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| AmeriCorps Update
02.10.2014
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| IMPORTANT DEADLINES + EVENTS
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| February 20, 2014 Monthly Grantee Call: OneStar Updates from the Field.
February 27-28, 2014 Civic Reflection Facilitator Training (Austin, TX).
February 28, 2014 Member Inclusion & Experience Survey Deadline. See below or
click here for details.
March 25-26, 2014 New AmeriCorps Staff Orientation (NASO) (Austin, TX). Registration coming soon!
March 27-28, 2014 All-Grantee Meeting (Austin, TX). Registration coming soon!
April 1, 2014 Mayors Day of Recognition for National Service.
Click here for details.
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| February is Education Month!
The month of February is here and in honor of the AmeriCorps 20th Anniversary, CNCS has designated February as Education Month! This month, CNCS will highlight all of the amazing work AmeriCorps members are doing in schools across the country. We will blog, tweet, and share your work - and we need you to join us! CNCS has put together a
toolkit with some key dates and ideas for getting involved, as well as other helpful information and message points about the breadth of our education-focused work. There’s a little something for everyone, but here are a few highlights: - Feb. 4, 2014: Share the AmeriCorps 20 Education badge (Find it on the AmeriCorps
Facebook page by February 4)
- Feb. 10, 2014: AmeriCorps mad libs! Complete the following statement: I teach/taught ______ in AmeriCorps, but AmeriCorps taught me ________________. Share it with us on social media!
- Feb. 14, 2014: Tell your fans why you love AmeriCorps and share the “I <3 AmeriCorps” badge (Find it on the AmeriCorps
Facebook page by February 14)
- Feb. 20, 2014: Twitter chat with CNCS CEO Wendy Spencer
- Feb. 24, 2014: Higher Education Day
- Feb. 25, 2014: Day of the "A"! Find a way to show us the "A" in your classroom, school, or service site.
If you have any questions, please contact your OneStar Grants Officers or the CNCS Press Office at
pressoffice@cns.gov.
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| Member Inclusion & Experience Survey
We are excited to announce the launch of the 2014 Member Inclusion and Experience Survey! The purpose of the survey is to assess the current climate of inclusion and overall member experience within Texas AmeriCorps and VISTA programs. Please send the link to all of your current AmeriCorps members and ask them to complete the survey by Friday, February 28. Deadline: Friday, February 28th at 11:59 PM Central The survey should take approximately 15 minutes for members to complete. As previously stated, the survey will collect information on member experiences around AmeriCorps*Texas service engagement and gauge experiences of inclusion and acceptance of diversity, including disability inclusion and accommodation requests. Results of the survey will be shared at the All Grantee Meeting and will guide future trainings for AmeriCorps programs in order to provide members with more inclusive service experiences. Individual responses to the survey will be kept confidential. Please encourage all of your AmeriCorps members to complete the survey; programs who receive sufficient member responses will also receive compiled results specific to your program. Unfortunately, due to limited staff capacity we are unable to offer this year’s survey in paper form or a Spanish translation of the survey. We sincerely apologize for this limitation.
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| Encourage Your Mayor to Participate in Mayors Day of Recognition for National Service!
To spotlight the impact of AmeriCorps and Senior Corps and thank those who serve, mayors across the country are invited to participate in the second annual Mayors Day of Recognition for National Service on April 1, 2014. On this day, mayors will hold public events and use traditional and social media to highlight the value and impact of national service in our cities.
Last year, Texas led the nation as the #1 state with 58 participating mayors (out of 832 mayors nationally). This year, our goal is to continue this tradition by reaching 90 participating mayors! Participation is easy and flexible. We are asking mayors to issue proclamations, hold public events, and use traditional and social media to highlight the impact of national service to your cities. Mayors are encouraged to: - Issue a proclamation
- Visit a national service program
- Invite national service programs to City Hall for a roundtable on service
- Put out a press release, report or Op-Ed on the impact of national service in your city
- Join with a local AmeriCorps or Senior Corps program on a service project
- Use Twitter, Facebook, and other social media outlets to thank those who serve (using the hashtag #Mayors4Service)
- Take a group photo with all national service members in your city
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| Registration Now Open for 2014 Conference on Volunteering and Service!
Registration is now open for the
Points of Light Conference on Volunteering and Service, June 16-18, 2014, in Atlanta, Ga! The Conference is the largest convening of service leaders from all walks of life, sectors, races and religions, and political persuasions, united to lead the dynamic, ever-expanding, international volunteer service movement.
