach and management, monitoring and evaluation, etc. These calls help to draw out best practices and common challenges, allow for replication of novel strategies and campaigns between programs, and create opportunities for collaboration among VISTA members.
MONTHLY SUPPORT
Every month, the Up2Us Sports VISTA Team will send out emails for all Up2Us Sports VISTAs. These emails will include:
●Reflection log
●VISTA program updates
●Living on the stipend/professional development resources (especially CNCS resources)
●Upcoming deadlines or events (including next conference call, days of service, etc.)
---YOUR LAYERS OF SUPPORT AND HOW WE ARE---
CONNECTED
The Relationship between Up2Us Sports, Your Host Site,
and the AmeriCorps VISTA Program
VISTA MEMBER SUPPORT UNIT (VMSU)
The VMSU manages PSO logistics, handles VISTA payroll, and oversees other administrative details throughout the year.VMSU can answer questions about service benefits, living allowance, Education Award, health benefits, and the myAmeriCorps portal. The VMSU can be contacted at 800-942-2677.
UP2US SPORTS
As the nationwide leader in SBYD, Up2Us Sports harnesses the power of sports to promote health, reduce youth violence, and inspire academic success for kids in every community. Our research, training, and on-the-ground initiatives empower sports programs across the country to become a united force for meaningful change. As a coalition of over 1,200 organizations in almost all 50 states and the District of Columbia, we are building a national movement through sports in order to defeat the most pressing issues affecting children today.
Up2Us Sports provides resources, technical assistance and training to organizations that believe in the power of sports to create active, healthy, and successful kids. The brief assessment below helps us match the members of our coalition to the things they need to run sustainable, high-quality sports-based youth development programs.
Up2Us Sports strives to build the capacity of its members to achieve their mission and sustain strong programs over time by:
●Placing SBYD trained coaches through the Coach Across America program
●Training and certifying coaches in SBYD practices
●Placing AmeriCorps VISTA members that build organizational capacity
●Providing program-design consulting and training
●Providing evaluation consulting and training
●Providing membership services that support and develop strong, sustainable SBYD organizational practices
●Organizing and supporting local and regional SBYD communities
THE ROLE OF AMERICORPS VISTA IN RELATION TO UP2US SPORTS
AmeriCorps is a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), an independent federal agency created to connect Americans of all ages and backgrounds with opportunities to give back to their communities and their nation.