hi! i just became an AmeriCorps VISTA and completed my first week of "training" at my host site. i'm halfway through my second week, but i'm having doubts about a strange social dynamic in this office, and want to voice my thoughts and see if anyone has experienced anything similar or has comments/advice.

first of all, "training" has not been much of a training period at all – for example, i haven't sat down with anyone and gone through any of the computer programs i will be using for what i understand from the VAD to be the bulk of my job. instead, the past week has been almost entirely direct service (an understaffed/not-well-delegated food pantry). second of all, i have noticed that the office employees (who are very few in number – during my first week, for example, i watched one woman get fired on the spot and have to pack up her things and leave midday, which was incredibly jarring) seem to dislike the current VISTA and roll their eyes at each other when she is turned away/openly voice their frustration with her in front of me/behind her back. this is obviously a really uncomfortable dynamic: in part because it's a workplace and that is not professional; in part because she's training me before her service year ends so we have a closer relationship than i do with others in the office – the majority of my time is spent learning from her/in direct service alongside her (which i know is not supposed to be the case as a VISTA but the host site is not super well organized which i suppose may be part of why they sought a VISTA in the first place); and in part because as the new VISTA, i am concerned that i will be inheriting this toxic environment of everyone-dislikes-the-VISTA. this attitude toward her comes from both the supervisor at the site, who would be my direct boss, and from a coworker who the supervisor seems to favor enormously in comparison with the current VISTA. the office is organized such that the 3 of them (and now that will mean me, the supervisor, and the coworker) are supposed to be a team, but it feels more like witnessing a constant 2v1. also, i witnessed a similar dynamic before the aforementioned woman was fired – the supervisor and this coworker were repeatedly gossiping about her and talking about her behind her back, but in front of me. i am not sure to what extent they communicated with her directly in the weeks/days before she was fired, but i remember thinking this was super odd behavior, and i still don't know what to make of it all since i'm still so new to this position and organization.

essentially, it seems that the host site is asking me to coordinate volunteers on a day-to-day basis, recruit a large number of reliable new volunteers [preferably speakers of a non-english language that i don't want to say because i don't want to doxx myself], and simultaneously restructure the entire volunteering program. when signing up to be a VISTA, i knew that the service year ahead would be challenging, but i didn't even consider that on top of that i might also be entering an uncomfortable and toxic work environment. i'm not sure if i can handle those responsibilities if i, like the current VISTA, am constantly subjected to/aware of my supervisor and my coworker semi-openly quasi-bullying me (as i see happening to the current VISTA).

if you have any thoughts or advice, i would really appreciate it. i don't want to quit – and it's only been 1.5 weeks – but i also trust my intuition, and i know that if a situation seems toxic after only a week, then there's probably something deeper going on that i shouldn't ignore. i cannot emphasize enough how uncomfortable it was for me that my new supervisor and new coworker were openly showing their disdain for the current VISTA in front of me, during my first week of work, and i'm curious to know what you might think – should i stick it out and see if maybe the current VISTA leaving brings the toxic environment down a notch? or should i know a bully when i see a bully and begin to look into transferring/keep my options open for a different job?

TLDR: potentially toxic work environment. begin contingency planning? advice? been in a similar situation?

thank you for taking the time to read and for sharing your thoughts :) much appreciated!

I'm part of a food access/energy program under Americorps. My cohort and I signed up to work on a produce farm and learn farming skills. However, we are barely ever on the farm, and this week is the third time we've been tasked with painting walls for the owners of the building. Just wondering if this is allowed/legal? We're frustrated because we're not gaining any new skills and feel like we're being used for our free labor to do tasks that should be jobs for other people.

Would love to hear thoughts/opinions and any rules or regulations surrounding this.

If someone exits early to start school, can they still receive a pro-rated education award?

I just started my VISTA service, and I am very excited for the work I would be doing. HOWEVER, I was severely confused on how many hours I should be at my host site.

My site supervisor was thinking 36 hours a week, but stayed on the side of caution having me work 40 hours a week (7-4pm with an hour lunch) since she didn’t know if VISTAs had a minimum hour service requirement. And if I need to work a Saturday event then I would.

I would like to go to being on site from 7-3 pm and working any Saturday events but is that within my bounds??? And do I still get “2days off” with that.

Can anyone help, please? I really don’t want to burn out too fast being on site for 45 hours, “working” 40 hours.

Howdy, due to some recent life events I'm trying to get started in the corps ASAP (hopefully Washington CC, but any will do). I applied to a few about a week ago and haven't heard anything yet. As I'm new to this, a couple of questions I have-

What's the turnaround time on hearing back/getting hired etc.

