One of my favorite things to do as a VISTA program manager is to compile and submit our reporting for the year. When host sites share their stories, we see the real impact that Seed Coalition AmeriCorps members make possible in their communities and on their campuses. This year there were a few more stories that we wanted to share, both from our full-time and summer programs. Thank you to all of the host site supervisors who wrote and shared these stories with us!
Central Lakes College VISTA member Elena Kahler-Sinotte helped change the perception of the college from a siloed, separate entity to one that interacts with the broader community in ways that are more evident to community members. Her efforts to simplify reporting processes and build strong relationships have enabled greater buy-in from the institution, made development of her project easier to achieve, and in her site supervisor, Erich Heppner’s words “increased the public’s perception of the value of our work and mission.” For our campus partners, there is a greater likelihood that their programming will receive attention, funding, and further support when the administration sees the larger, community-wide benefit of their work. The institutionalization of the project means that Central Lakes will be able to continue to build upon these successes with the remainder of their VISTA term and beyond, making it truly sustainable. Elena also created an end-of-the-year report that outlined all processes and findings in detail, which the coming year’s VISTA member will use and build upon.
At the Bridge of Storm Lake, VISTA members used attendance data and participant survey results to evaluate the effectiveness of classes and programs. This information will guide ongoing adjustments to their programming, ensuring responsive and meaningful opportunities for youth to gain knowledge, develop life skills, and work toward their goals. The Bridge builds their programming based on this data, providing youth and their families with additional educational opportunities, resources, and supportive programs. Host site supervisor Alice Henrici said, “By maintaining an ongoing commitment to evaluation and improvement, we aim to strengthen our services and help ensure that youth and their families have the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to succeed.”
The VISTA program at University of Minnesota, Morris, supervised by Argie Manolis, was key in securing an invitation to apply for a grant of $100,000 from a private funder; they are in the midst of this process and the grant will be used to support their food systems work. Additionally, this story from the summer program brightened all of our days: The community garden events at the UMN Morris site brought several community members who had never utilized the garden in the past. One of these community members, a 12 year old boy known in the school neighborhood for being a “troublemaker,” exclaimed, “This is the coolest place! There are so many colors!” He proceeded to take home some produce, and the following week, the host site received a thank you note from his parent saying that he had felt included, which doesn’t always happen, and that they enjoyed using the produce together.
At Homegrown Lacrosse, host site supervisor Aron Lipkin shared a moving story about one of his members. Trent Jacobson served with the Indigenous Lacrosse Alliance as a summer VISTA member, leading community outreach and programming across multiple sites. He went directly from the Homegrown all-Native lacrosse camp in Red Lake to play with the Haudenosaunee Nationals, becoming the first Dakota player to do so. The young players who had interacted with him throughout the summer watched it happen in real time. They spent weeks with someone who showed up for them every day, and then got to see exactly how far the game and consistent effort can take a person from their own community. Host site supervisor Aron Lipkin said, “That is the kind of modeling you cannot manufacture, and it is the reason representation in this work matters so much.”
