AmeriCorps members gathered at the Annual Campus Compact Presidents’ Awards in 2016 to celebrate volunteerism at various higher ed institutions in the state.
By Aarron Dupuis, Community Relations Coordinator, Campus Compact for New Hampshire
Rural places often feature solid community ties, a strong work ethic, and a resiliency that endures across generations. These same values are integral to the work that AmeriCorps members do across the country, which is why the Rural College Access and Success Summit – co-hosted by NCAN member Partners for Education at Berea College – will include a deep-dive workshop into how AmeriCorps can support college access and success in rural communities. Representatives from AmeriCorps will walk session attendees through
making the most of service years, with a special focus on those members who find themselves in rural places.
The summit will take place virtually April 26-30.
What makes AmeriCorps a good fit for addressing problems in rural communities? AmeriCorps enables local rural leaders to solve challenges by giving members the tools, resources, skills, and professional development to build capacity within a community.
Service years act as the means to expand sustainable practices for communities to push through their challenges in the future.
While many rural places benefit from a deep sense of community, they also face challenges, many of which are similar to those faced by urban areas. High rates of poverty, too few jobs, low education levels, talent retention, and substance abuse problems
can be found in urban, suburban, and rural areas. However, the root causes and solutions for these challenges often differ across these types of communities; too often, the needs of rural areas receive limited attention and investment.
AmeriCorps can address this lack of investment by providing much-needed resources to rural communities. More specifically, AmeriCorps promotes access to and completion of a postsecondary degree for individuals from rural communities, which creates a bridge
to a brighter future.
AmeriCorps can help build the infrastructure and create sustainable solutions for promoting college access and success in rural communities. There are many examples of how AmeriCorps can be incredibly beneficial to rural places looking to promote educational
opportunities.
Across Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont there are 30 AmeriCorps VISTA members in local communities focused on promoting college access and success. During their service year, the AmeriCorps members work with admissions offices to promote access for rural
students through college visits, identifying and addressing barriers for rural students, promoting early college opportunities for students in rural communities, and providing additional support to students during the admissions and financial aid
processes.
Another example is the Kentucky College Coaches Program, where AmeriCorps members focus on mentoring high school students who might not envision themselves going to college, first-generation college students, and/or populations with low rates of college
enrollment. Coaches are recent college graduates who are placed in high schools around the state of Kentucky to work alongside school counselors and other faculty and staff supporting students as they transition from high school to college.
A final example is the New Hampshire Food Insecurity AmeriCorps VISTA project. This project is designed to decrease food insecurity for students and provide access to basic human needs. Without these basic needs being met, students are unable to learn
and pursue further education and opportunities. By connecting rural parts of New Hampshire to a statewide network of organizations addressing food insecurity, the project provides much-needed resources to rural students, both K-12 and postsecondary,
and their families by strengthening the basic foundations for them to be successful learners.
AmeriCorps plays a unique role in all communities across the nation, but in rural communities especially, AmeriCorps can be a critical resource for creating change. AmeriCorps does not throw money at a problem; AmeriCorps enables local leaders and communities
to make the change themselves to create sustainable practices.
If you want to learn how AmeriCorps can strengthen your community, please join us at the Rural Summit. Registration is free for individuals. Organizations that want to support the goals of the Summit
can create a $250 team registration here.
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