Summer 2011

Vermont Youth Development Corps an

AmeriCorps*State Program

Who We Are VYDC is a statewide

AmeriCorps program that

works through a network of

community-based youth

service agencies to increase

posit ive , ski l l -bui ld ing

opportunities for young

people and decrease factors

that place youth at risk for

making unhealthy choices.

The Washington County

Youth Service Bureau Boys

& Girls Club serves as the

delegate agency and fiscal

agent for the program.

What We Do Members collaborate with

teen centers, after-school

programs, parents, non-

profit organizations, and

other local groups to help

yo u t h b u i l d s t ron g

connections to their

communities and develop

the skills and attitudes they

need to make healthy

choices. All activities include

youth as partners, and

encourage youth leadership.

Activities are tailored to

meet the needs of local

communities and include

approaches such as arts,

recreation, community

s e r v i c e , m e n t o r i n g ,

discussion groups, youth

councils, and more.

The Impact I have made… This issue of

HardCorps! provides readers with an

opportunity learn about how VYDC

members have made a positive impact on

communities and individuals across

Vermont. These stories reflect only some of

the many positive impacts VYDC members

have made on the youth and organizations

they serve. In addition, you will find

statistics, quotes, and photos throughout that

highlight the impact these members have

made. We hope you enjoy this edition of

HardCorps!

HardCorps!

Vermont Youth Development Corps 2010-2011 Back Row (Left to Right): Rachel Patrick, Kerry Hill, Elizabeth Labeau,

Joshua Cunningham, Mike Abdo, Zach Lisabeth, Natalie Lovell, Sarah

Parker, Ruth Link, Hannah Mueller; In Tree: Ryan Carnell; Front Row (left

to Right): Howie Le, Kelsey Haigh, Jen Zimberg, Danielle Moore, Anna

Weisberg, Adrian Schubert, Claire Raudonat, Liz McAllister, Emily Bens,

Meng Lu, MacKenzie Ross, Molly Magee

Below: Mary Herrmann

Vermont Youth

Development Corps The IMPACT I Made

Page 2 HardCorps!

Many teens from the Winooski teen center helped with the Boys and Girls Club of Winooski’s rain bar-

rel project. Each child who was interested in the project was assigned a puzzle piece on the rain barrel

which was their own to design, focused on ideas of nature and Vermont. These rain barrels were crated

by groups across the states as part of a fundraiser for the Willowell Foundation.

In this Issue:

A Simple Connection—Page 3

By Molly Magee

Salad Days—Page 4

By Hannah Muller

Swinging So High… - Page 5

By Danielle Moore

ONE Fashion Show—Page 6

By Howie Le

Car Rides with Narhanum—Page 7

By Kerry Hill

Lasting Impression—Page 8

By Claire Raudonat

2 Years in Review—Page 9

By Elizabeth Labeau

Books for Sale—Page 9

By VYDC Staff

800 Trees—Page 10, 17

By Kelsey Haigh

Words that Deserve to Be Understood—

Page 11

By Liz McAllister

Youth Expressions—Page 12

Success in the Kitchen—Page 13

By Anna Weisberg

The Impact of Relationships—Page 14

By Meng Lu

Feeding the Hungry—Page 15

By Rachel Patrick

Snowboarding 101—Page 16

By Michael Abdo

A Year in Pictures—Page 17

By Emily Bens

Community Impact—Page 18-19

By Ruth Link

The Evolution of Writing—Page 20-21

By MacKenzie Ross

Patience and Ping-Pong—Page 22

By Jen Zimberg

Growing Gardens and Hair—Page 23

By Sarah Parker

Changing Lives—Page 24

By Ryan Carnell

Make it Work! - Page 25

By Adriane Schubert

Stats and Haikus—Page 26

Training Notes—Page 27

By VYDC Sraff

Small Victories—Page 28

By Natalie Lovell

Promoting Healthy Living—Page 29

By Mary Herrmann

A Simple Connection By Molly Magee

VYDC member serving at Maple

Hill School, Plainfield, VT

Page 3 Summer 2011

schools like Maple Hill that:

think outside the box and use

community resources to make

an impact.

I told one student of the story

of impact I was going to write

about my AmeriCorps experi-

ence. She was inspired to about

what the experience had meant

to her. Her experience sums up

the impact I have felt this past

year: ―Molly always brings me

to the senior center and when I

am there I get really happy

because I feel like I have a

family there, where everyone

helps out with one another. My

grandpa lives in Florida, so I

never get to see him because he

is always on call, or something

comes up. So, when I get to go

to the senior center I feel like I

have grandparents there and I

know that they love me for who

I am. I feel like I am helping the

seniors. They love it when I get

to see them. Some of the

seniors don‘t have anyone to see

but Molly and me. If Molly was

not here to bring me to there, I

would not be able to see them. I

love going to the senior center!‖

One of the tasks assigned to

me by my AmeriCorps

supervisor this year was to

strengthen the connection

between the Maple Hill School

and the Marshfield Senior

Center. At first I was nervous -

I have to connect a school and a

senior center together in a town

that is 2,600 hundred miles

away from my own? Little did

I know that with some love and

hard work the connection could

get stronger.

In order to tackle this

project, I connected with Rita

Copeland, the spirited leader of

the Senior Center and Meals on

Wheels program in Marshfield.

Her energy and commitment

was inspiring!

Throughout the year, I have

consistently taken a few

students to spend time before or

after lunch at the center. We

spend three hours playing cards,

celebrating holidays, making

arts and crafts projects, singing,

or just have a good old

conversation.

I help coordinate these events,

but the real magic happens

between the students and seniors.

The students are excited to see the

seniors each week; they often

come to me with ideas of projects

they want to do with their new

friends. They want to help in

whatever way they can to

improve the quality of life of the

older generations in their

community.

The students are able to use

their knowledge to fulfill the

needs of the senior center. They

help create signs, make slide

shows of old photos, and craft

decorations for each season.

Some of the s tudent ‘s

grandparents live far away or are

no longer part of their life; the

elders at the Marshfield are able

to play a part in that role. I am far

away from my family too, so the

Marshfield Senior Center became

a place where I also felt like I had

family.

When I thought about my story

of impact, I thought it had to be a

big accomplishment, some

tangible piece of information that

would show that the work I did

this year on a graph or in a report,

but that was not my experience.

The impact I had was

consistency, showing up at the

same time week after week for

the students and the senior‘s in a

quaint Vermont town. The simple

acts of human interaction between

different generations serve

everyone involved.

My hope is that more schools

make it an option for students to

visit local senior centers. It takes

time to make a solid presence, but

the rewards are priceless for

everyone. I am grateful for

Valentine's Day Extravaganza! Stu-

dents brought cookies and Valen-

tine's cards to all the Seniors. Back

Row: Marshfield Senior Center Vol-

unteer, Anthony, Alex, Linda, Maple

Hill Students Front Row: Molly,

VYDC AmeriCorps member, Lendel,

Marshfield Senior Center Member

Alison, a senior at Maple Hill School &

Tony, a Marshfield Senior Center mem-

ber took a break from playing cards to

take a photo together.

Page 4 HardCorps!

Salad Days By Hannah Mueller

VYDC member serving at the

Willowell Foundation,

Vergennes, VT

the whole school is taking

responsibility for the garden.

Over the summer, we‘ll hold

fun Garden Days that combine

weeding and watering with

games and pizza. Willowell will

invite students to our garden,

too. In the fall, we‘re planning a

harvest dinner—with a giant

salad—to celebrate everything

the kids have accomplished.

The moment when I really

felt that I had made an impact at

Monkton School was when, at

the Spring Garden Day we held

on May 14, I saw the parents

and students working together

to build a fence around the

garden. Made with cedar posts

from the Willowell land, the

fence is a tangible and

permanent symbol of Salad

Days. I‘m proud that it will be

there guarding the garden after I

leave.

