What service can you perform that can address the community need?
First, the service must be an allowable SIS AmeriCorps activity and second it must meet a critical community need. For example, using the critical needs listed earlier, the following service activities would be allowable:
- low-income community members needing dental work, mental health counseling, health care or housing.
- disadvantaged youth who attend Title 1 funded schools who need mentors, tutors, and student teachers to help improve academic achievement and the interest, confidence and willingness to go on to college.
Service activity: Serving at a local mental health clinic as a counselor in the community or on campus providing mental health counseling to low-income local community members. By serving as counselor at the local community health clinic, I will be strengthening the clinics ability and capacity to serve their local community members.
- Homeless community members who need nourishing meals, housing, and other support.
- Youth who need help in the math and sciences because the school system scored low on math and science standardized testing.
- Senior citizens who need support for small carpentry fixes, chores around the house, or help with their taxes.
- Disabled veterans who need assistance with getting a job, getting into college, or need a mentor to help them get ahead.
- A polluted stream that needs to be cleaned so it can create a habitat that support salmon.
Service activity: Serving as a stream restoration volunteer with a local Salmon Enhancement non-profit and recruiting other students and community members to participate in monthly stream cleanup projects. By serving as a stream restoration volunteer, I will be mobilizing volunteers and strenghtening my non-profits ability and capacity to clean streams in the local community.
Service activity: Serve as as a student teacher at a Title 1 funded school in order to serve disadvantaged youth in helping them gain the knowledge, skills, and motivation to persist through high school graduation. By serving as a student teacher at a title 1 school I will be improving the ability of my students to think about applying and attending college in the future.
Service activity: Serving hot meals at the Lighthouse Mission 3 nights per week will strengthen the Lighthouse Mission's ability and capacity to serve the homeless population of the local community.
Service activity: Serving in an academic enrichment program as a student assistant at a local middle school helping youth improve their math knowledge and problem solving skills while building mentoring partnerships with the students and motivating them to challenge and improve themselves as students and mathematicians.
Service activity: Serving as a volunteer for the local community volunteer center 3 nights per week helping senior citizens complete their tax forms. By serving as a tax volunteer, I will be strengthening my service site's ability and capacity to serve senior citizens in completing their tax returns.
Service activity: Serving as a support volunteer at a local Veteran Assistance office helping Veterans create a strong resume and cover letter that helps them apply for jobs in their community. By serving as a support volunteer, I will be helping returning veterans in getting in getting ahead after their active duty military experience and am strenghtening the ability and capacity of my service site to serve returning Veterans.
These are some examples of service activities past SIS AmeriCorps members have been involved in that help meet critical needs in their local community.