The first 500 people to
register will be entered in a drawing to win one of FIVE Platinum Conference Packages, including complimentary registration, hotel accommodations and round trip airfare to Atlanta.
This year’s Conference will showcase those on the forefront of the service revolution who have new ideas and proven solutions to tough community problems. Participants will hear from dynamic voices who meld digital prowess with down-home inspiration, provocative thinking with old-fashioned activism – to drive, empower and engage volunteers toward positive solutions. Join us as we share best practices, learn about new tools, technologies and strategies for engaging volunteers, and prove that, no matter the challenge or opportunity, service unites.
Visit
www.volunteeringandservice.org to register and find all the latest news on the 2014 Conference. We hope to see you in Atlanta!
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| New Evaluation Resource for AmeriCorps*State and National
CNCS has just created a central homepage on the National Service Knowledge Network for guidance related to AmeriCorps Evaluation Requirements and best practices.
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| Monthly Grantee Call Next Week – Updates from the Field
Join OneStar next Thursday, February 20th from 1:00-2:00pm Central for our Monthly Grantee Call. This month’s theme will be Updates from the Field, hosted by Emily Steinberg, Associate Director, AmeriCorps*Texas. Topics will include: Spring Training Updates, Monthly Call Schedule Changes, AmeriCorps Health Care, Mayors Day of Recognition for National Service, and more.
The call is optional and will be recorded for those who cannot attend. No advance registration is needed.
To join, simply dial: Dial: 1-800-944-8766 Participant Code: 36027
Mark your calendars now for the following calls in 2014 (all third Thursdays from 1-2pm Central): - March - NO CALL. Please note: the March 20th Informal Peer Call will be cancelled due to All-Grantee Meeting.
- April 17 – OneStar Updates from the Field
- May 15 – Informal Peer-led Call
- June 19 – OneStar Updates from the Field
- July 17 – Informal Peer-led Call
- August 21 – OneStar Updates from the Field
- September 18 – Informal Peer-led Call
- October 16 – OneStar Updates from the Field
- November 20 – Informal Peer-led Call
- December 18 – OneStar Updates from the Field
If you have a peer topic suggestion or would like to host one of the Informal Peer Calls listed above, please contact your OneStar Grants Officers.
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| President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll Webinars
CNCS is hosting two upcoming webinars to help institutions of higher education complete their applications for the 2014 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. To participate, please click on one of the dates below to register: These sessions will review the application questions in detail, provide background on the scoring process, institutional commitment, project narratives, and answer participant’s questions. These webinars are important because the application deadline is April 3 at 5:00pm ET.
Please share this widely with any Texas-based Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) you partner or collaborate with and encourage them to apply! For all the information you need about the Honor Roll, including previous webinars, visit CNCS’ one-stop
resource page.
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| Public Comment Period – AmeriCorps Competitive Advantage Study
CNCS’ Office of Research and Evaluation has undertaken a new AmeriCorps Competitive Advantage study to identify any competitive advantage in the job market that may be conferred by AmeriCorps experience. The results of the analysis will inform CNCS policy at large, programming content and policy, and further lines of research around economic outcomes of national service members. This is a new information collection request. This study would administer a 15 minute, online survey to a sample of managers with hiring authority in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. The survey consists of a section comprised of experimental questions regarding managers' hiring preferences when considering applicant skill and experience profiles, and a section of demographic questions. You may access the survey document, as well as make any comments you might have, at The comment period ends on March 24, 2014.
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| New RSVP Grants Announced!
On January 31 st, CNCS announced more than $13 million in funding to support organizations and nonprofits across the nation. The organizations will leverage the experience and skills of
RSVP Senior Corps volunteers who serve in schools, conservation projects, disaster response initiatives, veterans’ services, and other areas. More than 73,000 senior volunteers will serve through 175 organizations receiving awards in 41 states. These funds were awarded as part of a grant competition for RSVP, one of three Senior Corps programs administered by CNCS. Selected grantees plan to address a variety of community issues including emergency response efforts, early childhood education, military families, and environmental stewardship.
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| 2014 AmeriCorps Indian Tribes Notice of Funding Opportunity
CNCS has just released its
2014 AmeriCorps Indian Tribes Notice of Funding Opportunity. Through this initiative, CNCS seeks to prioritize the investment of national service resources in economic opportunity, education, veterans and military families, and disaster services in Native American communities.