I n S e p t e m b e r , m y

supervisor suggested I write a

grant proposal to a foundation

that supports ―innovative

educational initiatives.‖ I didn‘t

know if I could come up with

one of those, but the idea I

helped develop really is

growing into a successful,

unique, even innovative

program called Salad Days at

Monkton Central School.

Before I wrote the grant to

the Frances R. Dewing

Foundation, I hadn‘t yet visited

Monkton School. It was about a

mile down the road from

Willowell, and our goal was to

build an educational partnership

with them. They were looking

for help starting up their school

garden, making nutrition a part

of the curriculum, and

integrating produce into school

lunches.

From what I had learned in

the short time I had been

working as the Farm to School

Coordinator, a successful

program would link classrooms,

the cafe teria , and the

community.

I brainstormed with the

district foodservice coop

director, teachers, and the

principal of the school, as well

as with my supervisor at

Willowell. After those conver-

sations, what I submitted with

the grant application was a

rough plan for a school-wide

gardening and nutrition program

called Salad Days, which would

take place in 2011 and remain a

part of the character of the school

for years to come.

In November, the news that

we had received the grant

e n e r g i z e d e v e r y o n e o n

Monkton‘s Farm to School

committee. Willowell hired a

Garden Manager and nutrition

educator, who has done a

fantastic job teaching students

about different vegetables and

fruits and coordinating the

planting of the garden. Now, an

idea that started in my

c o n v e r s a t i o n s w i t h t h e

foodservice coordinator has

become a reality at Monkton:

every class is learning about,

planting, and taking care of their

own vegetable or fruit.

From the Kindergarteners‘

lettuce and carrots, to the sixth

graders‘ beets and edible flowers,

Parents and students working together to build a fence around the

garden during the Spring Garden Day at Monkton School. The

school launched Salad Days, a gardening and nutrition program.

Page 5 Summer 2011

Swinging So High We Might Just Fall Out of Our Seats By Danielle Moore

VYDC member serving at the Winooski Teen Center, Winooski, VT

Sudan, and the United States

come together to sing this

song—well , i t was an

absolutely beautiful moment to

me. The kids went on to talk

about what K‘Naan was

singing about, what the lyrics

meant to them, and how they

wanted what he believed in too.

That van felt like its own little

world in which a safe space had

been established; these kids felt

comfortable singing and talking

together; it felt so wonderful

and magical to be a part of that

space.

My year has been full of

t h e s e m o m e n t s a n d

connections which have played

a huge role in my development

as a person this year and will

certainly continue to surround

me and be within my

consciousness after this year of

service.

My AmeriCorps year has

not felt like a timeline in which

the experiences I have gone

through have played themselves

out sequentially. The growth of

my time in Winooski has not

been a progression from

September to May. Instead my

perspective on my year of

service has felt much like this

Virginia Woolf quote; the

experiences I have been through

have come on in waves, moving

up and down and continuously

influencing me.

On my computer I keep a

Word document full of lists

which are mostly fragments of

sentences which span through

the entirety of my service:

―Steven always wanting to play

monopoly with me - always‖ to

―Mohammed holding the door

open for me‖ to ―the teens

learning how to break dance‖ to

―swinging so high we might just

fall out of our seats.‖

I have pages full of these

l i t t l e momentous -for -me

moments. These are moments

that remind me of what I have

been through this year and

express to me both the impact I

have had on my youth and the

impact the youth have had on me.

I do not feel as though my impact

can be the summed up into certain

s p e c i f i c g o a l s I h a v e

accomplished; instead I feel my

impact is most felt through these

small moments I have collected

throughout the year. I would like

to share one that has stuck with

me closely this year.

One night in the winter, I was

driving kids home from the

ECHO Lake Aquarium Center in

downtown Burlington near the

waterfront. We had had a great

time looking at different

creatures of the deep and

pretending to be weathermen in

front of a green screen. As we

were nearing the Winooski

roundabout getting closer to the

Boys & Girls Club, the kids

started to sing K‘Naan‘s song

―Wavin‘ Flag‖ which they were

learning in chorus for their winter

concert: ―In the streets our heads

are liftin‘ as we lose our

inhibition/ Celebration it‘s around

us, every nations, all around us/

Singin‘ forever young, singin‘

songs underneath that sun/ Let‘s

rejoice in the beautiful game/ And

together at the end of the day/ We

all say/ When I get older, I will be

stronger/ They‘ll call me

freedom, just like a waving flag/

And then it goes back/ And then

it goes back.‖

Driving in the van in the

approaching darkness and

listening to kids from Somalia,

“Life is not a series of gig

lamps symmetrically

arranged; life is a luminous

halo, a semi-transparent

envelope surrounding us

from the beginning of

consciousness to the end.”

- Virginia Woolf, Mrs.

Dalloway

Howie Le and Danielle Moore catch

their breath while doing trail mainte-

nance for a VYDC Service Project in

Hubbard Park, Montpelier VT.

Page 6 HardCorps!

―The Creativity Corner (the art

space in the Teen Center) is up

and running! While it still

remains a sort of miscellaneous

room, students can often be

found pulling out art supplies

with little or no prompting to

work on their own creative

p r o j e c t s . P a i n t i n g i s

particularly popular - possibly

because they‘re allowed to get

messy and paint whatever they

want as long as they clean up. A

few times, I have presented

students with materials (such as

watercolors) and encouraged

them to be creative. They often

ask ―Well, what am I supposed

to paint?‖ and when I respond

with ―Anything you want‖ they

a p p e a r m o m e n t a r i l y

dumbfounded by the task at

hand. The purpose of the

Creativity Corner is to have no

rules and allow students to have

free range of their creative

abilities.‖

- Claire Raudonat, VYDC

Member at the Essex Teen

Center when asked about an

achievement from her year of

service. For her Member

Service Project Plan, Claire

wanted to increase art exposure

and creative opportunities for

teens. Each VYDC member

develops a Member Service

Project Plan, which describes

an issue or asset and how the

member will address the issue

or promote the asset during the

service year.

ONE Fashion Show By Howie Le

VYDC member serving at the

Boys and Girls Club, Burlington,

VT

Boys and Girls Club

members engaged in a five

month process where they

learned how to draw, design,

and practice multiple sewing

techniques to complete their

own original outfits for the fifth

annual ONE Fashion Show.

Members proudly walked down

the runway in their outfits with

community models to benefit

the Boys and Girls Club of

Burlington. VYDC member

Howie Le assisted with the

sewing classes, mentored the

Above: Photography Collage of the

ONE Fashion Show designed by

Howie Le.

Below: VYDC members Sarah Parker,

Liz McAllister, and Natalie Lovell make

friendship bracelets for military kids

during the Operation: Military Kids

serve Project at the VT AmeriCorps

Service Conference.

students, and helped with the lo-

gistics of the show, which was a

huge success!

Page 7 Summer 2011

Car Rides with Narhanum By Kerry Hill

VYDC member serving at Linking Learning to Life, Burlington, VT

c o m f o r t a b l e — c h a l l e n g e

yourself and go for your

dreams. She puts it perfectly

that ―a journey of a thousand

miles begins with a single step.

My journey‘s first step was

when my family and I moved to

the U.S.A. at the end of 2005.

Even I didn't realize that it was

my first step for my future. If I

were living in Russia right now

I would not have done what

ever that I had done here in

U.S.A. I did lots of great

programs here such as Upward

Bound, Summer Classes, CCV

classes, MedQuest, Teacher

Conference at UVM, and

Community Service, etc. These

steps are all my fist steps for my

future.‖

Narhanum has finished her

internship at the VNA and was

asked to come back to volunteer

for the summer and potentially

the fall as she takes nursing

classes at CCV.

Narhanum began the

Training Interns & Partnering

for Success (TIPS) internship

program as a timid and shy, yet

very determined student.

Originally from Russia, she

moved here in 2006 with her

family in hopes of a better life,

after being exiled from her

country. During her initial

interview for the program she

talked at length about her

dreams to go to UVM and

become a medical professional.

