Beyond the Service Year

• Looking at the Individual
• Education Award
• Planning a Career
• Moving On
  • Life After AmeriCorps Training
  • Exit Interviews
  • Providing Coping Strategies
  • Recognizing Service
  • Passing Along Wisdom
  • Helping Members Stay Connected

Home > Beyond the Service Year > Moving On > Helping Members Stay Connected

Helping Members Stay Connected

Fostering a lifetime of civic engagement

The AmeriCorps and VISTA experience can lay the foundation for a lifetime of service. Obviously, members enrich their own lives and communities by staying involved. Maintaining ties between your program and your former members also helps ease the transition from service to "life after."

There are other positive outcomes from having strong connections with your past members. They can help recruit new members, share their knowledge at orientation and other member development functions, offer networking opportunities as the next group of members "graduates," and provide historical perspective and context for your program.

There are plenty of ways you can suggest that departing members remain involved in service:

• Volunteer in the community–A few of the most comprehensive sites for finding targeted volunteer opportunities are www.volunteermatch.org, www.pointsoflight.org, and www.idealist.com. They'll help members match their interests with organizations where they live.
• Serve overseas–For members who want to volunteer abroad, www.idealist.com can help find a spot; also check out www.peacecorps.gov.
• Get involved in the political process–Members can make a difference at many levels: from volunteering for local neighborhood associations or a national political party to lobbying for programs and causes they believe in. At the very least, remind your members to register and vote!
• Join RSVP–If members are 55 or older, they should consider signing on with RSVP, a "one-stop shopping" site for volunteers who want to do meaningful work in their community. More information on RSVP and other Senior Corps programs is available at www.seniorcorps.org.
• Join Friends of VISTA–If you are a former VISTA member, this is the alumni group. More information is available at www.friendsofvista.org/alumni.html.
• Outward Bound is a nonprofit educational organization with core programs that change lives, build teams, and transform schools. The organization delivers adventure in the wilderness, urban centers, and classrooms to help others achieve their possibilities and to inspire them to serve others and the world around them. If your members are interested in taking Outward Bound courses, they can use their education awards. On the website, you can also find a state-by-state set of job listings to share with your members as they prepare to finish national service.
• Teach For America is the national corps of outstanding recent college graduates and professionals of all academic majors and career interests who commit two years to teach in urban and rural public schools and become leaders in the effort to expand educational opportunity.

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