Blog
Figuring Out Your Next Steps as an AmeriCorps Member
We reached out to a recent AmeriCorps NCCC alum to get his perspective on Life After AmeriCorps and figuring out your next steps. Here’s what Adrian Skabelund had to say: There comes a point in everyone's term with an AmeriCorps program when attention begins to be...
Esprit de Corps – What it is and how to build it
Esprit de Corps. Community. A sense of belonging. Being part of something bigger than yourself. However you describe it, this is the intangible benefit of a great AmeriCorps experience. It is transformational when it all comes together. If your program has this,...
Time Management, Setting Boundaries, and Developing Healthy Habits
AmeriCorps members (and let’s be honest, AmeriCorps program staff) are uniquely suited to being overwhelmed and overcommitted. Having a hyperactive yes response is almost a prerequisite to joining AmeriCorps. What we share in common is our design to take action, to be...
Do you have AmeriCorps members exiting this Spring or Summer?
America Learns presents Surviving Exit Fever: Preparing Your Member for a Successful Exit on March 31st. We know that there can be both excitement and anxiety as a member’s term winds down- for the member AND for you! It can be a productive time for reflection and...
How to visit me at the National Service Training Virtual Conference
Are you attending the National Service Training Conference May 4th-7th? Let’s connect! As a Sponsor of the event, I will be hanging out in my Exhibit Booth during the coffee sessions and during the workshop breaks. My booth will be easy to find, just look for the Do...
What you will learn if you attend my session at the National Service Training Virtual Conference
Are you an AmeriCorps Program Director or a State Training Officer for a Commission? Are you attending the National Service Training Virtual Conference? Woo hoo! I hope I get to meet you. I will be presenting “Help Your Members Understand the Education Award” on...
Meet Yolanda Fraction
It has been a few years since I met Yolanda at a National Service Regional Training. At the time she was working at the Maryland Commission. Since then, I’ve stayed connected with Yolanda through attending her Learning and Development Chats, and by listening to her...
Online team building that is actually fun
In Fall 2020, I met Jed and Sophia Lazar and had a chance to try their online team-building game, “Cozy, Juicy, Real.” I was put on a team with 3 strangers and sent to a zoom breakout room. In addition to me, our team consisted of one woman from Mexico, a woman from...
My favorite tool for meaningful engagement online
As a professional facilitator, I am always looking for new tools to create experiences for the groups I work with. Whether it is training, team building, or strategic planning, I find that groups are able to reach new insights when they have a meaningful experience...
How I used Human Centered Design Thinking to Create Life After AmeriCorps Programs
I am an Organizational Development Consultant and I work with a lot of AmeriCorps programs and State Commissions. In my own pursuit of learning, I took a free course last year called Intro to Human-Centered Design, led by Acumen. If you’ve never seen Acumen’s course...
Meet Corina Sadler, CVA
I first met Corina Sadler when I stopped in Plano Texas on a road trip and reconnected with my friend Robin, who had served as the director of Volunteers in Plano for decades. Robin was getting ready to retire and was very excited to introduce me to her protégé...
Virtual Meetings Can be Enhanced with Low Tech Old School Methods
Congratulations, you have now been working for over a year during a pandemic. You have learned new technology. You have adjusted your audio / visual setup. You may have even gone beyond Zoom to try tools like Wonder or Mural or Miro. Before you devote any more time...
#60 Smalls Steps Towards a Healthier Community
David Martinez III describes himself as a black sheep of his family, a middle child of 6 kids from rural southern Arizona. He was the first in his family to attend college and during college he served as a member of the Board of Regents. He describes the pressure of...
How Can We Help Exiting AmeriCorps Members Succeed in the Time of COVID?
It’s been a hard year for AmeriCorps programs. With the pandemic upending our lives, we’ve all had to find ways to adapt. Whether it’s adjusting to remote work and online collaboration tools or simply figuring out how to support our members while continuing to serve...
#59 Running for Office During a Pandemic
This is the follow up to episode 44 with Becky Daggett. I recommend listening to episode 44 first. In this episode... Did Becky win her election? What happened to her campaign during the pandemic? Is she still crazy about kittens and puppies? All of this and more in...
#44 (Rebroadcast) Running for City Council with a 360 View of the Community
Becky Daggett has been a volunteer leader in the Flagstaff community since she was an eleven year old organizing fundraisers for the Humane Society. After a career that spans the sectors of art, economic development, environment, education, and politics, Becky is now...
#58 Speaking Up for Yourself and Others
Newly elected to Town Council of Clarkdale, Marney Babbitt is navigating what it means to her to lead, to serve, and to find her voice. In this episode we learn more about her election journey as well as her stories about growing up in a service-oriented family and...
Icebreakers you can do in a video call
When meetings are held in person, they naturally include a little settling into the room time. Often people greet one another and chat as they wait for the meeting to begin. In the past, even if you didn't structure it into your meeting or workshop, participants were...
Using a flip chart instead of slides – even on video!
Since our meetings, check-ins, workshops, and basically everything have moved online, we are staring at our screens all day. What I have found is that people miss tangible experiences. It is sometimes hard to differentiate between watching a recorded video and being a...
#57 Fusing a Love of Food and Science
Abby Chan is a dietician and business owner in Flagstaff Arizona who believes that building community is core to what she is doing in her work. We discuss her inspiring grandparents and great-grandparents as well as her love of science and food and her vision for her...