All she wanted to do was help

people and make them happier

when they were at their lowest

points. During one journal

assignment she stated, ―when I

moved to USA there were a lot

of people who had help me and

my family. And that‘s was one

of the reason I want to be a

nurse and help others. I‘m

pretty sure that I will be living

here for the end of my life and

I‘m pretty sure that I will be

helping others.‖

Throughout the program

Narhanum did well. Each day her

confidence grew, even though she

knew that her language barrier

was always going to be a problem

- especially in the medical field,

w h e r e l o n g w o r d s a n d

complicated jargon are used on a

daily basis. After eight weeks of

job prep and internship training in

the TIPS class, Narhanum was

placed at the Visiting Nurses

Association (VNA) in the adult

day program.

I immediately saw a dramatic

change. Driving her to her

internship after school became

the highlight of my day. We

would chat about the internship,

and she would immediately light

up. She loved each and every

patient and would talk about the

l i t t l e s t t a s k s a s b i g

accomplishments. Usually, our

conversation would then shift to

her life in Russia and, what she

would be doing if she was there

now (she would be expected to be

married with kids by the age of

18!). She would talk about the

intricate rituals that her family

performed, how women were

supposed to act in her culture, the

foods that they ate everyday

(which she made for the VNA

and all her clients), and her

excitement at being able to make

something out of her life in

America.

Narhanum truly inspired me

to appreciate my life and to never

s e t t l e f o r w h a t i s

Narhanum teachers her patients how

to roll out the dough in preparation

for making a variety of foods from

Russia.

Narhanum prepares food during her

internship with the Visiting Nurse

Association.

Page 8 HardCorps!

Lasting Impression By Claire Raudonat

VYDC member serving at Essex Teen Center and Essex CHIPS,

Essex Junction, VT

held the ladder for me, I

casually asked her questions

about school and home; she

talked and talked about her

interests in art, the good

relationship she has with her

father, and her struggle to keep

her grades up. She even asked

me questions about how to pay

for college and where to find a

summer job. I was surprised

that she was so openly sharing

with me and asking responsible

questions that even I didn‘t like

to think about.

Before she left that day, I

encouraged her to keep in

touch, and told her that she

could stop by anytime to chat

with me about anything all. I

told her that I would always be

here for her. As she walked

away, I realized that I was not

intimidated by her anymore.

When her friends weren‘t

a r o u n d , s h e l e t h e r

personality shine through.

Though I have only seen

Alice a few times since then, I

think she knows that she‘s a

good person and that she can

make it far in life if she keeps

on achieving her goals. Not

only do I hope that I have made

an impact on Alice, I know that

she has definitely made an

impact on me.

When I started my

AmeriCorps position at Essex

CHIPS and Teen Center back

in September, I was a little bit

wary of my position as a role

model: not because I thought I

couldn‘t live up to it, but

because I was afraid of

teenagers. Now, that might

sound a little silly, because it

really hasn‘t been that long

since I was a teenager myself,

and those adolescent feelings

and angst are not too distant a

memory. However, there‘s

something about a tall, sullen,

whiny, grim-faced 15 year old

that is incredibly intimidating.

It wasn‘t until I met one

particular student that my

nerves were calmed.

One particular student,

we‘ll call her Alice, came to

the teen center occasionally.

After her first visit of the year,

it occurred to me and fellow

staff that she was a high

schooler and, therefore, too old

to attend the drop-in hours. So,

upon her next visit, we

informed her that she wasn‘t

allowed in. After some cursing

under her breath and a brief

stare down, she backed down

and loitered outside the front door

before departing with a lit

cigarette in hand. Her gaggle of

male ―groupies‖ not far behind,

we watched them through the

window as they chucked bottles

at each other and laughed at

inside jokes. ―Typical teenage

behavior‖ some might say, but it

made me want to hide.

One day, Alice arrived again

at the teen center saying she

needed some volunteer hours, and

disclosing to me the incidents that

required her to fulfill her

mandated community service.

After going through the brief

interview and training process

required of all of our volunteers

to complete, she began coming in

weekly to perform maintenance

and cleaning tasks throughout the

teen center and our offices. I was

mentally prepared to put up with

rolling eyes and a bad attitude,

but Alice arrived early every day

she was assigned to work and got

the job done. She mopped,

vacuumed, dusted, wiped

windows, and organized like a

pro, without so much as a peep of

complaint. Every time I passed

her completing a task, I would

give her a high-five or

compliment her hard work and

she‘d smile and continue

working.

On he r l a s t d a y o f

community service, I asked her to

help decorate for a dance that we

would be having in the teen

center space that evening. As she

“Not only do I hope that I

have made an impact on Alice, I know that she has definitely

made an impact on me.”

Claire Raudonat helping to maintain

trails during a recent service project

at Hubbard Park in Montpelier.

Books for Sale By VYDC Staff

2 Years in Review By Elizabeth Labeau

VYDC member at the Collaborative, Londonderry, VT

Page 9 Summer 2011

I n c e l e b r a t i o n o f

AmeriCorps week, the VYDC

team gathered for a day of

t raining and reflect ion.

Members began the day

reflecting about and discussing

their motivations for serving the

community and remaining

civically engaged after their

AmeriCorps service. After a

wonderful lunch and some

small tokens of appreciation,

including VYDC t-shirts

designed by fellow member Jen

Zimberg (see photo on page 1),

members broke into two groups

and participated in service

projects around Montpelier.

One group helped at Hubbard

Park (see photos throughout this

newsletter), the other group

helped the Kellogg-Hubbard

Library to organize books for the

upcoming book sale fundraiser.

These photos show the book crew

at the Library and in action

organizing the books.

Airplane building with future engineers

Many math problems throughout the school year

Eating healthy snacks with hungry kids during after school

Raking out the garden to grow lots of food

Inventing games and activities to play with everyone

Cooking with little hands for our elderly neighbors

Organizing events that teach while everyone has fun

Reading hundreds of books and poems for fun and school

Playing board and card games during rain storms

Seeing all of my youth grow and learn to be great!

Brendan enjoys goulash for a snack during the

Collaborative’s extended day program.

Sarah Parker and Ruth Link sort

boxes of books for the book sale.

The Book

Crew:

Front Row (left

to right:) Natalie

Lovell, Adriane

Schubert,

Ruth Link, Meng

Lu

Back Row:

Kerry Hill, Eliza-

beth Labeau,

Sarah Parker

Page 10 HardCorps!

800 Trees By Kelsey Haigh

VYDC member at the Willowell Foundation, Vergennes, VT

natural world: tending a half-

acre garden over three seasons

with a dedicated assemblage of

l ike -minded cul t iva to rs ;

planting trees under blue skies

with eager school students;

eating fire-roasted kale with

seventh graders, and seeing the

surprise in their faces that

something so green could taste

so good; firing up the brick

oven and eating delicious pizza

with friends and colleagues;

gathering under the stars with

community members to share

music and poetry; huddled in

silence with high school

s t u d e n t s i n t h e

Adirondack wilderness under an

impromptu sauna as a

thunderstorm rolled overhead, (Continued on Page 17)

I began my second year of

AmeriCorps service at the

Willowell Foundation with high

hopes that projects I worked on

in the previous year would

come to fruition. This happened

in a big way this spring, as we

planted over 800 trees with over

350 public school students on

the Willowell land in Monkton.

The effort was part of a

wetland restoration and habitat

conservation project that we

had started planning in the

spring of 2010. I took on

managing the effort, which

included applying for funding,

coordinating the ordering of

materials, meeting with

technical consultants about a

planting plan, coordinating with

teachers on student planting

trips, and helping to setup

monitoring and educational

materials.

I also took the lead on other

projects, such as overhauling the

our website, planning and

managing the community garden,

getting three weeks of summer

camps up and running, and

organizing community wildlife

monitoring courses with Susan

Morse.