Only federally-recognized Indian Tribes and tribal organizations are eligible to
apply to this competition. “Indian Tribe” is defined as a federally recognized Indian Tribe, band, nation, or other organized group or community, including any Native village, Regional Corporation, or Village Corporation, as defined under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. § 1602), that the United States Government determines is eligible for special programs and services provided under federal law to Indians because of their status as Indians. Indian Tribes also include tribal organizations controlled, sanctioned, or chartered by one of the entities described above.
Applications are due Wednesday, April 30, 2014 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. CNCS expects that successful applicants will be notified no later than June 20, 2014.
Click here to view the NOFO, application instructions, performance measure instructions, and related presentations.
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| Take the #YouthPower Pledge It's time to get ready for
Global Youth Service Day 2014! All around the world, young people are preparing for community service and celebration events on Global Youth Service Day, April 11-13. Whether you're a kid or an adult, whether you're in Armenia, America, or Abu Dhabi (or anywhere else in the world), the Global Youth Service Day campaign website is loaded with tips and tools to help you plan your Global Youth Service Day events.
Get started with these 3 simple steps.
Show your support for Global Youth Service Day and take the #YouthPower pledge: "In celebration of Global Youth Service Day 2014, I honor the kids and teens who are making a difference in our communities every day." Add your name now at
www.GYSD.org.
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| Why Service Matters: ACE AmeriCorps Reflections on MLK Day of Service This week, we spotlight A Community for Education (ACE) AmeriCorps at the University of Texas at Austin’s Charles A. Dana Center. ACE AmeriCorps members recently participated in the 2014 MLK Day of Service and wrote about what their experience meant to them in their blog “Alphabet Avenue.” As ACE AmeriCorps tutor Eliza Weeks writes: “As we stood in our ACE shirts in the crowd of spectators in front of the State Capitol, we were red dots in a sea of individuals united under one cause. After a series of inspiring speeches, musical performances, and recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the crowd began to march to the beat of a high school drum line. Standing near the back, I watched as a line of what seemed to be thousands of people filled Eleventh Street, spanning the asphalt from curb to curb. The crowed was made up of community members and organizations but as we marched, each with different strides, we all became one... Had we not had a day of service on Monday, I most likely would not have meditated on the true impact a great person can make on a country or what our individual service as tutors and as members of
AmeriCorps truly means. More than anything, my experience with AmeriCorps this year has made me wish that everyone in this country could have a similar service experience. There are certain days I feel that I am not making a large impact on my community, but Monday helped me to remember that I am part of greater community-wide effort to encourage everyone to give back in one way or another." Thank you to Eliza, Mary Ellen, and the rest of the ACE AmeriCorps program for dedicating this day of service to Dr. King’s legacy and writing so eloquently about what service means to them!
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| Civic Reflection Training Services Request Form OneStar is pleased to once again offer Civic Reflection training services to its grantees, national service programs, and eligible organizations throughout the state of Texas. The two types of services offered are Civic Reflection Discussions and Civic Reflection Facilitation Workshops. Civic reflection uses short, thought-provoking images, video or readings from literature, history, or philosophy to open up important questions in civic life and explore the underlying values and beliefs that drive our shared work in the world. AmeriCorps programs have utilized the practice of civic reflection as a tool in such areas as member development, staff development, and member retention.
Reasonable Accommodation Request Form OneStar receives specific funding to support grantees with reasonable accommodation requests for members and/or potential members. If you need to request funds to provide a reasonable accommodation for a member or potential member, please complete the request form at
http://www.tfaforms.com/167676.
Updating Program Contact Information If during the year, you have any changes, additions, or deletions to your program’s contacts, please update your program’s Authorized Representative Form (ARF) by visiting
http://www.tfaforms.com/159770. This site allows you to add, remove, and/or update contacts at any time and you only need to enter the contact information for the person(s) you need to update. As a reminder, OneStar requires the following roles to be designated and corresponding contact information to be on file: - Legal Authorized Signatory
- Primary Program Contact
- Primary Fiscal Contact
- Secondary Contacts (Primary or Fiscal) – as applicable
Please note that it is a grantee requirement to update this form within 10 working days of a change in your program’s key personnel assigned to your AmeriCorps project.
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