Introduction 

Welcome to AmeriCorps, fellow members! If this is your first time serving, I am sure you are ignited with fiery passion and unwavering dedication to get to work! Yes! That’s the spirit! Well, you better be prepared to answer 20+ times what AmeriCorps is about. The official response is: “AmeriCorps is a national service program that aims to address critical community needs and promote social justice, through civic engagement, volunteer mobilization, and partnerships with local organizations.” 

Or…you can summarize it in one sentence: “Well, it’s sort of like PeaceCorps, except it’s AMERI-corps in AMERICA, get it?” 

Don’t stress, you will soon get used to the questions, just give it 3 months. 

In case you didn’t know just how big AmeriCorps is, there are many types of AmeriCorps programs across the country, with roughly 117,088 members employed in the United States. I am in a program called “AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) with over 7,000 AmeriCorps members serving annually, to alleviate poverty and expand capacity with local community organizations and state governments. My cohort is based out of the University of Montana campus and we are working with a variety of entities such as nonprofits, colleges/universities, government agencies, to increase the organizational capacity, efficiency and reach. 

For my blog, here I present to you: The 3 easy steps to surviving your service year and coming out the other end with a smile on your face. With my rich experience of 6 months of serving as an AmeriCorps member, I think I am just adequate enough to do this since I just survived the most uncomfortable phase of service; that being the first 6 months. I will be utilizing my personal experience and intel from fellow AmeriCorps members, to provide some do’s & don’ts that will make your life easier as an AmeriCorps member.

Let’s Dive In! 

Rule number 1: Prioritize Financial Planning 

First things first, Being proactive and addressing basic life necessities, like where are you going to live for a year and applying for benefits is very crucial prior to starting your service. My biggest concern before starting was how the heck do I live off the stipend, but to my surprise it was more than manageable! There are many benefits that are available to AmeriCorps members to help with affordability, but it will require some effort to understand what needs to be done in order to secure them. Here are some Important considerations for you to keep in mind while planning your year. 

*In terms of housing search: 

– Is it affordable? If the apartment costs more than half of your living allowance, DON’T DO IT! Doesn’t matter how nice the place is, it won’t feel good when you are crying in your penthouse apartment because you can’t afford anything else. If you are lucky, some programs like Habitat For Humanity will set up housing for you, which is great but that’s not the case for most programs. In smaller towns like Helena, Montana, where I am stationed for example, does not have that convenience due to me being the only one in my cohort at this location I am assuming. Even studio apartments for one are in the four digits a month, which is double the price compared to 5 years ago.

– Who do you want to live with? With the cost of rent being equivalent to mortgage payments nowadays, you will need roommates to split the expenses. I strongly recommend networking with your fellow AmeriCorps members and leveraging your AmeriCorps affiliations. Get connected with new and existing members and find out if you can room with them, Look for roommates on social media like Facebook, or Roomies.com (which is where I found mine), etc. But be aware, there are some individuals who have questionable intentions, mostly being male in their 60s asking for female inquiries only… 

– Is it livable? Your apartment might be cheap but where is it located? If the apartment is in parts of the city where the local 7-Eleven has to put bars on the windows, then you might want to re-think that decision. Prior to signing your 12 months away, make sure to verify the space in person or virtually, if you can get a friend who lives close by to check on the property, even better. Or you might be stuck in a glorified walk-in closet or worse, the whole thing was a scam and now you have to sleep on the street 🙁 

– It is close to where you need to go? Research the proximity of the apartment to your workplace, the gym, or the grocery store to reduce the headache of commuting, and save gas money! Sadly, most affordable housing is often located in the sketchy part of town or in the middle of nowhere where people are less likely to apply.

Lastly, don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and ask for help! Reach out to your program coordinator or post an announcement in the AmeriCorps Facebook group. Be transparent, and you might find out that you are not the only one having this issue. 

*In terms of applying for benefits: 

Speaking from my own experience and other AmeriCorps, I can’t stress enough how important it will be for your health and well-being to plan ahead with these benefit applications. Below are a list of benefits that are available to you 

1. Healthcare 

– You must select your healthcare plan and enroll within the first 60 days of starting your service! When you receive the email to register your account, do it as soon as possible or risk losing healthcare coverage. I am ashamed to admit that I just registered for a healthcare plan 6 months into my service term, when I could’ve done it a long time ago. But if you email the right person, they will help you with last minute enrollment. 

