program orientation fall 2011

Program OrientationProgram OrientationFall 2011Fall 2011

AmeriCorps is a network of local, state, and national service programs that

connects more than 70,000 Americans each year in intensive service to

meet our country’s critical needs.

1. AmeriCorps*State and National

2. AmeriCorps*VISTA

3. AmeriCorps*NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps)

• www.americorps.gov

• ADVANCE is a national education award program serving North Carolina & Virginia

• Funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service, an independent federal agency.

• ADVANCE is sponsored by North Carolina Campus Compact, a coalition of 44 colleges and universities in North Carolina that builds the capacity of colleges and universities to produce civically- engaged graduates and strengthen communities.

• www.nccampuscompact.org

• ADVANCE program materials are located on the NC Campus Compact website.

Program SummaryADVANCE = AmeriCorps Dedicated to Virginia and North Carolina Children Excelling

•College students mentor K-12 at-risk youth

Partners:•Communities in Schools of North Carolinawww.cisnc.org

•Virginia Mentoring Partnershipwww.vamentoring.org

•Members complete 300 hours of service in one year

* members are encouraged to complete their hours between September and June in order to parallel the academic year for mentees

10 months is the

target!*

Overview of Terms

• Campus Host Site (CHS) – the eligible institution of higher education that hosts the ADVANCE program

•AmeriCorps Member – a student (can be full or part-time, undergraduate or graduate) at the CHS who participates in the program

•Campus Coordinator – the staff or faculty Member at the CHS who facilitates the program locally

•Campus Cluster – the group of ADVANCE AmeriCorps Members from each campus

•Service Site – community school or organization that will host the AmeriCorps Members

•Site Supervisor – individual at the participating Service Sites who will supervise the AmeriCorps Members

1. College students mentor K-12 at-risk youth

2. The school attendance rates of participating K-12 youth improve. (2011-12 Performance Measure)

3. Members engage in additional activities at their Service Sites that support mentees and their families

4. Members become part of a multi-state peer network

5. Members receive support and training to increase their mentoring knowledge, skills and effectiveness

Program Goals

5. Members plan and implement at least two community improvement projects (with their mentees) - one tied to a national day of service

6. Campuses become agents of civic engagement responding to local education needs

7. Mentors and mentees will develop civic knowledge, skills and attitudes

Program Goals continued…

Who is Eligible for Who is Eligible for ADVANCE? ADVANCE?

Student must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or alawful permanent resident alien of the United States.

• Member must show Campus Coordinator an original document from the list on the next slide.

Discrimination PolicyParticipation in the Corporation and its programs and

projects will be based on merit and equal opportunity for all, without regard to factors such as race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, political affiliation, marital or parental status, military service, or religious, community, or social affiliations.

Acceptable Eligibility Acceptable Eligibility DocumentsDocuments

•Birth Certificate from one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, or the Northern Mariana Islands•Valid U.S. Passport issued to the individual as a U.S. citizen•U.S. Dept. of State Form FS-240, Report of Birth Abroad of a Citizen of the United States•U.S. Dept. of State Form FS-545, Certificate of Birth-Foreign Service•U.S. Dept. of State Form DS-1350, Certificate of Report of Birth•INS certificate of naturalization (INS Form N-550 or N-570)•INS certificate of citizenship (INS Form N-560 or N-561)•Permanent Resident Card (INS Form I-551)•Alien Registration Receipt Card (INS Form I-551)•A passport indicating that the INS has approved it as a temporary evidence of lawful admission for permanent residence•A Departure Record (INS Form I-94) indicating that the INS has approved it as a temporary evidence of lawful admission for permanent residence

The Enrollment Process

STEP ONE

Member completes two Orientations (in-person & online)

The 4-Part Enrollment Process

STEP TWO

Members signs Criminal Background Check verification form and submits to Campus Coordinator. Member shows proof of eligibility documentation to Coordinator.

STEP FOUR

Member submits the Final Enrollment forms.

Final Enrollment Checklist

Member Contract

Online Orientation Verification Page

STEP THREE

Once background check clears, NC Campus Compact initiates invitation e-mail to student with link to online enrollment form.

• The date the Member Contract is signed is the Start Date. A member can start serving hours that day.

• Once NC Campus Compact receives the Member Contract, member will receive a “welcome e-mail.”

• Member selects a site and completes the Service Summary with their Site Supervisor.

• Service Summary due at same time as 1st time log

Enrollment Continued…

Background Checks

• Criminal Background Check completed on every applicant by Asurint

• Search of the State Criminal Registry and National Sex Offender registry. 

• Automatic disqualification – sex offender or murder conviction

Alert!Alert!Alert!

If there is an alert on the Background Check, all non-traffic violations will be referred to the Campus Coordinator for final decision.

• Commit to program

• Attend in-person orientation and complete online orientation

• Complete online enrollment form through the My AmeriCorps website

• Select site – complete Service Summary

• Serve hours weekly

• 5 hours minimum mentee contact• Support Service Site• Plan and implement two service projects with Campus Cluster

ADVANCE Member Responsibilities

• Participate in Service Site or program related trainings

• Complete monthly time logs

• Participate in a minimum of three Reflection Sessions

• Complete Exit paperwork

ADVANCE Member Responsibilities

• Member completes online logs monthly through the My Service Log system. http://www.advancelog.org/

• Member prints and submits to Site Supervisor for their signature.

