Summary
The University of Georgia, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Cooperative Extension, Georgia 4-H was approved by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) to serve as a Sponsoring Agency for the AmeriCorps VISTA Program in July 2010 and as a Sponsoring Agency for the AmeriCorps State Program in September 2012.
Through the duration of these grant programs, CNCS has funded a total of 25 full-time employees. VISTA members have helped raise over $500,000 in cash and in/kind donations, created 1,257 marketing pieces and helped to recruit and manage 327 4-H volunteers. In the first year of the grant, AmeriCorps State members have worked more than 20,000 hours, reached 12,308 students through in-school programming, worked with 7,190 students through 4-H Project Achievement, helped 329 military youth and 177 military families, and taught 9,209 youth in healthy lifestyles programming.
Situation
Poverty is negatively affecting the lives of Georgia's youth. Low high school graduation and education rates, high teen pregnancy, high crime rates, few outreaches to military youth, and several other socioeconomic indicators lead us to understand that action must be taken to reverse these trends. Areas in Georgia are representative of persistent poverty in America. These identified counties of Georgia have been home to widespread poverty for 25 years or more inciting a culture of marginalized and vulnerable youth that is not easily broken.
The Georgia 4-H Foundation VISTA Project and the Georgia 4-H Foundation AmeriCorps State Project are working to make a positive impact on youth from impoverished communities. Georgia 4-H is a youth development program managed by Cooperative Extension and the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of Georgia. Extension Agents are responsible for delivering research-based youth development programs designed to assist youth in acquiring knowledge, developing life skills and forming attitudes that will help them become positive, caring and contributing members of society. 4-H professionals are charged with developing and implementing a variety of educational programs. Shrinking budgets have resulted in fewer staff and increased need to market the positive outcomes that 4-H programs produce. Georgia 4-H needs staff devoted to building capacity for 4-H on both the county and state levels.
Response
AmeriCorps VISTA
The goal of the Georgia 4-H Foundation VISTA Project is to increase the capacity of Georgia 4-H to engage youth in beneficial youth programming and reduce the incidence of low educational attainment and negative lifestyle choices. VISTAs will build capacity within the 4-H program to reach marginalized and vulnerable youth via positive youth development experiences reversing negative statistical trends. Through this process youth affected by the 4-H program will be more likely to graduate high school, not become pregnant, attend post secondary education, and become positive contributing citizens.
Georgia 4-H currently has 9 members of the AmeriCorps VISTA program serving full time in support of marketing, fund development, grant writing, and volunteer recruitment.These members are working in the State 4-H Office and the following counties: Colquitt, Houston, Lowndes, Sumter Jackson, Randolph and Calhoun.
AmeriCorps State
The goal of the Georgia 4-H Foundation AmeriCorps State Project is to increase the capacity of Georgia 4-H by allowing AmeriCorps State Members to provide direct service in 16 targeted Georgia counties. These counties have been identified based on need and the capacity to implement a high quality AmeriCorps program. AmeriCorps members facilitate in-school and afterschool 4-H enrichment activities to youth ages 9-19.
Through the following sixteen counties, AmeriCorps State members have been working directly with the youth to address critical community needs in the areas of education, public safety, health, and the environment. These counties include: Muscogee, Haralson, Paulding, Clayton, Barrow, Union, Banks, Lincoln, Tift, Turner, Decatur, Crisp, Laurens, Coffee, Appling, and Washington.
Impact
AmeriCorps State
The AmeriCorps State Grant provides funding for 16 full time, direct-service AmeriCorps Members, 4 per district.
Within the first year of the grant, AmeriCorps State members have:
•Served more than 20,000 hours
•Reached 12,308 students through in-school programming
•Worked with 7,190 students through 4-H Project Achievement
•Helped 329 military youth and 177 military families
•Taught 9,209 youth in healthy lifestyles programming
AmeriCorps VISTA
From December 2012 through October 2013, VISTA members have worked to develop:
•$31,234 in grants and fundraisers
•$7,421 in non-cash/in-kind contributions and developed 121 marketing pieces for state and county 4-H events.
•327 volunteers who have served a total of 2,590 hours
Since the beginning of the Georgia 4-H VISTA program in August of 2010, VISTA members worked to develop:
•$500,261 in grants and fundraisers
•$55,190 in non-cash/in-kind contributions and developed 1,257 marketing pieces for state and county 4-H events
•714 4-H volunteers who have served a total of 4,662 hours
VISTA members have contributed to the following grants: Learn and Serve Georgia, Operation Military Kids (OMK), AmeriCorps, Wal-Mart, Chick-fil-a, NRA, and an AmeriCorps grant, just to name a few. VISTA members have also created donor/volunteer databases, county specific fundraising plans, enrolled new 4-H members, developed promotional materials for print and web, and have strengthened relationships with local organizations that can serve as funders or in-kind donors.
VISTA members have created numerous brochures for specific 4-H programs, newspaper articles, websites, school and civic organization presentations, press releases, and radio spots. Specifically, Southwest Georgia 4-H VISTA members have been featured the most on Tifton's country radio station WTIF 107.5's Wednesday Farm Chat broadcast promoting various events and VISTA volunteer opportunities in their counties of service. This continuing weekly radio spot represents a monthly value of $8,500 to the Georgia 4-H program.
At the county level, VISTA members have developed volunteer descriptions and organized recruitment and recognition efforts. At the state level VISTA members are supporting the State 4-H Specialist in charge of volunteer management. In addition to these accomplishments, 353 4-H volunteers have served a total of 1,897 hours to date as a direct result of the VISTA program's initiatives.
State Issue
Other Issue
Details
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Year:
2013
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Geographic Scope:
State
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County:
Clarke
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Program Areas:
