New VISTAs in Town…
Posted by SCC on Monday, August 3rd, 2009.
My first impression of Durango is that it is a truly magical place. The endorphin level of the locals must be at least 78% higher than the average American. The sun is shining, crews of friends are out floating the river, mountain biking, running, and playing with their dogs. Everyone seems happy. Is this place for real? Could this mini utopia really be my AmeriCorps VISTA location? I’ve decided to stop asking questions and simply ride this one out.
My name is Krista Hansen and I am very excited to join the SCC team as one of the new AmeriCorps VISTAs. In logistical terms, Jonathan, (the rock crusher from the previous post) and I are working towards strengthening the marketing, visibility, and sustainability of the organization. We are deep in brainstorming mode now, but are planning to create video documentaries from the field, crew member/crew leader profiles, message boards for connecting past and present members, a community service project involving all program sites, and much more!
Before Jonathan and I started work at the SCC office, we participated in a four day Pre-Service Orientation (PSO) in Albuquerque, New Mexico to get fully acquainted with the goals and duties of an AmeriCorps VISTA. VISTA: Volunteers in Service to America, is one of AmeriCorps service programs designed to fight poverty through the leverage of human, financial, and material resources. There were over 100 new VISTAs from organizations all around the United States attending the conference. Believe it or not, the eight hour days spent in lectures were actually extremely interesting due to dynamic facilitators, the startling urgency of the topics at hand, and the networks formed with other VISTAs.
So how will our role as VISTAs affect the SCC? The “behind the scenes” efforts like increasing on-line marketing and social networking systems will aid in securing resources, facilitating growth, and further engaging SCC alumni. We believe that these efforts will not only increase the job opportunities for diverse crews of young people, but we will also add to the number of conservation projects. This idea of providing an income, while simultaneously completing critical conservation work, is exactly what drew me to find out more about the Southwest Conservation Corps. Jonathan and I are excited to get started, so keep your eyes open for these upcoming changes!
