Program Orientation
Fall 2011
AmeriCorps is a network of local, state, and national service programs that
connects more than 70,000 Americans each year in intensive service to
meet our country’s critical needs.
1. AmeriCorps*State and National
2. AmeriCorps*VISTA
3. AmeriCorps*NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps)
•
www.americorps.gov
•
ADVANCE is a national education award program serving North Carolina
& Virginia
•
Funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service, an
independent federal agency.
• ADVANCE is sponsored by North Carolina Campus
Compact, a coalition of 44 colleges and universities
in North Carolina that builds the capacity of colleges
and universities to produce civically- engaged
graduates and strengthen communities.
• www.nccampuscompact.org
• ADVANCE program materials are located on the NC
Campus Compact website.
Program Summary
ADVANCE = AmeriCorps Dedicated to Virginia and North Carolina
Children Excelling
•College students mentor K-12 at-risk youth
Partners:
•Communities in Schools of North Carolina
www.cisnc.org
•Virginia Mentoring Partnership
www.vamentoring.org
10
months
is the
target!*
•Members complete 300 hours of service in one year
* members are encouraged to complete their hours between September and June
in order to parallel the academic year for mentees
Overview of Terms
• Campus Host Site (CHS) – the eligible institution of higher education
that hosts the ADVANCE program
•AmeriCorps Member – a student (can be full or part-time,
undergraduate or graduate) at the CHS who participates in the
program
•Campus Coordinator – the staff or faculty Member at the CHS who
facilitates the program locally
•Campus Cluster – the group of ADVANCE AmeriCorps Members from
each campus
•Service Site – community school or organization that will host the
AmeriCorps Members
•Site Supervisor – individual at the participating Service Sites who will
supervise the AmeriCorps Members
Program Goals
1. College students mentor K-12 at-risk youth
2. The school attendance rates of participating K-12
youth improve. (2011-12 Performance Measure)
3. Members engage in additional activities at their
Service Sites that support mentees and their families
4. Members become part of a multi-state peer network
5. Members receive support and training to increase
their mentoring knowledge, skills and effectiveness
Program Goals
continued…
5. Members plan and implement at least two
community improvement projects (with their
mentees) - one tied to a national day of service
6. Campuses become agents of civic engagement
responding to local education needs
7. Mentors and mentees will develop civic knowledge,
skills and attitudes
Who is Eligible for
ADVANCE?
Student must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or a
lawful permanent resident alien of the United States.
•
Member must show Campus Coordinator an original
document from the list on the next slide.
Discrimination Policy
Participation in the Corporation and its programs and projects will
be based on merit and equal opportunity for all, without regard to
factors such as race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation,
religion, age, disability, political affiliation, marital or parental
status, military service, or religious, community, or social
affiliations.
Acceptable Eligibility
Documents
•Birth Certificate from one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto
Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, or the Northern
Mariana Islands
•Valid U.S. Passport issued to the individual as a U.S. citizen
•U.S. Dept. of State Form FS-240, Report of Birth Abroad of a Citizen of the
United States
•U.S. Dept. of State Form FS-545, Certificate of Birth-Foreign Service
•U.S. Dept. of State Form DS-1350, Certificate of Report of Birth
•INS certificate of naturalization (INS Form N-550 or N-570)
•INS certificate of citizenship (INS Form N-560 or N-561)
•Permanent Resident Card (INS Form I-551)
•Alien Registration Receipt Card (INS Form I-551)
•A passport indicating that the INS has approved it as a temporary
evidence of lawful admission for permanent residence
•A Departure Record (INS Form I-94) indicating that the INS has approved
it as a temporary evidence of lawful admission for permanent residence
The Enrollment
Process
Orientation
Online
Enrollment
Form
Criminal Background
Check
Member Contract
Verification
Document
Enrollment Complete
The 4-Part Enrollment
Process
STEP ONE
Member completes two Orientations (in-person & online)
STEP TWO
Members signs Criminal Background Check verification form and submits to Campus
Coordinator. Member shows proof of eligibility documentation to Coordinator.
STEP THREE
Once background check clears, NC Campus Compact initiates invitation e-mail to
student with link to online enrollment form.
STEP FOUR
Member submits the Final Enrollment forms.
 Final Enrollment Checklist
 Member Contract
 Online Orientation Verification Page
Enrollment
Continued…
• The date the Member Contract is signed is the Start
Date. A member can start serving hours that day.
• Once NC Campus Compact receives the Member
Contract, member will receive a “welcome e-mail.”
• Member selects a site and completes the Service
Summary with their Site Supervisor.
• Service Summary due at same time as 1st time log
Background Checks
• Criminal Background Check completed on every
applicant by Asurint
• Search of the State Criminal Registry and National
Sex Offender registry.
• Automatic disqualification – sex offender or murder
conviction
Alert!
Alert!
Alert!
If there is an alert on the Background Check,
all non-traffic violations will be referred to the
Campus Coordinator for final decision.
ADVANCE Member
Responsibilities
• Commit to program
• Attend in-person orientation and complete online orientation
• Complete online enrollment form through the My AmeriCorps
website
• Select site – complete Service Summary
• Serve hours weekly
• 5 hours minimum mentee contact
• Support Service Site
• Plan and implement two service projects with Campus Cluster
ADVANCE Member
Responsibilities
• Participate in Service Site or program related
trainings
• Complete monthly time logs
• Participate in a minimum of three Reflection Sessions
• Complete Exit paperwork
Time Log Process
• Member completes online logs monthly through the My Service
Log system.
http://www.advancelog.org/
• Member prints and submits to Site Supervisor for their signature.
• Member gives to Campus Coordinator to approve online.
• NC Campus Compact approves by the 15th of the following
month.
At the end of the month, each member
will receive an e-mail or text message
reminder to print the time log and have
their Site Supervisor sign it.
Exit Process
Exit Survey
Exited!
Campus
Coordinator
Evaluation
Exit Form
Site Supervisor
Evaluation
The Education Award
Upon completion of hours and program
requirements, members are eligible for an $1175
Education Award.
Can be kept for up to 7 years
The Education
Award
The Education Award can be used to pay for:
Qualified student loans:
• Loans backed by the federal government under Title IV of the
Higher Education Act or under Titles VII or VIII of the Public
Health Service Act.
• Student loan made by a state agency, including state institutions of
higher education.
May not be used to repay any other type of loan, even if the loan was
obtained for educational purposes. This includes PRIVATE loans.
---OR--CURRENT educational expenses/cost of attendance at a qualified
institution of higher education. Each school's financial aid office determines
a student's cost of attendance based upon standard U.S. Department of
Education guidance.
Reflection
•
Members must participate in 3 reflections facilitated
by the Campus Coordinator
•
Based on the Civic Reflection Model
http://www.civicreflection.org/
Member Development/
Training Activities
20% of a members hours can be member
development/training.
This is approximately 60 hours.
Activities that are:
1. instructional and support a members’ ability to serve effectively in their
placement or
2. improve the members skills, knowledge and self-awareness
Examples include:
•
Orientations
•
Trainings
•
Reflection Sessions
•
Cluster meetings and conferences
•
Professional conferences and workshops relevant to mentoring/youth
development
What Counts as
Direct Service?
Direct Service activities are those that directly
impact the site or clients. Examples include:
• Mentoring
• Recruiting, training, placing volunteers
• Planning and implementing service projects
• Service site activities that assist mentees, their
families and local community
Prohibited Activities
AmeriCorps Members, like private citizens,
may participate in any of the prohibited
activities on their own time, at their own
expense, and at their own initiative. They may
not count that time toward an AmeriCorps term
of service and may not wear AmeriCorps
service gear in such instances.
Prohibited Activities
Prohibited Political Activities:
•
Participating in efforts to influence legislation or lobbying for your program
•
Organizing a letter writing campaign to Congress
•
Engaging in partisan political activities
•
Voter registration drives
•
Organizing or participating in protests, petitions, boycotts, or strikes
Prohibited Religious Affairs:
•
Engaging in religious instruction
•
Conducting worship services
•
Engaging in any form of religious proselytizing
Prohibited Activities
Prohibited Union Activities include:
• Assisting, promoting or deterring union organizing
• Impairing existing contracts for services or collective bargaining agreements
Prohibited For-Profit Activities:
• Providing a direct benefit for a for-profit entity, labor union, a partisan political
organization or an organization engaged in religious activities
Prohibited Safety Factors
• Participating in activities that pose a significant safety risk to participants
Fundraising
In general, AmeriCorps Members cannot assist their organizations with
major fundraising efforts. However, Corporation policy permits some
limited activities related to fundraising by AmeriCorps Members to the
extent that such activities:
•
Are not funding the agency’s capital or operating costs;
•
Provide immediate and direct support to a specific and direct service
activity;
•
Fall within the program’s approved direct service objectives;
•
Are not the primary activity of the program;
•
Do not involve writing federal grants;
•
Are less than 10% (30 hours) of the total 300 hours to be served
Suspension - Compelling
Personal Circumstances