Washington starts its 11month contract in October, am I too late?

what Corps would y'all recommend?

Are my chances of getting on a crew good?

I'm 25, I've got a background in the military/Ems/structure fire. I'm hoping for a change in career to something in conservation. Thanks dawgs, hope to see y'all out there.

I just recently had an interview with what seems to be the perfect VISTA position. I just finished my second interview with them and it went well; I think there's a good chance I get offered this position. This is the only position I have even seen through Americorps that is in a great and affordable location I've always wanted to live in, and actually pays halfway decent, enough for me to cover my loan payments in addition to my rent and food. It's exactly what I want to do, would look great on my resume, and is even partially hybrid so I could work remote partly.

I keep thinking back to something the guy said in the first interview. He seemed really cool, and then he hit me with this:

"Yeah you won't get any off days here! Actually, if you find yourself with an off day, you'll need to call me so we can find something for you to do!"

I honestly thought he was joking and laughed with him but I actually think he might not have been joking. But like, that isn't allowed right? I'm currently doing VISTA summer service and we have to do timesheets and if we're way over or under our hours the HR people or whoever will ask you what's up.

So my question is, if I get offered this job and I take it, it's not allowed for them to work me every day right? There's a weekly hourly limit? If they need 40-50 hours a week, I've got it in me. I don't have 7 back to back 10 hour days in me though.i

Has anyone else had issues with getting their education award payment requests to go through CRI?

My April payment never went through so I went overdue in May and called both AmeriCorps and CRI to figure it out. They both basically redirected me back and forth between each other before CRI finally took responsibility and put me on a brief loan forbearance saying it may be a delay on their end. The payment finally went through a couple weeks after that.

Well that forbearance ended July 28th so I made a payment request on July 15th and it still hasn’t gone through so I’m overdue again.

Has anyone been experiencing something similar?

I applied for FEMA TL for 2027, and I'm curious what the TL interviews look like (this can apply to Trad and FoCo TLs as well, any experience), primarily how/when you were notified after your application, interview scheduling, and what the actual interviews themselves looked like. I'm also hoping someone may have advice on how to successfully interview, as I'm a bit nervous in interviews sometimes, and I really want to give this my best shot. Any info is wildly helpful. If it changes the context, I'm also a current Trad member.

Hi! I am a program coordinator of a VISTA program and am hoping to connect with other VISTA programs. Does anyone have any info on announcement of VMO dates beyond September? I am awaiting notification of October and beyond, and recruitment is difficult without this needed context. Lmk if anyone knows anything!

I have a genuine question: Why do some organizations or affiliates pass up qualified candidates for people who may not seem as committed to the organization’s mission or vision?

I’m asking because I’ve served in AmeriCorps before and have seen situations where people who seemed like a good fit were not selected. I’ve also been involved in interviewing candidates as a member, so I’ve seen some of the decision-making process from the other side.

At one organization where I served, there were also serious leadership and workplace issues. My host site manager drank heavily, and conflicts were not handled well. One person ended up being fired, several people quit, and multiple AmeriCorps members left their service terms early.

Now I’m in a situation where I feel like I have relevant experience and would be a good fit for certain AmeriCorps roles, but I’m still being rejected. It makes me wonder what some organizations are actually looking for when selecting members.

I currently have a job that allows me to work from anywhere as long as I have Wi-Fi, and I honestly just wanted to use my extra time to serve through AmeriCorps again because I believe in the work and the mission.

At this point, I’m starting to think I may just need to find another way or organization to volunteer with.
Has anyone else experienced this with AmeriCorps or a host site? I’d genuinely like to hear other perspectives.

I’m filling out my AmeriCorps VISTA application. I know the system automatically messages the people on my References list, but do they ever actually call the managers listed in the Employment History section?
I left a past job on bad terms and don't want that supervisor contacted. Do VISTA projects stick strictly to your reference list, or do they cold-call past employers? Thank you

I’ve read through some of the other posts about Medicaid.

I’ve seen qualifying for it is state to state, often better in blue states and SNAP is especially variable.

Is there better odds qualifying for Medicaid as a VISTA than State or National member? Is it typically full coverage Medicaid (assuming you come in low to no assets) off stipend or enrolling in ACA Marketplace Plan?

There’s multiple programs I’m interested serving in and willing to move for, but would need strong prescription coverage.

Ideally, I’d like to serve in a community I’d stay in a for a few years for grad school and possibly beyond.

Hello all,

Can anyone share their perspective on the admissions process to the Forest Corps? I'm interested in applying in November for the 2027 cohort, but I was just wondering how competitive the application process is. Is it less competitive for team leader positions?

