Dear Readers,

I am proud to bring you the final issue of VYT Voices featuring the 2013-2014 Vermont Youth

Tomorrow A*VISTA team. It seems like only yesterday that we were gathered together in

Montpelier for our August 2013 orientation.

In this newsletter, I asked members to discuss their achievements and legacy at their sites. I

hope that you enjoy reading their stories and reflections. Please join me and the VYT staff in

thanking them for their service.

In service, Anna Houston VYT A*VISTA Leader 2013-2014 VYT Voices Editor

Volume 12

Issue 3

Vermont Youth Tomorrow

A*VISTA Program

VYT VOICES

Summer 2014

I ns i de th i s

i s sue :

Justin Henry 2

Ashley Piatt 3

Daron Blake 4

Michelle Sayles 5

Ali Siegel 6

Anna Berg 7

Alaina Wermers 8

Kate Cahalane 9

Sara Pierce 10

Mark Hengstler 11

VYT Contact Information 12

The 2013-2014 VYT A*VISTA team at the end of service

celebration in Randolph, VT.

This past year I served as the

Communications and Outreach

Coordinator for both the

Vermont Affordable Housing

Coalition (VAHC) and the

Vermont Coalition to End

Homelessness (VCEH).

Throughout my service I worked

to strengthen capacity and

deepen the collaboration between

both coalitions. Housing

insecurity and lack of safe and

affordable housing are among the

most serious issues facing

low-income Vermonters. Both

VAHC and VCEH play critical roles

in in increasing affordable housing

options and reducing homeless-

ness for Vermont families.

This year I have developed for

both Coalitions new communica-

tion strategies, and

increased our information sharing

to each coalition’s members and

the public. I also assisted in the

launch of a new website for VCEH

and an updated and improved

blog for VAHC. My position, joint-

ly serving the two organizations,

has helped increased collabora-

tion between those in the afford-

able housing world and those

working in the homelessness

services field. I organized many

meetings and events that were

attended by members of each

coalition. Being the Communica-

tions Coordinator I shared critical

information, resources, and best

practices which contributed to

developing stronger relationships

among the 80 plus organizations

of both VCEH and VAHC.

A specific project I also took a

lead role in was in the planning

and implementation of this year's

Point-In-Time (PIT) Count of the

state's homeless population. The

PIT Count is critical for numerous

organizations and in securing

funding for HUD Continuum of

Care & Emergency Solutions

Programs, HHS Runaway &

Homeless Youth Programs,

Veterans Affairs Homeless

Programs, and others.

I believe my service has

contributed to improving the

efficiency of both coalitions in

their service to low income

Vermonters. My sense of

accomplishment this year

comes from seeing more

people become part of the

conversation, more involved, and

more aware of the issues many

Vermonters face and the

challenges we must overcome to

end homelessness in the state.

Page 2 Volume 12, Issue 3

Justin Henry, VYT A*VISTA member

The Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition &

the Vermont Coalition to End Homelessness

Burlington, Vermont

Save the date!

On September 12, 2014, AmeriCorps members across

the country will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of

AmeriCorps. Here in Vermont, join us at the statehouse and

online for a special event! Additional details will be available

in the coming weeks on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

Justin at the VAHC-VCEH office.

My service is important to my

community because I have spent

the last year building and

strengthening connections

between the people through my

service site. Through the

mentoring program, I have

helped to foster positive,

one-on-one relationships between

adults and children. I have also

spent the year building

connections between the 4—6th

grade students that come to the

Open Center program to help the

older and younger kids learn from

one another socially in a safe and

nurturing environment. I have

built connections between the

Cornerstone Bridges to Life

Community Center and other

local organizations, groups, and

individuals by helping with PR for

events and collaborating on

community service projects. I

have also developed a connection

between my community and the

AmeriCorps program so that the

youth know there is an

opportunity for them to travel,

serve people, and get an educa-

tion in the professional and per-

sonal sense. I may not get to see

the end result of my service, but I

know that I have made a

difference in the lives of people

in this community. And that is

enough of a legacy for me.

