AmeriCorps is devoted to serving community in the U.S. through volunteer work, it is often been referenced as the domestic Peace Corps. The organization was founded in 1993 and has been providing opportunities for U.S. citizens to improve their communities while learning professional and practical skills.
The organization regularly accepts and filters through applications to see who may be a good fit. Northwest Indiana residents interested in the program can fill out the pre-application here.
AmeriCorps is often favored by high school graduates taking a gap year, recent college grads looking to network, and people who are burned out from decades-long jobs and are looking for a change. While the application process has several steps, eligibility to apply for the program is simple.
“Applicants need to be over the age of 18 by their first day of service. They have to be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or a permanent resident alien of the United States. They have to show that they have completed a high school diploma or that they will have completed a high school diploma before the end of their service. They also have to pass an FBI and state background check,” Maddie Grimm said.
Grimm became the Northwest Indiana AmeriCorps program director four years after her own experience as an AmeriCorps member.
“I was able to personally apply my love for service and my love for the environment during those 10 months. It was very exciting. I received the education award and applied it to my master’s degree in education and environmental science, so it was a win-win,” Grimm said.
She credits AmeriCorps for inspiring her to lead a career in the field of service. She noted that many people who have served with AmeriCorps have discovered their passions as a result. Grimm feels that making connections and learning from AmeriCorps while serving are very compelling reasons to apply.
Members can serve four terms that can vary from 300 hours to 1,700 hours, which averages between 10 to 40 hours a week. Each term typically takes place over a 10-month period.
The Northwest Indiana AmeriCorps program is made possible by United Way of Porter County working with local organizations such as non-profits, school systems, and career centers to place members where they are needed most. Although many perceive AmeriCorps as an internship, that is not the case.
“A lot of people call it an internship, but it’s not. It is a professional development program that provides experiences in service to others. The program offers some financial compensation along with the education award I mentioned earlier,” Grimm said.
After filling out the pre-application, applicants can expect the following: a phone screen, a formal application, a formal meeting with Grimm, a potential formal offer, a background check, and a final form. Once applicants have completed these steps and been given a formal offer, they are considered ready for national service. Grimm would like to assure those who consider applying that she will guide them through the application process and answer any questions they may have along the way.
“Not only do we place people in areas with great need, we want to help develop the whole person through thisprogram. They provide their skills to the community, while AmeriCorps is here to serve them. We help them build a network and train for their next career step,” Grimm said.
The AmeriCorps experience helps members build a variety of life skills to succeed, such as resume building, interview skills, and development of a professional online profile. Members also train in the areas of financial literacy, event planning, data collection, leadership, mental health, special needs, first aid, and disaster management.
The program works hard to place members with organizations matching their skills where they can excel. Grimm explained member placement with an analogy.
“I’m not a math teacher, so you wouldn’t want me to teach that. If we are recruiting for a mathematics tutor and an English language arts tutor and somebody said ‘Hey, I’m really comfortable with English language arts, but I’m really not comfortable with mathematics,’ we’re going to send them to the English tutoring position rather than the math tutoring position,” Grimm said.
She said that finding a good fit for people based on their personality, interests, and skills is part of her job. Grimm walks people through the process to benefit the individual members, the program, and the partner sites where members are placed.
To learn more about the United Way Regional AmeriCorps program and fill out a pre-application, click here.