Seeking: Motivated, flexible and passionate individuals who are willing to dedicate a year helping us to engage, empower and improve our community.
Three years ago, Mayor Mark Holland formed a partnership with the Corporation for National and Community Service to create an AmeriCorps VISTA program that could support the work our city government is doing to create positive change in Wyandotte County, Kansas. That partnership has grown, and we now have 9 full-time, year-long VISTA positions serving different departments at the city. By their nature, governments exist to serve the public. And when we’re doing it right, we are entrusting our staff to get out from behind their computers and go listen to people, build coalitions and find creative ways to bring services to those in need.
Our VISTA members don’t sit at the kids’ table. The AmeriCorps program reads on paper like an internship, but you’ll be treated like a member of the staff. You’ll have ground level access and be asked to take on a lot of responsibility. If you’re up for the work, you’ll likely be surprised at what you’re able to accomplish. To date our VISTAs have: built websites, developed full-fledged messaging campaigns, successfully written grants, visited prisons to help inmates sign up for health insurance, lobbied Commissioners for the right to keep backyard hens, helped implement water tap programs for urban farmers, drafted communications plans, led county-wide listening tours, organized bicycle donations for kids in need and worked with the Bloomberg Foundation to come up with innovative ways to reduce neighborhood blight.
Wyandotte County has a remarkable and diverse history. Of approximately 162,000 residents, we are one of only two counties in the country with both African American and Hispanic communities that comprise over 25% of the population. We are a community on the rise. And while we’ve seen a lot of growth, development and positive change in the last couple of decades, we still face a challenging economic climate, where 23% of residents live below the poverty level.
AmeriCorps VISTA is a national anti-poverty service program. There is no traditional pay, but participants receive a living allowance and limited benefits, like health care and payment toward your student loans. Does that make you nervous? We get it. Not everyone is in a position in their life to serve for a year for not much money. But if you care about improving communities, if you’re looking for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to develop your professional skills AND make a difference, we’ll make it worth your while.