– If you are under your parent’s healthcare coverage, you are eligible for the Healthcare Allowance plan which will help you with co-pays and other medical related expenses not covered with your main health insurance. Even if you don’t think you need it, you should apply in case of any financial emergencies due to medical costs. 

2. Food stamps (SNAP benefits) 

– You should aim to apply at least 1 month prior to starting service as the process can take up to 30-60 days. Going to the local DPHHS office will be significantly faster than applying online if you didn’t get the chance to do so ahead of time. 

– Three forms of service related documents located in myAmeriCorps account will certify your qualification for public benefits. Most of the time you can receive up to $290 per month to help with food costs! 

3. Student Loans Deferment V.S Forbearance

– A loan deferment is a temporary postponement of monthly loan payment(s). For subsidized loans, accrued interest will automatically be paid by the Department of Education if the loan is deferred. 

– A loan forbearance is a temporary postponement of principal loan payments. Interest continues to accrue, but when you complete your term of service, the National Service Trust will pay the accrued interest on your behalf if you received an Education Award. 

– The forbearance request is located on myAmeriCorps account. You will need to apply for deferment through your loan provider or contact them for support as it can be confusing for no reasons. 

– Internet assistance: Affordable Connectivity Program is an FCC benefit program that AmeriCorps members are eligible for. Research your options to save more money! 

Now that we got the FUN part over with :\\\ I can go to sleep at night knowing that one less AmeriCorps member is sleeping on the street and living off of hot sauce and bread.

Rule number 2: You get what what you put out

There are many benefits of serving with AmeriCorps, one being the chance for professional development and gaining experience. Your position can be a catalyst for your career and can make all the trajectory difference for your future. It is a great way to put your foot in the door, as you might get a permanent position at your service site, which happened for a lot of ex-AmeriCorps members. Putting some thoughts forth when applying, during service, even after will maximize the potential to a fruitful end of service. Whether you are still figuring out what you want to do or already have the next 5 years planned out, giving yourself the time and space to think about what you want to achieve is the place to start a successful year of service. Below are some insights that might help you brainstorm. 

Why? Before you click the submit button, you need to understand your motivation for doing so. Clarify the goals for why you want to do AmeriCorps, and why this program; besides the guaranteed benefits such as the educational awards or just having something to fill the gap year. THINK BIG, a year of service can be life changing if you want it to be. 

After getting the position, look at the position description and ask yourself: What is it that you will be working on? What is the organization you will be working with? And how will your service contribute to the larger objectives? Not only will this help you focus on your personal goals, but will also act as a driving force when service becomes stagnant or tedious, which will happen. 

What? list the professional or personal skills that you want to develop and achieve through this position. What are the skills required for this role? What skills can you gain? What is the long term perspective for this year? Remember that you will be laying the foundation for a while so it won’t be exciting every day.

How? How do you plan to reach your goals? How will you stay on track with your service year? How will you look out for opportunities to be successful? 

Rule Number 3: Keep your eyes, ears and mind open 

Judging from my fellow cohort members, many of us are recent graduates. The post-graduation phrase often comes with a series of significant life changes and transitions to adulthood. Some of the most common struggles faced by many of us includes adjusting to new environments after being in school for the past 12-16 years, making new friends, and learning new things at work. Venturing out of your “comfort zone” is often intimidating but it’s very rewarding and important for personal and professional growth. Serving as an AmeriCorps is not only about giving but also about gaining personal growth and developments. Keeping your eyes, ears and mind open will be a rule of thumb as you encounter diverse people, cultures, and situations. Here are some guides I find helpful for me, and hopefully for you as well. 