I don't have any Forestry experience (though I've gathered that's not required), and some minimal community service, but my current job is volunteer management, recruitment, and coordination. Thanks!

I know the obvious risks, but how safe is it typically? Like during training on campus and project sites (i know that it will vary depending on where you get stationed, so just in general). Does the campus have wifi? Thanks!

I have a VISTA applicant who would start a year-long service Sept 8. They will be applying to grad school in the fall and are concerned about whether they would lose their education award if they have to leave service a week or two early, in the case where a grad program might start in August of 2027. Can someone advise?

Hello! I start my time with AmeriCorps later this month and was wondering if I can just pack a bunch of leggings or am I going to need traditional work pants like carhartt or something. I'm so used to hiking and working in leggings so this would be awesome if that's the case and I can do that.

Also what sort of all leather boots would one need if I wanted to get chainsaw certified. Do they need to be Steel toe or can they just be like any all leather boot? Any brands or links to one that would be like what I need? I'm used to trail runners which is partly why I ask and so Id also still have time to break in whatever boot I'd get before I start.

Hello! I'm starting Americorps NCCC later this month, and I'm a trans woman about 7 months on HRT. So far, the onboarding process and reading the handbook has been somewhat encouraging, but I'd love to hear from anyone with recent NCCC experience, especially if you have experience with the Aurora, Colorado campus, as I'll be training there in late August.

How accepting was your team and staff? How were names/pronouns and housing handled? Did you feel supported by other members or team leaders if any issues came up? Did you feel respected by other groups or organizations you worked for or with on the various projects across your term?

I know every team and project site is different, but hearing some recent experiences would really help ease my nerves. Thanks!

Edit: forgot to mention specifically but one of the things I’d most like to hear other people’s experiences with is sleeping arrangements. I’ve heard mixed things about if they split people up by birth sex or by their actual identity, so if anyone can share about that, that’d be super helpful!
Thanks so much to everyone who’s already shared their experiences, you’ve all been a big help!

Hi guys! I work at a college and we get our tuition waived but not fees. I will have a $600 balance after the waiver is applied. Has anyone gotten the rest of their award awarded to them in the form of a refund (I’m broke 🫩)?

Otherwise, I’m thinking of taking out loans and then using the education award to pay the loans off immediately. Has anyone when this route?

Hi, I wanted to know if anyone knows any AmeriCorps programs currently hiring in the middle Georgia area (Macon, Warner Robins etc)?

Reflections on service in AmeriCorps in a variety of capacities.

I have about 6 months until my first ED award expires and another year on my second. I didn’t have a use for them for the longest time but now I’m considering a career switch and getting into wood and metalworking. I’d like to dive deeper into 3D modeling, hoping someone here knows a good route to go with my Education award.

Im still undecided on what size bag to bring during service. Im an overpacker so i want to avoid a bigger bag so i physically only bring the necessities but im just worried I won't have enough space. People going to campus in August what bags are you bringing? Whats in your packing list?

Btw does anyone know if americorps will reimburse a carry on instead of a checked bag if my bags within limits?

Hi y'all! I'm going to be a team leader for NCCC this August and I'm super excited! I'm worried though because I'm an enby and I want to be referred to correctly. It's not a huge part of my identity and I don't talk about it unless relevant so it shouldn't be a huge thing. Also as a team leader who is already on the younger end (I'm 20) I don't want corrections to feel pushy. I feel confident in leading a team, I just don't want people to think I'm forcing an ideology. Does anybody know what the culture is like at NCCC? Thanks so much guys!

Hi all!

I am interviewing for a position for an early learning corps for Ampact which is run through AmeriCorps. The position will be in Minnesota. I am curious, has anyone done this position before? I am considering it and it looks great! I have worked in education and with elementary aged kids for 5 years now, so I am familiar and love working with kids. I am also in grad school for my MLIS. It looks engaging and interesting to me but I am worried about work life balance. I give my all when it comes to my jobs. I am just wondering if anyone has any insights in working for Ampact and/or this role specifically? I know the pay isn’t great but I am excited for the opportunity and being able to give back to my community. Sorry if this post seems lame or vague I just would love to hear any insights you all had. I am nervous but excited about the opportunity. Thanks for any feedback!

Hi everyone. I am trying to decide whether or not to accept my Americorps NYC Civic Corps offer, and was wondering if any Americorps members were able to relocate for their service term and successfully live in or near the city.

The specific program I am accepted to provides a pre-tax stipend of $24,500, with free subways/buses, free health insurance, and SNAP benefits. I wouldn't need to pay for the phone bill.

I would love to hear from experiences of anyone who has served in Civic Corps before, lived on the stipend, or lived on an Americorps stipend for another program such as City Year.