While on a certain level it‘s

satisfying to see the measurable

impact of accomplishments, the

things that will stay with me the

most are those moments of

aliveness and connection I‘ve

shared with others in and with the

Photo Collage below by Kelsey

Haigh, showing his two years spent

serving at the Willowell Foundation.

We planted over 800 trees

with over 350 public school

students in Monkton

Page 11 Summer 2011

food my daughter is eating in

her class?‖ These stories and

others from the community

show three significant things:

(1) the first grade child from

Berkshire was able to remember

something she was taught over

seven months ago, (2) the

program in the kindergarten

class was memorable and

enjoyable enough for the girl to

talk about it at home, and (3)

the programs I taught have

positively affected the lives not

only of the youth I served, but

the communities I served as

well.

Obviously, I am not the

only one who has effected this

sort of change. Every

AmeriCorps member I have

worked alongside over the past

two years, from California to

Vermont , has made a

considerable difference. The

current AmeriCorps members

and alums are the ―thoughtful

committed citizens‖ that

Margaret Mead says ―change

the world.‖ I couldn‘t be more

proud to help change Vermont,

and the world.

Today is June 1st, and I am

rapidly approaching the end of

my second year of service.

Just as I pondered this topic last

year, I now contemplate, ―Is it

possible to adequately describe

what I have ‗done‘ this year as a

Vermont Youth Development

Corps member?‖ For many

reasons, ―What did you do in

your year of service?‖ is a

commonly asked question of

AmeriCorps alums. I have

found that most people answer

this question quite modestly, ―I

served at a low performing

school, a teen center, a

shelter…‖ However, this year

of service (and every other)

deserves more than that for an

explanation.

I find it hard to talk about

my accomplishments, but as

AmeriCorps funding remains on

the chopping block, and I make

a legacy binder for a member

in a position that may not exist

next year, I have decided to

make a promise to myself and

AmeriCorps. I will give it the

words it needs and deserves to

be understood.

Here is my first attempt: As

a Vermont Youth Development

Corps member serving with the

Univers i t y o f Vermont

Extension and 4-H, I worked in

Addison, Chittenden and

Franklin counties in over

twenty schools. I served 450

youth from pre-school students

to high school juniors. Many of

the youth are considered ―at-

risk‖, ―disadvantaged,‖ or their

home life is far from ideal. I

taught and created endless lessons

around nutrition, environmental

education, science, digital

photography, and leadership, in

both classrooms and after school

programs. I co-directed a spring

camp that integrated military and

civilian youth. I wrote and

received a grant to purchase

portable kitchens to be used in

schools for nutrition education.

Not only are there data to

support the work I have done, but

a l so feedback f rom the

community. A first grade student

from a November program was

quoted in May saying, ―I still

remember the salsa dance that

Miss Liz taught me.‖ Coming

from the mouth of a child who

could not tell me what state she

lived in when I first visited

her class, I found her

retention of a Latin

American dance to be

rather impressive. Just this

week, a parent of a

kindergartener in my Food,

Culture and Reading

program asked the school:

―Do you have the recipes

for the all the interesting

Words That Deserve to be Understood By Liz McAllister

VYDC member serving at the UVM Extension/4-H Afterschool

Program, Burlington, VT

The current AmeriCorps

members and alums are the

“thoughtful committed

citizens” that Margaret

Mead says “change the

world.” I couldn’t be more

proud to help change

Vermont, and the world.

Liz McAllister (with the red bandana)

receives a HUGE AmeriHug from

Claire Raudonat (left) and Emily Bens

(right) after group photos during

monthly training.

Page 12 HardCorps!

The Montpelier youth who

participated in this project,

designed by member Jen

Zimberg, worked closely with

artist Ned Castle to photograph

parts of Montpelier that were

important to them. These are a

selection from an exhibit for the

six-week workshop with the

artist, which involved 15 teens

and produced over 2,300

photographs.

All proceeds from the sales

of the original , matted

photographs go directly to the

youth artists. The youth have

decided to donate $3.50 of the

sale of all unframed reprints to

the Basement Teen Center. The

center, located in the basement

of Montpelier's City Hall, is a

substance-free space where

youth can come together and

participate in activities that

encourage positive growth.

Featuring the work of:

Jacob (15, 9th grade,

Montpelier High School)

Tomas (14, 8th grade, Main

Street Middle School)

Kyle (15, 9th grade, Montpelier

High School)

Kevin (16, 9th grade,

Montpelier High School)

prices:

matted originals: $10

unframed reprints: $5

To purchase photos, please

email Jackie Mancini

Mancini: jmancini@wcysb.org

For more information, please

visit us on the web

at: basementteencenter.org

Youth Expressions: a photo exhibition by teens at the Basement Teen Center

Page 13 Summer 2011

Success in the Kitchen By Anna Weisberg, VYDC member

serving at Local Agriculture Community Exchange, Barre, VT

I love to see their pride as they

share with their families and

friends the soups, flatbreads,

cookies, cakes, breads,

raviolis, and vegetable chips

that they made, and the shine

in the three-year-old‘s eyes as

she carries a stack of pancakes.

I love experimenting alongside

the kids, making things that are

new to me and to them. In this

way we can share in that

excitement and sense of

wonder as our experiments

manifest into something edible

and rewarding. I love to hear

kids wanting recipes, and

telling me they have started to

make eggs, pasta and salads

for their families at home.

I hope I have made an

impact upon these kids in

helping them realize that they

have control over what they

put in their bodies and what

nourishes them, and that this

process of determination can

be tasty, engaging and

creative.

During my service year I

have had the opportunity to

work in the kitchen with several

groups of kids to create a

variety of foods. The groups

have ranged in age from three

and four year olds to middle

school students. Although their

ages and experiences differed,

all showed interest in cooking

and learning about food, and in

many the kitchen experience

brought out a rare degree of

enthusiasm.

I like to think that the

k i t c h e n p r o v i d e s a n

environment in which young

people can thrive. There is

room for experimentation;

however there are rules,

m e a s u r e m e n t s a n d

instructions. As many have said

before, following a recipe is an

especially good way to disguise

practicing math and following

directions. The kitchen allows

for personal taste and

preference to determine the

outcome; however, when lost,

one can look to recipes and

previous experience for

direction. The final product

provides an incentive to keep

working and be consistent, and is

made all the more meaningful and

delicious through the process of

preparing it oneself. Cooking

involves all the senses, and I

believe this is a large part of why

the process is so engaging.

Everybody eats, everybody has

preferences, and everybody loves

something about food—whether

it be the kneading of the dough,

the chopping of the vegetables,

the tasting and smelling along the

way, the sound of sizzling in the

pan, or the final satisfaction of

consuming your creation.

When I am cooking with kids,

I provide them with an overall

picture of what we are going to

make, and then give them as

much freedom and ownership

over the process as possible. It

would be unreasonable to say that

all kids succeed in the kitchen, or

even that all I worked with were

interested in the process;

however, many of them peppered

me with questions, eagerly

volunteered for tasks, and

expressed strong opinions about

how to spice this, how to chop

that, and how many chocolate

chips to add to our squash bread

(these opinions were especially

strong). I have heard from

teachers that kids who often

struggle in other parts of the

academic experience thrive in the

kitchen. Watching the kids take

ownership over the cooking

process and the products they

made has been the most

fulfilling part of this year for me.

I like to think that the

kitchen provides an

environment in which

young people can thrive.

There is room for

experimentation; however

there are rules,

measurements and

instructions.

VYDC members Mike Abdo, Anna

Weisberg, and Mary Hermann

helping out during the Operation:

Military Kids Service Project where

AmeriCorps members from across

the state gathered at the VT State

Commission’s Spring Conference to

write letter and make care packages

for our military troops and their

families.

Page 14 HardCorps!

The Impact of Relationships By Meng Lu

VYDC member serving at Youth Services, Bellows Falls, VT

emotional toll of knowing that

this young person wants to

take his or her own life.