1. Watch and Learn: Everyone’s been there, being the “new kid” at a new place takes time to adjust. It’s not about what you know, but what you are willing to learn. Take your time to understand what the organization needs you to do and learn to do it if you don’t know how. 
2. Adjust your expectation: Service is very dynamic, and circumstances can change rapidly. You will not be working according to your VAD exactly, as many of my fellow cohort members including me, came to realize. If you have any preconceived notions and service turns “It’s not what they told me it would be”, being adaptive will help you adjust to changes quickly. Not everything is always fun or fair and not everyone is going to be welcoming or helpful to you. Accept and move on so you can focus on what really matters.
3. Be proactive: Depending on your placement, there is a wide range of service sites members can end up, including schools, government agencies, or community centers on native reservations. Many AmeriCorps members serve with grassroot non profit organizations that are newly established or smaller in size. Compared to government entities, these grassroots organizations may lack the resources and capacity to provide a structured role for the AmeriCorps serving with them. Or in some cases, it might be the first year the organization is hosting an AmeriCorps member, so the program is not as established as the organizations who have been hosting AmeriCorps members for a decade. If you find yourself in these situations, it’s crucial to take proactive initiatives and develop your own tasks. By taking the lead and identifying ways you can contribute, no matter big or small, you will carry out your service term in a more meaningful and fulfilling way. Or else you might end up stapling papers or making coffee… 
4. Professional maturity: If this is your first time working in a professional setting, it’s essential to use the opportunity to develop professional conduct. Professional maturity is the foundation to your career, and it will serve you well in future endeavors. Besides that, you are representing your program and the credibility of the broader AmeriCorps organization, what you do will reflect to the people around you about AmeriCorps. So manage your time and set reminders, return emails and show up to meetings on time. Take the time to figure out what your organization is about as every workplace has a unique way of doing things that defines the “how” and “what”s. 
5. Toot your own horns: As you will find out through experience, the work you do as an AmeriCorps member can easily go unnoticed, as most AmeriCorps positions consist of work that are not sufficient enough to build a regular position around. With many of us recruiting volunteers, managing office hours at local community centers, or tutoring students, these are all very necessary and important work needed to be done in order to paint the bigger picture, but it has limited immediate benefits. So communicating your accomplishment not only will ensure that others see you and your contribution, but will act as a motivation for you to continue putting in the effort.

Time to BeReal! 

Now that we’ve covered the dos and don’ts, I’d like to share some raw experiences as an AmeriCorps member with inputs from my fellow cohort members. After surveying other AmeriCorps, ratings for their service experiences ranged from 2 out of 10, to 9 out of 10. It’s important to note that your experience is pretty dependent upon your placement. Various factors like the location of service sites, type of supervisor, and levels of preparedness, can lead to radically different experiences. 

Since starting service in August of 2023, I am about halfway through my first term. These past months of serving at the Energy office with the Department of Environmental Quality has been a journey filled with opportunities for personal growth and making community impacts. In my experience, my service has been a fleeting experience that took me to new places, new opportunities, and new people, while simultaneously, I get to contribute to the communities and make meaningful connections. Every experience I’ve encountered throughout this new adventure has been more than worth it, I am very fortunate to be working (*serving) with a great team of people at the energy office, and landed a great site supervisor who is just about the most encouraging mentor I could have asked for. I also befriended another AmeriCorps program in the area and found a VERY affordable housing option with one of them.

Despite the many rewarding aspects of service, a majority of members cited the unexpected obstacles they’ve encountered, the most common struggles are identified as: navigating the work environment at service site, and staying engaged at service. 

“As much as I love what I am doing, the Post-PSO motivation wore off quite fast. There are times where I questioned the value of my work, felt like I was not doing enough, or just simply not having a lot to do.” (Anonymous member response) Just like a regular job, it’s common to come to a stagnant spot during service where you start to question the worths and whys. This is a common experience for many AmeriCorps members, especially considering the limited financial compensation from AmeriCorps, doubts may arise as you watch your college friends who are living lavishly with their lucrative jobs, while you have to save pennies and dimes to afford a trip home for the holiday. As days pass, the work could be less than inspiring and become drudgery. You will not be bouncing out of bed in the morning excited to serve like the first month of starting service. 

Regarding navigating service sites, I hope many members can resonate to this, at least my service started like the first day of kindergarten; I got dropped off with a pad on the back, a high five, and were told: “Now go and make a difference!” That marked the beginning of a learning curve. With new information and expectations, so much unknown to navigate! Don’t get me wrong, a huge shout out to our program coordinators Callye and Maggie here, who have been very encouraging and helpful. Rather, it’s the amount of independence required that was unexpected to me. Compared to the structured environment in school, the level of autonomy in the professional setting can be a bit overwhelming for many. Instead of being assigned individual tasks by your teachers, in the workplace, you will need to learn how to make your own decisions, solve your own problems, and take initiatives to assign your own tasks. You need to also keep in mind the higher stakes that come with making these decisions, especially when those decisions can have a ripple effect that extends far beyond you to the broader communities. You will not be able to retake the quiz or get an extension as easily as you did when in school. 

Conclusion 

And there you have it folks, my 3 rules to survive your AmeriCorps service, easy-peasy right? In this blog, we’ve dived into the murky water of budgeting, navigated through the unexpected challenges at your service sites, and kept our eyes, ears and mind open to new experiences. Whether you’re a seasoned 2nd year member, or a freshly recruited newbie just starting service, I hope you were able to find something valuable to take away from this blog. Thanks for making it to the end of my blog!