Ashley Piatt, VYT A*VISTA member

Cornerstone Bridges to Life Community Center

Richford, Vermont

Page 3 Volume 12, Issue 3

Ashley with the Girls on Track team.

“I have also developed a connection between my community and the AmeriCorps

program so that the youth know there is an opportunity for them to travel, serve

people, and get an education in the professional and personal sense.”

As I complete my year of

service with Mobius, Vermont’s

Mentoring Partnership, I leave

many statewide initiatives to be

continued and expanded by the

next AmeriCorps VISTA in this

position. 2013 and 2014 have

been busy years for Mobius as the

organization expands into its new

role as the statewide mentoring

partnership. In my role as the

Communications and Technology

Specialist, I have created Ver-

mont’s Mentoring Newsletter, a

monthly e-newsletter which con-

nects mentors, programs, and

community partners across the

state. This newsletter also reach-

es our national partners and helps

to solidify Mobius’ online presence

and out of state connections.

In the second half of my year of

service, my focus has been on the

statewide expansion of the Mobi-

us Mentor Discount Card, a re-

source for mentor pairs which

connects the mentoring move-

ment with community businesses.

The previous mentor discount

card focused on Chittenden Coun-

ty businesses, and as of Septem-

ber 2014, this card will include

businesses across Vermont. I am

currently contacting existing busi-

ness partners to renew and up-

date our agreement, while com-

municating with mentors and

mentoring programs to identify

new business partners which

could offer useful discounts to

mentor pairs. This card provides

affordable activities for volunteer

mentors to share with their

mentees.

I am excited to see where the

next VISTA takes this program in

the coming year. Initiatives like

the newsletter and mentor

discount card are multifunctional;

these projects strengthen the

connections within the statewide

mentoring movement, and also

provide affordable and accessible

opportunities for mentors and

young Vermonters to share and

connect with their local

community.

Daron Blake, VYT A*VISTA member

Mobius, Vermont’s Mentoring Partnership

Winooski, Vermont

Page 4 Volume 12, Issue 3

Daron & ECHO AmeriCorps member Nyame Nti Aya Fawohodie serve

together at Community Science Night for mentoring programs at ECHO.

ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center is one of the many organizations

offering discounts for mentors through the Mobius Mentor Discount Card.

In the nine months, I‘ve started

carving out a niche for myself in

the City of Burlington as not just

a transplant serving temporary

deployment, but as a more

long-term resident and integral

piece of this community.

Committing myself to a year of

service was my initial goal, but I

soon realized that to fully support

the efforts of the tenant

associations I was helping to

form, I would need to recommit to

another year and carry on the

work I had started. My role has

been one of mentor and counse-

lor, always listening to, learning

from, and interpreting the stories

that I hear to unite neighbors in

common purpose. I have seen

residents struggling to create in-

clusive tenants group when so

many of their neighbors do not

share a common language. In

one of the buildings where I work,

residents wonder how they can

help spread the word to all of their

neighbors when something as

simple as the elevator breaks, or

help when a person is locked out

of their apartment. If you are

living as a non-English speaking

refugee in a large multifamily

housing development, your ability

to take part in meetings and share

in the flow of information through

a building can be limited. Now in

some buildings, I am helping

resident leaders incorporate those

concerns into the important topics

that need to be addressed. For

those with language barriers, or

those who are unaware of their

rights as tenants, the most essen-

tial role that I can play is that of

an educator. I’ve seen residents

light up with enthusiasm reading

through HUD regulations and

manuals as if they held the key to

a higher state of dignity. Step by

step, I see that spreading this in-

formation can help others over-

come the poverty that is borne of

not knowing one’s own worth.

Page 5 Volume 12, Issue 3

Michelle Sayles, VYT A*VISTA member

Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition

Burlington, Vermont

“For those with language barriers, or those who are unaware of their rights as tenants,

the most essential role that I can play is that of an educator.”