After two hours, the

youth's parents arrived, and my

co-worker and I were free to

go. He and I wandered,

exhausted, out into the late

evening sunlight. As we got

into my car and prepared for

the drive home, he turned to

me and said, "I'm so glad they

came to talk to you."

And then it clicked for me:

I'm not anyone's fairy

godmother. I won't be able to

fix depression with a wave of

my magic wand, solve hunger

with a spell, dispel poverty by

snapping my fingers. But I'm

not doing nothing, because a

youth felt safe enough to come

talk to me. No matter what

kind of physical legacy I will

leave at my site, I know that I

wi l l have made deep

relationships with the youth

I've served, and that I find, is

the most meaningful impact I

could have made this year.

The waiting area of the

emergency room was small and

weirdly spaced. A lone flat-

screen television was mounted

in a peculiar corner, showing

local news. A small crowd of

people milled around, waiting

their turn at reception, dumbly

watching the television, or just

making small talk. I found

myself sitting quietly in a little

room off the main waiting area

that bore a small plaque,

"Family Room."

It was the second time I had

found myself waiting in the ER

as part of my service, waiting

for one of my youth to get a

suicide screening. And,

dispiritingly, it was the same

youth. While I flipped through a

tat tered copy of Good

Housekeeping, I kept thinking

the same thing – was I really

making a difference? If this was

the second time I had to bring

this young person to the ER, for

the same reason, was I actually

affecting the youth‘s life in any

positive way?

In my service, sometimes

it's hard to see the impact with

the kids I see every week.

Progress is made over the

course of many years. When I

look at the projects I've

completed and the ones that are

still in the works, I wonder

about how they'll be next year

and the year after that. What

will my legacy be when I leave

my service site behind and enter

the next phase of my life?

I began going over the

afternoon's events again in my

head, rehashing them for when I

would have to relate the

conversation to the mental health

screener. I hadn‘t been suspecting

of any hint of trouble when the

youth walked into our office. The

youth had reques ted an

appointment the previous week,

and I was under the impression

that we were going to talk about

their school attendance problems.

The youth‘s soft revelation of

depression and suicidal ideations

was not an entire surprise, but the

request to be screened was. I felt

the heavy weight of the admission

rest on my shoulders and a wave

of sadness washed over me. I had

thought the youth had been

doing better since the last time.

It's not an easy thing, taking a

kid to the ER. There 's

protocol to follow first of all,

calling supervisors and parents

and services, and then there's the

And then it clicked for me.

I'm not anyone's fairy

godmother. I won't be able

to fix depression with a wave

of my magic wand, solve

hunger with a spell, dispel

poverty by snapping my

fingers. But I'm not doing

nothing, because a youth felt

safe enough to come talk to

me.

In just the first six months,

VYDC members have

served more than

3,000 VT youth. Helping youth in get services,

maintaining safe spaces for

youth to congregate, and im-

plementing a wide variety of

enrichment experiences.

Page 15 Summer 2011

Feeding the Hungry By Rachel Patrick

VYDC member serving at

Spectrum Family Services,

Burlington, VT

Every day, I feed people

who are hungry – for attention,

for self-worth, for a hot meal.

And regardless if it is dinner,

socks, or a referral, I serve our

youth with a genuine smile.

At Spectrum‘s Drop-In, we

meet you where you are at.

Sometimes, people walk into

the Drop-In at their lowest

point; other times, we meet

people when they are ready to

fight to better their lives. Some

p e o p l e m a y a c h i e v e

employment and housing

security, while others may

never escape extreme poverty.

Regardless, each individual is

treated with respect and dignity.

Peer Outreach Workers and

AmeriCorps members serve as

positive role model for clients

and for the community. We

show youth that not all

strangers assume the worst

based on appearance, mental

illness, experiences, or criminal

record. By showing our clients

respect, they learn they can trust

and respect people in authority

positions.

To others, the impact we

make at Spectrum might appear

in insignificant, but I realize we

see people for only a moment in

their lives. While chopping

vegetables alongside clients, my

hope for them is not financial

success, but contentment.

In the first six months of service, VYDC members have made

significant impacts by enhancing organizational capacity at the

community-based organizations where they serve.

* Cash and In-Kind Donations: members have procured more

than $84,530 to support youth programs through fundraising

events, in-kind donations, and non-federal grants

*Public Relations: members have developed and disseminated

more than 127 different public relations documents and tools,

including brochures, newsletters, posters, blogs, and social me-

dia

*Community Partnerships: members have created and

strengthened more than 172 partnerships with community

stakeholders (schools, businesses, nonprofit organizations, ser-

vice agencies, and towns)

VYDC members Zach Lisbeth and Liz McAllister pose for a group

photo while helping to run the Friendship Bracelet making table at

the Operation: Military Kids Service project held at the May Ver-

mont AmeriCorps Conference.

Being the Change We Wish To See

Page 16 HardCorps!

Snowboarding 101 By Michael Abdo

VYDC member at Essex CHIPS, Essex, VT

My service involved

serving as a Teen Center

Coordinator in Essex Junction

for Essex CHIPS. Under this

mantle I would plan camps,

support substance-abuse-

prevention campaigns, and

work with other activities

promoting healthy youth

lifestyles - but my primary job

requirements involved running

a teen drop-in center for fourth

to eighth grade youth in the

community. Through my work

with CHIPS, I have been

deeply moved by many of the

youth with whom I spend my

days, and believe that, in my

way, I have moved them as

well.

Possibly the most complete

example of this occurred in

late February, 2011. I led a

Learn-to-Snowboard camp for

ten local, underprivileged youth,

and it was an absolute blast. The

youth were somewhat timid at

first, but eventually took to the

slopes like champions. And after

every run, they would clamor

over each other to ask if they

could go just one more time

before break/lunch/going home,

their faces bright and beaming to

a one. I think that‘s why I loved

this activity: Seeing the incredible

satisfaction, the unbridled joy that

I was helping these kids

experience despite the difficult

backgrounds from which they all

originated. Because a snowboard

d o e s n ‘ t c a r e i f yo u ‘ r e

socioeconomically repressed, and

for a week in February, neither

did these youth.

Snowboarders(from left to right):

Gabby, Jake, Cassie, Mike (VYDC

Member), Jon, Stephen

“We have been trying to get

the Girls Only! program running

for months with very limited

success. Our events have been

rarely attended and girls have

not seemed interested in coming

to the Teen Center, begging the

question - how are we ever

going to get girls in Winooski

engaged in afterschool activities?

The most recent Girls Only!

event felt like a do-or-die

moment. We heavily advertised

for an all-girls ice cream social to

take place after school using

flyers, announcements, and

Facebook, as well as talking it up

to everyone we saw.

The big day came, and it was

a success! The girls came in

flocks, all wanting to have ice

cream and talk - it was

phenomenal. And suddenly, the

ice cream social manifested into

a dance party for over an hour

with tons of African music. We

learned the moves from the

girls, and we were all dancing in

a circle, having a blast. It felt

really good to work at

something for a long time and

for the goal to finally be fulfilled.

Hope f u l l y t h i s s u c c e s s

continues!”

- Danielle Moore VYDC

Member at the Winooski Teen

Center year.

Claire Raudonat, Jen Zimberg, and

MacKenzie Ross help maintain trails

during the AmeriCorps Service

Project.

Page 17 Summer 2011

A Year in Pictures Mixed Medium Collage by Emily Bens

VYDC member at the Collaborative, Londonderry, VT

800 Trees —continued from page 10 By Kelsey Haigh

(Continued from page 10) and later hearing that the

W a l d e n P r o j e c t h a d

transformed their entire view

of education and, in some

cases, literally saved their

lives.

As service ends and life

rolls on, I know these

profound moments have

deeply shaped my sense of

what it means to be awake in

life, connected to others and

inseparable from our natural

world. Many thanks to the

people at Willowell with

whom I‘ve shared these times and

for AmeriCorps and the great

staff at VYDC for making the

opportunity possible!

