AmeriCorpsNational Civilian Community Corps

First and foremost, THANK YOU for your interest in helping make sure that AmeriCorps NCCC programs have a healthy applicant pool now and in the future.

Our alumni are our best ambassadors– who knows more about the program and all its nooks and crannies than someone who already lived it?!

Welcome to the team!!!

NCCC recently more than doubled the number of available slots in its programs with the addition of FEMA Corps in Fall 2012. We need all hands on deck to fill them all with quality recruits!

Traditional NCCC: 1,200 slots available annually

FEMA Corps: 1,600 slots available annually

And, because we ALWAYS want to make sure we’re telling as many people as possible about the opportunity to participate in this program we all love!

Why now?

The best recruitment events are presentations to classes, clubs, or other gatherings (because you have a “captive” audience that hears your whole message).

Other events can be: identified Southwest Region career fairs - we’ll sign you up for the

event and pay for the registration fee information tables meetings with counselors/teachers/other “gatekeepers” an “application session” in a computer lab even just dropping off posters and brochures somewhere be available to speak with and answer questions for inquiring

applicants – contact nccc.sw.alc@gmail.com to get on the list.

If you’d like to reach out to a school or organization, just let us know your interest in doing so. While we welcome your outreach wherever you’d like to do it, please see the next slide for our recruitment priorities…

What can you do?

Organizations supporting youth from disadvantaged circumstances. The 2009

Serve America Act challenged us to increase participation in NCCC by youth from this demographic to 50%. These organizations could include: foster homes or youth homeless shelters

economically disadvantaged schools with a large population who speak English as a second language

economically disadvantaged schools with high drop-out rates

schools/homes/programs for at-risk youth, etc.

Colleges & Universities with degrees in Emergency Management – especially for FEMA Corpsrecruitment

Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs)

Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs)

Tribal Colleges & Universities (TCUs)

Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) – especially for FEMA Corps recruitment

City Year, Teach for America, Outward Bound, Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV), or other AmeriCorps programs – especially for Team Leader recruitment

National recruiting partners: Job Corps

Youth ChalleNGe

YouthBuild

Military/Veteran programs

Recruitment Priorities

Depending on whether you served in Class 1 or Class 20, AmeriCorps NCCC has changed either a little or a lot.

While we want you to share your personal stories and experiences in the program – because that’s what will be most interesting to applicants! –please make sure to note that the program is constantly evolving and that each member’s experience will be somewhat different.

What should you say?

We are a national service program – the National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) is one of many AmeriCorps programs.

We focus on 5 service areas: disaster prep/relief/recovery, environment, energy conservation, infrastructure improvement, urban & rural development

There are two tracks in our program: Traditional NCCC: 4-5 projects usually in a sampling of different service

areas with different project sponsors. FEMA Corps: all projects support FEMA (Federal Emergency

Management Agency) with administrative and logistical disaster-related work. Members get professional development in emergency management.

Team-based: 8-12 people per team 10-months 18- to 24-year-olds (but no age cap for Team Leaders) Opportunity to travel; series of short projects Education award = $5,730* (*amount tied to the max Pell Grant) Other benefits: Room and board, health benefits, travel costs, & a

modest living stipend (about $150 every two weeks after taxes) www.NationalService.gov/NCCC or 1-800-942-2677 for more info/support

Talking Points: In a nutshell…

Members are assigned to one of five regional campuses: Denver, CO; Sacramento, CA; Vinton, IA;

Vicksburg, MS; or Baltimore, MD

Campuses are for: training, transition between

projects, and program administration

After completing training, teams travel to and complete different projects in different places “Traditional” NCCC teams will go to 4-5 projects usually lasting 6-8

weeks each. Projects will primarily be within the region to which they are assigned, with the exception of immediate disaster relief requests.

FEMA Corps project numbers, lengths, and locations are disaster-dependent.

A little more: On both tracks

This is the track of programming most of our alums know the most about. But, here are a few refreshers: NCCC Members meet community needs in cooperation with

non-profit programs federal, state, and local agencies other community groups

Some examples of projects could be: building homes with Habitat for Humanity trail building refurbishing a camp working with kids in a school or Boys & Girls Club supporting a food bank helping lower-income families with their taxes responding in the immediate aftermath of a disaster

(running a shelter, mucking homes, tarping roofs, etc.)

When compared with FEMA Corps, traditional NCCC projects tend to be more “hands-on”. However, traditional NCCC projects can also include administrative tasks (helping a non-profit with data entry, filing, creating a newsletter for volunteers, etc.).

A little more: Traditional NCCC

Members receive 1-2 weeks of additional training from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that prepares them for administrative and logistical projects in the field of emergency management.