Michelle is guided through a maze by her VYT teammates during a team

building exercise at VYT training.

I stood in the cold water, watch-

ing the DREAM youth and men-

tors explore the area around the

base of the waterfall. As the wa-

ter crashed on the rocks below, I

couldn't help but reflect on how

the three mile hike to see this

majestic waterfall could serve as

a metaphor for how much can be

accomplished in a single year. As

a Program Empowerment VISTA,

my role is to support two of

DREAM’s Local Programs, which

pair college student mentors with

youth from low-income housing

neighborhoods, and to ensure

those college students have the

tools to be effective mentors. The

hike to the waterfall was part of

the Bennington College/

Willowbrook Local Program’s

culminating experience - an

overnight camping trip in Jamaica

State Park.

Some sections of the trail were

flat and easy, allowing me to chat

with the youth and mentors as we

hiked. Similarly, a large part of

my role has been to build rela-

tionships with the mentors and

families and to support them

through the weekly tasks of

being a DREAM mentor.

Other parts of the trail were

steeper, so we stopped for water

breaks often as we climbed

toward our destination. These

more difficult sections reminded

me of the challenging times

throughout the year when I meet

with mentors often to check in

and work with them through any

issues. Through it all,

however, we continued

toward our goal of mak-

ing it to the

waterfall just as through

the year, we all work

toward creating

supportive, enriching

programming for youth

living in poverty.

Completing the hike with

the Bennington Local

program was particularly

exciting because they

truly had a year of

growth. They started the

school year with only four

returning mentors and more than

ten youth who were active in the

program. I thought back to the

initial meeting I held with them in

September, when we developed a

recruitment strategy to bring on

new mentors. Back then, I never

imagined they would be taking

such an ambitious trip for their

culminating experience - their

first overnight trip - let alone that

they would have recruited enough

mentors to welcome five new

youth to DREAM. I supported

them through the process, but

they truly took ownership of their

program. As a result, they were

able to provide a positive,

educational outlet for DREAM’s

youth and visited a beautiful

waterfall in the process.

Ali Siegel, VYT A*VISTA member

The DREAM Program

Bennington, Vermont

Page 6 Volume 12, Issue 3

Bennington DREAM youth and

mentors at Jamaica State Park.

Why is my service important to the community?

Young people come to our program looking for

Opportunities to engage in their communities as they learn to navigate adult life, an

Undertaking not easy for those who have aged out of the foster care system.

Those who participate in our youth leadership activities do so because they

Hope to use their personal experiences to help better the lives of youth still in-care.

Looking forward, we are building a program that

Empowers youth to become leaders in their communities as well as

Advocates for themselves and those in-care who are not being heard.

Developing these kinds of skills can help lead to a more

Enriching life for the youth we serve.

Reflection on both personal and group goals, identifying individual

Strengths, and developing lasting positive relationships are cornerstones to

Healthy youth development. The combination of

Inviting youth to take part in these activities while also providing a way for them to become

Partners in child welfare, is immensely important to them, as well as the broader community.

Page 7 Volume 12, Issue 3

Anna Berg, VYT A*VISTA member

Youth Development Program, Washington County Youth Service

Bureau/Boys & Girls Club, Montpelier, Vermont

Youth play Juvenile Justice Jeopardy at the YDP Annual Youth

Conference in April.

Two years. It’s so difficult to

believe that it has been almost

two years since I started my

AmeriCorps service with the City

of Winooski. It has gone by in a

flash, but at the same time our

department and I have come a

long way since August 2012.

When I started my service in Au-

gust 2012, our department, Com-

munity Services, was brand new

as was my supervisor who is the

Department Director. This was a

very exciting time to come into

this position and organization be-

cause we were building this de-

partment from the ground up. It

incorporated many programs that

were already in existence includ-

ing the library, the Senior Center,

youth programs, community gar-

dens, parks and trails, and the

O’Brien Community Center.