Kelsey Haigh, who is serving with VYDC member at the Willowell

foundation this year and served as a VYT VISTA member last year, learns

which trees to relocate from Hubbard Park to the River bank to help mitigate

the effects of erosion during the VYDC AmeriCorps Week Service

Project with the Montpelier Parks.

Page 18 HardCorps!

Community Impact By Ruth Link

VYDC member at the Franklin Grand Isle Bookmobile, Swanton, VT

FUNdamental) program. When

I saw how special the RIF

program could be, I asked to

extend those services to the

After School kids that I also

serve.

All the kids are below

grade level for reading (the

average reading level hovers

around grade-three, despite

having kids as old as thirteen

in the program), so choosing

books that would interest them

while also bowing to what was

accessible was a challenge. I

enjoyed the process hugely,

but it was also nerve-wracking.

What if they didn‘t like or

want these books? Or worse,

didn‘t care at all? Trying and

failing to be a part of these

kids‘ community would be

heart-wrenching.

Well, not only did they like

and want these books, they

Before I joined Ameri-

Corps, community was not a

concept with which I had overly

concerned myself with. Why

would I? I had everything that I

could need or want in my life.

Community was for people who

didn‘t have all they needed or

wanted.

Well, in a year of struggling

to grasp my duties and

responsibilities as both an

AmeriCorps member and a

member of a new community, it

became very apparent that

community is not about having

or not having. Community is

about belonging, about helping,

about giving and receiving.

For the last nine months

I‘ve worked hard to be what my

site and its members (both staff

and community) needed and

wanted me to be. At various

points, I thought I‘d achieved it

– I‘d been what my community

n eed ed , an d th en m y

community would need

something else, something

totally different. This is both

challenging and frustrating.

How do I belong, how should I

help if something changes? The

answer is simple in theory, by

doing what comes next. By

following one step after

another.

Following steps wasn‘t

something I‘d given much

thought to until I began

volunteering outside of my site.

In an effort to reach out and

expand my community and my

understanding of that community,

I began volunteering at a local

library. My daily service at my

site was already centered around

encouraging l i te racy and

assistance through the FGI

Bookmobile and the ASPEN

After-School Program, so I

figured it wouldn‘t be a huge

stretch; it wasn‘t, and yet it was.

By volunteering at another

library, I came to understand the

needs they were meeting easily

and how those needs were being

met. The library I volunteered for

ran smoothly and efficiently – the

kids were known by name, and

the volunteers were plentiful.

The services and community

p r o gr am s t h a t t h e FG I

B o o k m o b i l e s t r i v e s t o

promote require the same kind of

community involvement, and

without someone taking initiative,

both the program and the

community struggle.

Where there is money and

funding things are easier to

promote and encourage. When

youth live near the services that

are available to them, it can be

easier for them to accept those

services—to join in their

community‘s efforts to help,

encourage, and inspire them. The

site I serve doesn‘t share in that

ease though we do share in the

effort. One of the programs the

FGI Bookmobile has been a part

of is the RIF (Reading is

VYDC members Ruth Link and

Molly Magee at the Civic Engage-

ment Reflection and Service Project

training in May.

Page 19 Summer 2011

loved them. Whew—one hurdle

passed.

Another hurdle loomed how-

ever, one I had never anticipated.

As I signed names and stamped

books I was asked, again and

again, ―These are ours?‖ or ―Do

I have to pay for this?‖ When

one student asked me that, his

friend inter-

rupted him,

―They‘re free.

She already

said that.‖ My

student an-

swered that

saying something was free didn‘t

mean it didn‘t cost anything.

Taking a moment to overcome

my shock, I interrupted my stu-

dent and his friend and said,

―That‘s true. Saying something

is free doesn‘t always make it so.

Today though, these books are

exactly was I said. They‘re free.

You don‘t owe me anything.‖

My student thanked me. I fin-

ished writing his name and I

went onto the next student. In all

the time I had spent picking out

and worrying over these books,

never did it cross my mind to

think that my biggest hurdle

would be convincing these chil-

dren that these books were theirs

– without cost or requirement.

This is a small

moment, but one I‘ve held in

front of me during the weeks that

hard or frustrating. AmeriCorps

isn‘t a permanent solution to

problems that communities face,

but part of my service, to my

mind, has been about being

willing and able to take initia-

tive and look for solutions. I

am not saving lives or the

world. Instead I read aloud, I

ask and answer questions, I

challenge kids to answer for

their actions, and I make sure

they know that my time with

them is about

wanting to be

there. My site

stresses commu-

nity because they

know how hard it

can be to reach

everyone in that community.

When I saw how easily another

community – one with income

and funds – was able to reach

their youth it became apparent

community wasn‘t something

to simply encourage or theo-

rize about, but something to

actively engage in and be a

part of. The impact I‘ve had?

That‘s marginal. The commu-

nity I‘ve become a part of?

That‘s immense.

Community Impact By Ruth Link

VYDC member at the Franklin Grand Isle Bookmobile, Swanton, VT

“The community I’ve

become a

part of?

That’s immense.”

Top Right: Liz McAllister,

Howie Le, and Danielle Moore

work to rebuild a culvert after

the flooding and heavy rains

destroyed it in Hubbard Park,

Montpelier, VT.

Bottom Right: Joshua

Cunningham and Ryan Carnell

work together to move a tree

that is being relocated to

reinforce the river bank of the

Winooski and prevent erosion.

For our Member Service

Project Plan, Ruth and I decided

to focus on increasing reading

and writing skills for the kids we

teach at ASPEN—one of our after

-school programs. ASPEN is

made up of K-8 students, but we

quickly learned that many of

these students are reading well

below their grade level. When I

served with an AmeriCorps State

team in Oregon, I led a zines

workshop, showing teens how

they can make fun, handmade

mini-magazines. Also, I was

currently teaching a comics class

at Swanton Crossroads (yet

another one of our after-school

programs). It seemed ideal to use

these lessons and ideas to work

with the reading and writing

levels for our ASPEN kids.

After some brainstorming,

Ruth and I came up with a few

comics lessons for the kids, and

one of them turned out to be a

huge hit! Ruth found a week-long

Mutts comics series that had a

humorous T wi l i gh t -esqu e

storyline. After having the kids

read the comics to themselves, we

had them create a list of movies,

books, and TV shows they could

create a comic around, and then

another list on how they could

make each one funny and

interesting. One of the boys drew

a UFC comic that had a bear and

a snake fighting each other, which

Ruth and I thought was pretty

creative. And it was just great to

see this boy (who is a part of a

group of boys that often puts up a

fight with nearly every

structured activity we provide

for the kids) to become so

engaged in an activity -

especially one that was semi-

academic.

There was a fairly large lag

in the year when Ruth and I led

more arts and crafts activities

for ASPEN, but I recently

started doing writing activities

during recess for the kids when

they get bored or tired. One of

them is commonly known as

―exquisite corpse:‖ You have a

group of people who pass the

paper around the group, and

each person writes one

sentence to add to the story.

The catch is that you don‘t see

the whole story—you only see

the previous sentence to your

own. These can be pretty

humorous to read at the end

because the stories tend to be

silly, and don‘t make a heck of

a lot of sense. It was wonderful

to see the kids write as a group

and have fun doing it! I‘ve also

been doing a writing/drawing

activity with the younger kids,

where they draw a picture for

me on my clipboard, and then

write a story to go along with

their picture. I finally just

started drawing pictures myself

and asking kids if they wanted

to write or tell me a story to

correspond with my picture.

Continued on next page

The Evolution of Writing By MacKenzie Ross

VYDC member at the Franklin Grand Isle Bookmobile, Swanton, VT

“The taste test at the

elementary school was a big

success. We had butternut

squash and Cabot cheese

quesadillas along with the

regular chicken and cheese

quesadillas. We had the kids

guess the secret ingredient. A

paraphrase of one exchange

with 2 boys in 3rd/4th grade:

Me: Do you like the

quesadillas?

Boys: They're good.

Me: What do you think the secret ingredient is?

