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What is Defending Communities in Service - VISTA? d FIND OUT FRIDAY FEBRUARY 2, 2018 www.nlada.org/VISTA e.flanagan@nlada.org Welcome to Find Out Friday Welcome to Find Out Friday. These informal events will be held every Friday, at 3pm eastern, through the end of February 2018. I hope that through these conversations I’ll be able to help you better understand AmeriCorps VISTA in general and what NLADA’s groundbreaking new VISTA program could mean for your office. You can learn more and apply to host an AmeriCorps VISTA member on our website at http://www.nlada.org/VISTA. Applications are due no later than March 1, 2018. www.nlada.org/VISTA e.flanagan@nlada.org A little background… Across the country, public defender programs simply don’t have the resources they need. In particular, we know that building strong relationships with community providers and gathering and understanding their own data have presented challenges for public defenders. There are a lot of ways that those gaps can be filled, Defending Communities in Service VISTA is only one. www.nlada.org/VISTA e.flanagan@nlada.org … and some vocabulary For the purposes of this conversation, the following terms will be used: Capacity Building – activities that support organizational growth, efficiency, connectivity, or improvement Cost Share – the financial contribution that a Host Site makes to cover a small portion of the administrative cost of the VISTA program Direct Service – activities that provide support directly to clients or community members Host Site/Host Organization – a Public Defender program who hosts an AmeriCorps VISTA member within their offices Serve – VISTAs do not intern, volunteer, or work at or for their Host Sites. During their Term a VISTA serves. Site Supervisor – the individual, a full time/regular employee of the host site, who acts as a VISTAs day to day point of contact at their host site Term/Year of Service – the 12 month period during which a VISTA serves at their host site VISTA – used to describe a program but can also be used as a shortened way to describe a VISTA member VISTA Member – an individual who has committed one year of their life to serve www.nlada.org/VISTA e.flanagan@nlada.org What is VISTA? Founded in 1965, VISTA is an AmeriCorps program designed to help alleviate poverty. VISTA stands for Volunteers In Service To America and VISTA members have served in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. VISTA members serve full time at their host sites for a one-year term of service. Their role is to temporarily build capacity of that organization. You can find out more about AmeriCorps VISTA at www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps/americorpsvista. VISTA projects might include: • Developing an outreach campaign • Creating a database • Writing grants • Recruiting volunteers www.nlada.org/VISTA e.flanagan@nlada.org What do VISTAs do? VISTAs are capacity builders, they are not intended to conduct direct service. Capacity Building: Direct Service: • Recruiting volunteers for a Clean Slate Day • Volunteering at a Clean Slate Day • Updating forms to be more user friendly • Helping clients fill out forms • Creating data entry systems to support staff • Entering staff data on their behalf or acting as the compliance principle data entry team member • Building relationships to facilitate client referrals • Referring clients to support organizations • Training stakeholders on critical topics for the • Training clients on critical topics related to their case community • Planning community forums www.nlada.org/VISTA e.flanagan@nlada.org Defending Communities in Service The National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA) has partnered with the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) to create an innovative pilot project that will train AmeriCorps VISTA members in best practices in Community- Oriented Defense and place them in public defense agencies in order to put these principles into practice and establish systems for ongoing sustainability. DCS VISTAs will: • Build capacity for their host organizations • Work on distinct projects described by NLADA but selected by their host organization • Develop systems that can be adopted by their host organizations www.nlada.org/VISTA e.flanagan@nlada.org Defending Communities in Service DCS VISTAs will: • Build capacity for their host organizations • Work on distinct projects described by NLADA but selected by their host organization • Develop a community consortium of system stakeholders • Build a network of community and client service partners • Increase capacity to track the impact of quality indigent defense • Collect data to better understand the value of social workers in public defender offices • Develop systems that can be adopted by their host organizations www.nlada.org/VISTA e.flanagan@nlada.org Defending Communities in Service Let’s break that down – what exactly might a VISTA do in your office? www.nlada.org/VISTA e.flanagan@nlada.org Host Site Application DCS VISTA is currently accepting applications for host sites for our 2018/2019 program year. This application will be open until March 1. The application is broken down into five distinct sections: • Host Site Information • Host Site Eligibility Requirements • Host Site Participation and Responsibilities • Host Site Supervisor Role and Responsibilities • VISTA Member Roles and Responsibilities/Member Selection www.nlada.org/VISTA e.flanagan@nlada.org Key Program Dates January – March 1: Host Site Application open March 15: Host Sites selected and notified June 4 - 8: Sites are announced and promoted at Community Oriented Defender Conference (Philadelphia) June – September 1: Sites lead VISTA recruitment efforts based on their unique needs August 1*: Site Supervisors attend CNCS Orientation (Atlanta) September 1*: Sites select VISTA candidates for approval October 10*: VISTAs attend CNCS Orientation (Location TBD) October 15*: VISTAs first day at Host Sites October 28*: Site Supervisors and VISTAs attend NLADA Orientation (Houston) October 31*: Sites and VISTAs are announced and celebrated at NLADA Annual Conference (Houston) *Dates subject to change www.nlada.org/VISTA e.flanagan@nlada.org Join us next week for another Find Out Friday and don’t forget to bring your questions! Friday, February 9, at 3pm ET Registration link posted to www.nlada.org/VISTA www.nlada.org/VISTA e.flanagan@nlada.org What is Defending Communities in Service - VISTA? d FIND OUT FRIDAY FEBRUARY 2, 2018 www.nlada.org/VISTA e.flanagan@nlada.org