Bringing these programs together

has created stronger programs

and services including the volun-

teer program which I coordinate.

Prior to the creation of our de-

partment, each program did its

own recruitment and coordina-

tion. During my service here, I

have created a more centralized

process from recruitment to

recognition. Volunteers now be-

long to our Volunteer Program

and have an additional layer of

support beyond the programs

they volunteer for. Beyond that,

many of our programs were able

to work together on Global Youth

Service Day. We had projects at

the library, at the Senior Center,

and in the parks.

Over these past two years, I have

also seen myself change and feel

that I have learned so much

about myself. I don’t think that I

would have grown the way I have

– professionally and personally –

if I hadn’t served. I have learned

where my interests and strengths

lie, gained a better understanding

of my values, and increased my

self-confidence.

Alaina Wermers, VYT A*VISTA member

City of Winooski Community Services Department

Winooski, Vermont

Page 8 Volume 12, Issue 3

Glo

bal Y

ou

th S

ervice Day - S

enio

r Te

ch H

elp

As an AmeriCorps VISTA serving

with DREAM in White River

Junction, I am in a unique

position because my apartment

is connected to the community

center, where my office is

located. This inevitably ties me

to the families I interact with,

and makes me an available,

accessible, and approachable

neighbor. While this makes it a

bit more difficult to “leave the

office” at the end of the day, I

feel my presence in the commu-

nity has made a big dif-

ference. My impact can

be seen in the relation-

ships I have built and the bonds

I have helped strengthen be-

tween families, youth and

DREAM mentors. I am more

than an AmeriCorps VISTA to

the families here; I am a neigh-

bor and a friend.

The larger impact of my

presence here is perhaps not as

quantifiable as some of my other

accomplishments, but it is

noticeable. I have been able to

see what goes on here

day-to-day and can be a bridge

between mentors and families.

Mentors have really appreciated

the knowledge I can share with

them about the community and

the families; this allowed for

more open lines of communica-

tion between mentors and fami-

lies. With the central office being

located in South Burlington, my

position is crucial to the success-

ful connection of Dartmouth Col-

lege and DREAM mentors to

DREAM staff and I feel more

successful as a VISTA for this.

Kate Cahalane, VYT A*VISTA member

The DREAM Program

White River Junction, Vermont

Page 9 Volume 12, Issue 3

Three DREAM youth say hello through Kate’s office window.

Located in the Northwest corner

of Vermont, some of the issues

facing the community include a

lack of public transportation and

a lack of access to books and

educational materials. Although

the area is fortunate to have a

wonderful network of libraries,

residents often lack a way to ac-

cess them, which is where the

Bookmobile comes in.

With its main focus on early

childhood education, the

Bookmobile also visits homeless

shelters, senior residences, and

community centers, providing a

wide array of services to all ages

of the community.

A few of my favorite memories

occurred during visits to a pre-

school located on the Champlain

Islands. Although this particular

school district is one of the

poorest in the state, that doesn’t

affect the excitement of the kids

when the Bookmobile comes for

a visit. The kids are always hap-

py to see me and one little girl

always insists on sitting on my

lap and having me read a story

(and won’t get up until I do).

During our last visit of the year,

the kids were sad we were leav-

ing and insisted on giving out

hugs, showing the differences

we’ve made through their

attitude and excitement towards

books.

Another great story happened

one day as we were dropping off

book donations to one of our

outreach stops. A woman saw

me come in and started looking

through the pile of books I

brought. She seemed very

excited, and I asked if she want-

ed any more. I went back to the

Bookmobile, and grabbed anoth-

er handful of books to give to

her, and she was thrilled to take

them home for her kids.

This past year I’ve been

fortunate enough to serve a

community that recognizes the

value of the Bookmobile and all

the services it provides, and it’s

great to know that I’ve helped

continue the legacy of such a

valuable community resource.