Boy 1: Sweet potatoes!

Me: That's close!

Boy 2: Well, it's orange and

slimy... what is it?

Me: It's squash!

(They are wide-eyed and

speechless.)

Boy 2: I don't like squash.

Me: But you just told me you

liked the quesadillas.

Boy 2: Well, sometimes I like

squash.

I felt as though we had

really accomplished our

objective: to convince kids that

they might like a new (healthy,

local) food that they had

written off before.”

- VYDC Member Hannah

Mueller (pictured below)

Page 20 HardCorps!

The Evolution of Writing (continued) By MacKenzie Ross

VYDC member at the Franklin Grand Isle Bookmobile, Swanton, VT

These activities have been

especially wonderful because

not only are the kids engaged,

they‘re not seeing these

activities as structured ―work,‖

which seems to makes it more

relaxing for them.

Shortly after beginning to

engage these kids in these short

writing activities, I noticed that

during silent reading, some of

the students have taken the

initiative to begin their own

small group writing activities.

They form their own group,

usually consisting of a mix of

ages, and pick a few books from

the library to put on the ground.

Then they use either the book

titles, covers, and/or characters

to write a story. Most recently, I

saw an eighth-grade girl and a

first-grade girl sitting in the

library story-time area, with half

a dozen Dr. Seuss and P.D.

Eastman books spread out in

front of them, beginning to

write their story. There was no

way I was going to tell them to

put everything away and get

books out to read instead.

Seeing this evolution of

act ivit ies— the types of

act iv i t i es , how they‘ re

presented, and how the kids

perceive them - has been an

amazing experience. From

hearing kids whine about doing

a comics activity to seeing a

few students choose to do

writing activities on their own

accord, even if I don‘t see an

increase in these students‘ reading

levels, I know that my year of

service at ASPEN has changed

Page 21 Summer 2011

Story and drawing by Madison F., a student at ASPEN. This is an example of one

of the writing activities put into place by the two VYDC AmeriCorps serving with the Franklin Grand Isle Bookmobile.

“We were extremely successful in our gardening and harvest this

year. We literally produced hundreds of pounds of fresh produce.

We used this food for many different delicious meals and gave much

of it away to the community. Another success we have had is

steering two of our regular youth into sports and helping them to

sustain a drug-free lifestyle. Another fantastic success is the

connections we are regularly making with the school and staff. We

hope to continue these relations and help to continue promoting a

new and positive reputation.”

- Sarah Parker, VYDC member serving at the Bristol Hub, when

asked about an accomplishment she has had this year.

these kids view writing as an activ-

ity. Even if it‘s the most miniscule

of changes.

Page 22 HardCorps!

Patience and Ping-Pong By Jen Zimberg

VYDC member serving at The Basement Teen Center, Montpelier, VT

A big day for the Basement:

we got a ping-pong table, which

quickly dominated the teen

center with an ever-full signup

board. Lee had never played

ping-pong, and frankly neither

had I, but within a few weeks

he had a serve that was almost

impossible to return.

On Friday nights he was so

intent on his desire to play ping-

pong that I‘d end up playing

with him for hours. I joked that

I was training to play ping-pong

in the Olympics and he was my

coach because of the sheer

volume of time we‘d spend

playing, all at his asking. Lee

began to laugh a lot more, little

jokes developed and his

defensive edge wore down.

When a point was unclear

during a game, he‘d give the

benefit of the doubt, calling a

do-over as opposed to calling

his opponent a cheater.

As an AmeriCorps member

at a teen center, one learns to

recognize those small moments;

moments so easily missed, but

when caught they just make it

clear why we do what we do. In

the moment I heard Lee‘s

suggestion to have a poetry day

at the Basement, I knew that the

past months of offering

c o n s i s t e n t s u p p o r t ,

expectations, boundaries, and

mentorship clearly made an

impact on this young man‘s life,

as watching him grow made an

impact in mine.

―Let‘s have a poetry day.‖

This suggestion came from

Lee (name changed for

confidentiality) during a recent

Teen Council meeting.

Hearing his honest desire to

explore poetry at the Basement

Teen Center almost knocked

me off my feet. At twelve

years old, Lee is the youngest

fellow we see at the Teen

Center; we welcome him into

the space even though we

generally serve youth 13-18,

because Lee used to come with

his older teenage brother, who

watched him after school.

About nine months ago,

Lee started coming back to the

teen center. He would arrive

right around 3pm and stay until

closing at 6pm; he would also

ask constantly why the teen

center wasn‘t open 24/7, and

why weren‘t we open on

weekends? What stood out

most to me was that not once did

I see a real smile cross his face.

Guarded and defensive, he would

not meet our expectations of

responsibility around the teen

center without a debate. Lee‘s

activity of choice was playing

pool ,and he quickly became a

pool shark in the Basement. It

was the only way to connect with

him, to meet his constant requests

of ―Who wants to play pool?‖ In

his defensive manner

however, Lee could never admit

defeat. When I won a game, he‘d

brush it off with a ―you cheated‖

or ―you scratched on the eight

ball‖ or even ―that doesn‘t count.‖

Therefore, when he beat me I was

genuinely impressed with his shot

on the eight ball, or bummed

because I accidentally sunk the

eight ball. I tried to demonstrate

being a ―good loser,‖ making it

routine to high-five after a game,

no matter who won or lost.

Picture of the Basement Teen Center shot by Jen Zimberg.

Page 23 Summer 2011

Growing Gardens and Hair By Sarah Parker

VYDC member at the Bristol HUB Teen Center and Skatepark

When looking at the impact

I have made on this community,

I find it quite hard to measure.

As AmeriCorps members we

are often thrown into an

environment and quickly

become a fixture of that

community. We move in, make

new friends, learn tons of new

things, face challenges, and

overcome them. Through the

times that are hard, we find the

positive and we continue to

enjoy a quality of life that the

more materialistic may never

understand. In no time at all our

term is done, and we must now

face the next chapter of our

lives. Our sites that we now call

home will often adopt a new

face that will leave new foot-

prints and the cycle continues.

So I wonder; what have I

left behind? What pieces of me

will remain after I go? The truth

is I will probably never know

the extent of my own reach. I

have worked with some of the

most amazing youth. I have

seen these teenagers be braver

and stronger than I could ever be,

if faced with the same situations

that they battle every single day. I

always try to do all that I can to

make sure they feel supported. I

have tried to show them their very

own strengths and limitless

possibilities.

Sure, I have done paperwork

up to my ears, I have organized

events, written some grants,

attended long meetings, grown

gardens and hair (hair because my

meager stipend wont allow for a

haircut). In all of these day-to-

day workloads, I feel I have

helped keep the place exactly

where it needs to be. The Hub

Teen Center and Skatepark is

held together by many hands.

When my hands let go, it will not

crumble. It will not fall apart or

vanish. It will continue to grow,

much like the teens it sees every

year. The impact I will leave on

The Hub is small, and many years

from now might not be even seen

at all. However, I have dried tears

and made laughter. I have fed

hungry stomachs, bandaged

dozens of scraps and cuts, given

advice, and lectured…a lot. I

think my true impact will always

be in those I have learned from

and those who have learned from

me. I know I will not be able to

keep in touch with everyone after

September first; however, I do

know my words and concern

touched them. To me that is true

impact.

A picture of the Bristol HUB Skate

Park taken this fall. This Spring a few

new elements were added to the

park.

The Bristol HUB Teen Center

“One evening at the center,

one of our older boys was

really acting out and instigating problems between the others.

I spoke with this teen telling

him that I believed in him, and

believed that he could be a

good role model for the other

youth who look up to him. He

grunted at me and continued

on with his business. About a half- hour later, this teen was

walking around with a broom

and dust pan in hand, cleaning

all of the floors—and making a

point to make sure that I saw

him doing this. I acknowledged

what he was doing and thanked h im for h i s

cooperation. It’s a small

change, but it may make a big

difference in the long run.”

