Association of Farmworker Opportunity ProgramsCarla Ganiel, Senior Program & Project Specialist

AmeriCorps State and National

Topics

• What is AmeriCorps?

• Economic Opportunity Focus Area/Job Training Programs

• Serving in AmeriCorps

Corporation for National & Community Service (CNCS)

• Created in 1993 through the signing of the National and Community Service Trust Act

• Nation’s largest grant maker supporting service and volunteering

• Engages millions of Americans in service each year

• Sponsors and promotes a variety of special initiatives and days of service

What is AmeriCorps?

AmeriCorps

AmeriCorps State and National

• Awards grants to non-profits, faith & community-based organizations, public agencies, Indian tribes, and institutions of higher education.

• Provides opportunities for individuals – AmeriCorps members – to serve communities across the country.

• Since 1994, more than 900,000 men and women have provided service as AmeriCorps members.

AmeriCorps State and National Grants

• Provide partial funding to support AmeriCorps projects/programs. Grant recipients must contribute cash or in-kind match funds

• Solely for program expenses and not for general organizational expenses

• Include an allotment of AmeriCorps member positions and funds that are directly tied to the number of members

Focus Areas

• Disaster Services• Healthy Futures• Economic Opportunity• Education• Environmental Stewardship• Veterans and Military Families• Organizational Capacity Building

Economic Opportunity Focus Area

• 17% of AmeriCorps Portfolio

• Interventions Include– Financial Literacy

– Job Training/Placement

– Housing Services

Job Training/Placement

• More than 60 grantees provide job training/placement interventions

• More than 1,000 members provide services

• Currently, no programs focus specifically on farm workers, but several focus on immigrants and refugees

NFJP Service Locations

• Eastern Maine Development Corporation– Bangor AmeriCorps Opportunity Collaborative

– Job Training

• Telamon Corporation– LifeBridge AmeriCorps

– Financial literacy, job training, education, health

• Community Council of Idaho– Idaho Healthcare for Children and Families AmeriCorps

– Health needs of children enrolled in Head Start

• OIC of Washington– Washington Service Corps

– Education, disaster, health, veterans & military families

Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska

• Combines targeted pre-employment case management and traditional workforce development interventions

• AmeriCorps members provide individualized services that program staff cannot

• Measures improvement on Client Goal Attainment Scale after 90 days of case management

Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska

• 2008 study in the American Journal of Psychiatric Rehabilitation demonstrated that case management teams blending members with relevant academic credentialing and members from beneficiary populations have improved outcomes compared to those composed only of professionally trained staff

• LFS actively recruits AmeriCorps members from beneficiary populations

AmeriCorps Eligibility

• Age– At least 17 years of age

– Out-of-school youth at least 16 years of age if focused on developing economic self-sufficiency of members ages 16-24

AmeriCorps Eligibility

Education• High school diploma or equivalent• Agree to obtain a high school diploma or

equivalent prior to using the Education Award• Cannot drop out of school to enroll in AmeriCorps

AmeriCorps Eligibility

Citizenship• Must be a citizen, national or lawful permanent

resident alien of the United States

Other• Must satisfy criminal history check eligibility

Member Recruitment

• Programs develop qualifications and position descriptions based on program design

• Many programs seek to recruit economically disadvantaged individuals or members of the target population served by the program

Benefits

• Living allowance (Minimum $12,530 for full-time member)

• Education Award ($5,730 for full-time member)• Health Care• Child Care (if qualified)

Farm Workers and Family Members

• Part-time opportunities• Residential programs• Programs focused on helping members complete

GED or gain employment skills• Programs serving immigrant communities

Volunteering as a Pathway to Employment

• CNCS study using data from the 2001-2012 Current Population Survey to explore the extent to which volunteering can maximize chances of finding employment

• Volunteering is associated with a 27% higher odds of employment, statistically significant at 99.9% confidence level

Volunteering as a Pathway to Employment

• The association between volunteering and employment had the strongest effect on individuals without a high school diploma or equivalent (51% increase in odds) and individuals who live in rural areas (55% increase in odds)

Additional Information

CNCS Website: http://www.nationalservice.gov/

Find and Apply for AmeriCorps positions: https://my.americorps.gov/mp/login.do

Volunteering as a Pathway to Employment

http://www.nationalservice.gov/impact-our-nation/research-and-reports/volunteering-pathway-employment-report