Sara Pierce, VYT A*VISTA member

Franklin-Grand Isle Bookmobile

Swanton, Vermont

Page 10 Volume 12, Issue 3

The 5K in Enosburg, VT that Sara helped organize to benefit the Franklin

Grand Isle Bookmobile was a success—even in the pouring rain!

At DREAM, where relationships

are at the heart of our work,

where they’re continuous and ev-

er-evolving, subtle and difficult to

quantify—achievements can be

hard to tack to the wall.

It’s not that we don’t have them;

achievement permeates our work,

especially in this season of gradu-

ations and new beginnings. But

there are no stories that

demonstrate the impact of our

programming without also pulling

into their gravitational orbit new

questions. A mentee gets into

college with the help of a mentor,

but gets nervous in the summer

and decides not to go. Could we

have supported her better? A

family we work with saves money

and is able to move out of afford-

able housing, but they move far-

ther away than our mentors can

travel. Can we better support a

mentee as he ends his time with

DREAM?

Similarly, reflecting on my

achievements in service this year,

I encounter more questions than

answers. I recruited and trained

UVM students to mentor youth

at Salmon Run Apartments, our

newest Burlington housing

community, which certainly felt

like an accomplishment. But will

these mentors succeed when the

real work starts—that of sustain-

ing a relationship when it begins

to feel stressful, boring, difficult?

I’ve challenged college mentors

(and challenged myself) to ques-

tion tightly-held feelings about

poverty, about growth and ac-

complishment and success. But

with mentors now graduating,

and with me soon leaving my ser-

vice role, I wonder where these

questions will take us.

Last year, when I moved to Ver-

mont, I didn’t know anyone, and

my hope in joining AmeriCorps

was to build relationships to peo-

ple in my community. I’ve started

that work now. But thinking back

through this year, the process of

forming these connections feels

more important, that is, more

open to examination and growth,

than any direct result.

Page 11 Volume 12, Issue 3

Mark Hengstler, VYT A*VISTA member

The DREAM Program

Burlington, Vermont

Mark and a DREAM mentee ski at

Bolton this past winter.

Life After Service—Ashley Piatt

When I initially joined AmeriCorps VISTA, I thought it would only be for one year and then would

head to graduate school. Life had other plans. As I am nearing the end of my first year as a VISTA,

I am overjoyed (and slightly nervous) to start another year in the program as VISTA Leader. This

past year serving in Richford, VT has done so much to help me grow as a person and a

professional. I can't wait to see what this next year has in store!... Maybe next year I'll make it to

graduate school??"

Washington County Youth Service

Bureau/Boys & Girls Club

PO Box 627 /38 Elm Street

Montpelier, VT 05601-0627

Phone: 802-229-9151

Fax: 802-229-2508

Website: https://sites.google.com/

site/vermontyouthtomorrowavista/

M. Kadie Schaeffer

Director of National

Service Programs

vyt.vydc@gmail.com

The opinions expressed in the articles in this newsletter belong to the individual writers and do not

necessarily reflect the views of the site where the VISTA serves, Vermont Youth Tomorrow, the Washington

County Youth Service Bureau, the Boys & Girls Club, SerVermont, or CNCS.

Vermont Youth Tomorrow A*VISTA Program

Kirsten Brewer

Assistant Director of National

Service Programs

kbrewer@wcysb.org

Callie Frey

Assistant Director of National

Service Programs

cfrey@wcysb.org

Jessi Engelke

Assistant Director of

National Service Programs

jengelke@wcysb.org

Anna Houston

VYT VISTA Leader

vyt.vistaleader@gmail.com

VYT is sponsored by the

Washington County Youth

Service Bureau/Boys &

Girls Club.

Playing sit volleyball for

part of Julie’s end of service

presentation in Randolph,

demonstrating how sports

can be adapted for those

who cannot stand.

Kiki used a parachute to

display photos from her

year of service at Essex

CHIPS. The focus of her

serviced was helping to

build community awareness

about the services provided

at her site.