If a Member experiences a compelling personal circumstance/
situation beyond their control, that hinders their ability to continue
serving, they may request to be suspended (up to 3 months).
Possible situations include:
• disability or serious illness
• disability, serious illness, or death of a Member’s family
• military service obligations; or
• conditions attributable to the Program or otherwise
unforeseeable and beyond the Member’s control, such as
relocation of a spouse, natural disaster, a strike, or the nonrenewal or premature closing of the Service Site or program.


Must submit to Campus Coordinator a written request
The period of suspension will be added to the term of service
Release from Service –
Compelling Personal
Circumstances
If the member cannot continue serving due to
compelling personal circumstances, they may
request to be released from service.

If served more than 15% of the service hours, s/he
may be eligible to receive a partial education
award.
Release from Service –
Compelling Personal
Circumstances
Compelling personal circumstances do not include leaving
ADVANCE:




to transfer schools (please note that if the new campus is also
a Campus Host Site for ADVANCE, every effort will be made to
link the Member to a new Service Site);
because of change in class schedule or non-related work
hours;
to obtain employment; or
because of dissatisfaction with the Program.
Such situations will result in exit from the program without earning an
award.
Release from
Service - Cause
A release for cause encompasses circumstances other than personal and
compelling circumstances that warrant a Member’s release prior to
completing the term of service including:





Member has dropped out of program without obtaining a release for
compelling personal circumstances;
Member has been convicted of a violent felony or the sale or
distribution of a controlled substance;
Member has committed a fourth offense in accordance with
ADVANCE Standards of Conduct (see Member Contract);
Member fails to log hours for three consecutive months without prior
approval
Any other serious breach that, in the judgment of the Program
Director, would undermine the effectiveness of the program.
More Information
Visit the ADVANCE website – www.nccampuscompact.org
Click
Initiatives
Click
AmeriCorps
Click
ADVANCE