• Member gives to Campus Coordinator to approve online.

• NC Campus Compact approves by the 15th of the following month.

Time Log Process

At the end of the month, each member will receive an e-mail or text message reminder to print the time log and have

their Site Supervisor sign it.

Exit Process

The Education AwardThe Education Award

Upon completion of hours and program requirements, members are eligible for an $1175 Education Award.

Can be kept for up to 7 years

The Education The Education AwardAward

Qualified student loans:

• Loans backed by the federal government under Title IV of the Higher Education Act or under Titles VII or VIII of the Public Health Service Act.

• Student loan made by a state agency, including state institutions of higher education.

May not be used to repay any other type of loan, even if the loan was obtained for educational purposes. This includes PRIVATE loans.

CURRENT educational expenses/cost of attendance at a qualified institution of higher education. Each school's financial aid office determines a student's cost of attendance based upon standard U.S. Department of Education guidance.

---OR---

The Education Award can be used to pay for:

• Members must participate in 3 reflections facilitated by the Campus Coordinator

• Based on the Civic Reflection Model

http://www.civicreflection.org/

Reflection

Member Development/Training Activities

20% of a members hours can be member development/training.

This is approximately 60 hours. Activities that are:

1. instructional and support a members’ ability to serve effectively in their placement or

2. improve the members skills, knowledge and self-awareness

Examples include:

• Orientations

• Trainings

• Reflection Sessions

• Cluster meetings and conferences

• Professional conferences and workshops relevant to mentoring/youth development

What Counts as Direct Service?

Direct Service activities are those that directly impact the site or clients. Examples include:

• Mentoring

• Recruiting, training, placing volunteers

• Planning and implementing service projects

• Service site activities that assist mentees, their families and local community

AmeriCorps Members, like private citizens, may participate in any of the prohibited activities on their own time, at their own expense, and at their own initiative. They may not count that time toward an AmeriCorps term of service and may not wear AmeriCorps service gear in such instances.

Prohibited Activities

Prohibited Political Activities:

• Participating in efforts to influence legislation or lobbying for your program

• Organizing a letter writing campaign to Congress

• Engaging in partisan political activities

• Voter registration drives

• Organizing or participating in protests, petitions, boycotts, or strikes

Prohibited Religious Affairs:

• Engaging in religious instruction

• Conducting worship services

• Engaging in any form of religious proselytizing

Prohibited Activities

Prohibited Union Activities include:

• Assisting, promoting or deterring union organizing

• Impairing existing contracts for services or collective bargaining agreements

Prohibited For-Profit Activities:

• Providing a direct benefit for a for-profit entity, labor union, a partisan political organization or an organization engaged in religious activities

Prohibited Safety Factors

• Participating in activities that pose a significant safety risk to participants

Prohibited Activities

In general, AmeriCorps Members cannot assist their organizations withmajor fundraising efforts. However, Corporation policy permits some limited activities related to fundraising by AmeriCorps Members to the extent that such activities:

• Are not funding the agency’s capital or operating costs;

• Provide immediate and direct support to a specific and direct service activity;

• Fall within the program’s approved direct service objectives;

• Are not the primary activity of the program;

• Do not involve writing federal grants;

• Are less than 10% (30 hours) of the total 300 hours to be served

Fundraising

If a Member experiences a compelling personal circumstance/ situation beyond their control, that hinders their ability to continue serving, they may request to be suspended (up to 3 months).

Possible situations include: • disability or serious illness• disability, serious illness, or death of a Member’s family• military service obligations; or • conditions attributable to the Program or otherwise

unforeseeable and beyond the Member’s control, such as relocation of a spouse, natural disaster, a strike, or the non-renewal or premature closing of the Service Site or program.

Must submit to Campus Coordinator a written request The period of suspension will be added to the term of service

Suspension - Compelling Personal Circumstances

If the member cannot continue serving due tocompelling personal circumstances, they mayrequest to be released from service.

If served more than 15% of the service hours, s/he may be eligible to receive a partial education award.

Release from Service – Compelling Personal Circumstances

Compelling personal circumstances do not include leaving ADVANCE:

to transfer schools (please note that if the new campus is also a Campus Host Site for ADVANCE, every effort will be made to link the Member to a new Service Site);

because of change in class schedule or non-related work hours;

to obtain employment; or because of dissatisfaction with the Program.  Such situations will result in exit from the program without earning Such situations will result in exit from the program without earning

an award. an award.

Release from Service – Compelling Personal Circumstances

A release for cause encompasses circumstances other than personal and

compelling circumstances that warrant a Member’s release prior tocompleting the term of service including:   Member has dropped out of program without obtaining a release

for compelling personal circumstances; Member has been convicted of a violent felony or the sale or

distribution of a controlled substance; Member has committed a fourth offense in accordance with

ADVANCE Standards of Conduct (see Member Contract); Member fails to log hours for three consecutive months without

prior approval Any other serious breach that, in the judgment of the Program

Director, would undermine the effectiveness of the program.

Release from Service - Cause

More Information

Visit the ADVANCE website – www.nccampuscompact.org Visit the ADVANCE website – www.nccampuscompact.org