While “Traditional” NCCC members receive a breadth of experience, FEMA Corps members receive a depth of experience and professional training. Some examples of the type of work they’ve done are:

Canvass disaster-affected communities to assess, inform, and collect information

Update electronic files, manage data, and compile reports

Order materials, track inventory, load supplies, and manage IT equipment

Work with nonprofits and government agencies to coordinate services for disaster survivors

Help survivors complete applications for disaster assistance

Help create a campaign on disaster preparation for K-12 schools

A little more: FEMA Corps

Any U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or lawful permanent resident between ages 18-24 (on the day they start; they may turn 25 while serving)

Graduation from high school or GED is not a requirement, though work toward its completion is encouraged while in the program. The GED must be completed within 7 years for the education award to be used.

NCCC is not the right program for everyone. In order to set members up for success in NCCC, applicants should be: Drug-free and submit to a criminal background check (prior offenses are not automatic

disqualifiers; backgrounds are examined on a case-by-case basis) High functioning and mature Highly motivated and committed Team oriented Able to follow instructions and function in a

peer-led environment Flexible: able to adapt to new and changing work

environments, locations, assignments, and other conditions Leaders/leadership potential Youth who understand NCCC rigors and commitment Respectful of diversity

Eligibility

Apply online! http://my.americorps.gov

3 steps: 1. fill out a profile2. create an application3. submit the application to our program

For an “Application Cheat Sheet” to walk you though the process of applying online, or if you have any questions, contact Heather Dirck at hdirck@cns.gov

Deadlines: April 1 – for Fall placement (TL deadline: March 1)

Traditional Fall-start campuses: Denver, CO & Sacramento, CA FEMA Corps Fall-start campuses: Perry Point/Baltimore, MD, Vinton,

IA, Vicksburg, MS Application becomes available October 1 (for TLs: Sept. 1)

October 1 for Winter placement (TL deadline: Sept. 1) Opposite campus alignment for Winter-start cycle Application becomes available April 1 (for TLs: March 1)

How to Apply

Submit application to the selected AmeriCorps NCCC listing in “My AmeriCorps” portal

Within 2 weeks – applicant will receive acknowledgement packet

Applicant has 10 days to schedule an application assessment (an application cannot be assessed if recommendations are incomplete) Some applicants will be selected for a phone interview – interviews are now only

conducted to collect needed information; getting one is not necessarily “good or bad”

Status change in “My AmeriCorps” within 2-3 weeks of assessment

Within 1-2 weeks of status change, will receive a “waitlist” or acceptance packet; depends on timing in recruitment cycle. This contains forms that need to be returned within 10 days.

After an applicant is medically and legally cleared (1-3 months), they will receive a Welcome Packet. This marks final acceptance to AmeriCorps NCCC. It also contains forms that need to be returned within 10 days.

Travel to campus!

Applicant to Member

Now you’re ready to do an outreach event. You need stuff. Order brochures, posters, etc. for free!

Go to https://pubs.nationalservice.gov Click on “AmeriCorps NCCC”

The main items you need are: brochures (CNN153) and NCCC/FEMA Corps Fact Sheets (NCCC1005).

Other helpful items: posters (NCCC0001, 2, &/or 3) & bookmarks

Create an account, and make sure to “update quantities” before checking out; it can be easy to order only one copy of something.

“Leave Your Mark” recruitment video for traditional NCCC: http://youtu.be/2T_ooxo4lL4

“Making a Difference When It Matters Most” video for FEMA Corps: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg7QNeos3Fc

Additional resources can be found here: http://ncccswoutreach.webs.com/ You can download, save, and/or print: PowerPoint presentation for public consumption Application Cheat Sheet A variety of other Fact Sheets: NCCC/FEMA Corps, Team Leader, summary of other

AmeriCorps programs, etc.

If you have your own photo albums, scrapbooks, etc., feel free to use them, too!

Stuff: Brochures, and videos, and presentations, oh my!

Please let us know that you did one, and how it went!

Use the link below to capture where you went, who you talked to, etc. You should check out this form before you do the event so that you know what kind of info to capture while you’re there.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NCCCswAlumRecruiting

Please send us the email addresses of anyone who requested additional information so that we can follow up.

After the event

Please always work with the Community Relations Specialist for the region where you live both before and after doing a

recruitment event. We’re here to help!

Heather Dirck – NCCCsouthwest@cns.govSouthwest Region: AR, AZ, CO, KS, MO, NM, OK, TX

Angela Sarrels – NCCCnorthcentral@cns.govNorth Central Region: IA, IL, IN, MI, MN, NE, OH, ND, SD, WI

Erica Wilson – NCCCsouthern@cns.govSouthern Region: AL, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV

Sandra Hajt – NCCCpacific@cns.govPacific Region: AK, CA, HI, ID, MT, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY & Pacific Territories

Sam McKenzie– NCCCatlantic@cns.govAtlantic Region: CT, DE, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT, Washington DC, & Atlantic Territories

www.NationalService.gov/NCCC

www.facebook.com/AmeriCorpsNCCC

For more information