- VYDC Member Ryan

Carnell who serves at the

Winooski Teen Center when asked to tell a great story

about his service year

Page 24 HardCorps!

Changing Lives By Ryan Carnell

VYDC member serving at the Winooski Teen Center, Winooski, VT

One thing I‘ve learned in

my year of AmeriCorps ser-

vice is that it‘s not about the

big changes you make; it‘s

about the positive little

changes you make in the lives

of the people you serve. Like

watching teens clean up after

themselves without being re-

minded, or seeing them others

that they are being disrespect-

ful.

At the beginning of my

service I met a young man

named Jake. He is a very ener-

getic boy with lots to say.

Once he started coming to the

teen center he never stopped.

After a month or two I was

introduced to his older

brother, Josh.

Josh and I became good

friends, talking about every-

thing from girls, school, jobs

and his future plans. It‘s easy to

see both boys have great poten-

tial and wonderful social skills,

but they are a little rough

around the edges. One thing I

noticed immediately was their

temper; they would fly off the

handle over the littlest things.

So, I began mentoring them

both on how to go about dealing

with their anger in a different

way.

One day the younger of

the two got into an argument

with one of the other teens,

and they began to push and

shove each other. The older

brother split the two of them

up, and explained to his

brother how his actions were

wrong.

Jake then stormed out of the

back door while punching a

hole in the wall. Josh, be-

ing a good brother, followed

him out the door and began

telling him why he shouldn‘t

have done what he did. I was

obligated to suspend Jake from

the Center for two weeks with

some community service at-

tached. A couple weeks before

this Josh would have joined in

the fight, but he didn‘t this

time; he took the time to see

what Jake‘s actions were doing

to him.

Over the next couple of

weeks, Josh‘s evenings were

filled with volunteering with

the Boys & Girls Club, men-

toring, and keeping order to the

space. He also applied for a

position working with the su-

pervisor of the Club, cleaning

the local pool and being a help-

ful hand every open day of the

Center. He‘s calm, collected,

and becoming more and more

responsible every day.

The reason this stuck out in

my mind was that, at first, I

was dwelling on the big pic-

ture, and feeling as if I hadn‘t

accomplished anything. When

I realized that I had, it wasn‘t

what I had expected. From this

day forward, this young man

will always think about what

I‘ve taught him, and hopefully

pass his knowledge and wis-

dom to other future leaders of

America.

One thing I’ve learned in

my year of AmeriCorps

service is that it’s not

about the big changes you

make; it’s about the posi-

tive little changes you

make in the lives of the

people you serve.

Jake, Ryan, and Josh grab a mo-

ment for a group photo while

hanging out at the Winooski

Teen Center.

Page 25 Summer 2011

Make it Work! By Adriane Schubert

VYDC member at Essex CHIPS, Essex Junction, VT

so affordably! Many of the

ladies who attend the event

leave with big smiles on

their faces, excited about

their purchase and wanting

to wear the dress for the first

time.

There are many stressors

that come with the territory

of being a teenager, and for

better or worse, many are

associated with appearance

and comparing themselves to

each other. By offering

beautiful pre-worn gowns at

a low cost, I think it levels

the playing field and makes

things a little bit easier.

Whether it‘s wearing the

dress for the first time and or

feeling good about spending

so little, I do my part my

providing the opportunity for

both.

During my service this

year, one impact that I had on

the community of Essex

Junction was to provide an

alternative to spending a lot of

money on dresses for the prom

or other formal occasions. In

order to provide these dresses

at our SUPER LOW PRICES,

I had to advertise for gently

worn and in-style dresses. It

was a lot of fun to look at the

dresses as they came in - the

community was very

supportive of our efforts to

provide low-cost dresses and

raise money at the same time.

Next, we had to receive all of

the dresses (over 150,

in addition to those

from last year), sort

them, price them, and

donate the ones that

were either damaged

beyond repair or just

too ugly to sell.

Finally, we got to set the

dresses up on racks for the

Bargain Bash Dress Sale. The

sale was a success; we sold about

20 dresses, and made $400 for

youth programming at Essex

CHIPS. My favorite part about

the dress sale is when the

attendees leave with more than

one dress because they are priced

Row of dresses ready for sale at the

Annual Bargain Bash Dress Sale

organized by Adriane Schubert.

VYDC members

pose for a group p h o t o a f t e r

participating in a AmeriCorps Week

service project. Members helped

the Montpelier Parks maintain trails

and picnic spaces, relocate tree to

h e l p p r e v e n t e r o s i o n , a n d

remove invasive

species.

During the first half of the service year—

VYDC members have already recruited and managed 486

volunteers who have dedicated 2,670 hours to communities

across Vermont!

Page 26 HardCorps!

In the first six months

of this program year,

VYDC Members

planned and

implemented —

· 92 Healthy Futures

events, focusing on

nutrition, healthy

lifestyles, and substance

abuse prevention in

which 2,329 people

participated

· 58 School and

Workplace Readiness

Programs, assisting

youth in exploring

different career options,

learning job skills such

as resume writing and

interview techniques,

and providing

academic help in which

1,452 people

participated

· 44 Civic Engagement

discussions covering

topics ranging from

volunteering to food

security to human rights

issues that involved

more than 488

participants

· 31 service projects that

engaged 2154 community

members and youth

2010-2011 VYDC Haiku Reflections

End of Service Event

Tuesday July 26th, 2011

Silver Lake, Barnard Vermont

A year of service

Through the snow, wind, rain,

and flood

We're getting things done. Group 2: Andriane, Ruth, Hannah, Ryan,

Meng, Mary

I, AmeriCorps,

Served youth and community

In a word: impact

A drop in the pond

Enrich, inspire, and empower

Rippling changes Group 3: Kelsey, Howie, Claire,

MacKenzie, Molly

Training Notes

best practices by demonstrating

successful activities they have

been facilitating at their sites.

During their service term.,

Vermont Youth Development

Corps AmeriCorps*State

Program (VYDC) members

participate in a wide variety of

training, gaining skills relevant

to their service assignments as

well as enhancing their long-

term professional development.

These monthly training sessions

are an essential component of

t he VYDC exper i ence ,

providing members with both

valuable knowledge and the

chance to develop team unity

and AmeriCorps identity.

Topics range greatly, but

VYDC members have recently

had the chance to become

certified as instructors of the

R o o t s o f S u c c e s s

E n v i r o nm ent a l Li t e r ac y

C u r r i c u l u m t h r o u g h a

partnership with Vermont Green;

learned to improve their resume

writing and networking skills and

highlight the abilities they have

acquired during the year through

V Y D C ‘ s p r o f e s s i o n a l

development series. Members

also learn how to write grants,

engage youth in healthy lifestyle

activities, facilitate groups,

understand poverty, and other

similar skills that allow them to

better serve their communities.

In addition to the training

session, each month members

have the opportunity for peer

sharing and reflection during

journal writing activities and team

meetings. Members also share

best practices with each other and

teach other members through

AmeriShare presentations, which

have ranged from ―How to Eat

Healthy on a Budget‖ to ―Three

Things I Learned During my First

Year of Service.‖ Members also

have the opportunity to showcase

Members show their antlers after

receiving VYDC Deer Shirts designed

by Jen Zimberg.

Back row (left to right): Mike Abdo,

Zach Lisabeth, Sarah Parker, Hannah

Mueller.

Middle Row: Natalie Lovell, Ruth

Link, MacKenzie Ross

Bottom Row: Claire Raudonat, Liz

McAllister, Emily Bens, Meng Lu,

Molly Magee

VYDC members participate in the

”My Little Red Wagon” energizer used at the Bristol HUB and led by

Sarah Parker during a recent training.

Above (right to left) in back: Hannah Mueller, Adriane Schubert,

Mary Herrmann, Elizabeth Labeau, MacKenzie Ross. In front: Meng Lu

Below (from right to left): Liz McAllister, Zach Lisabeth, Molly

Magee, Kelsey Haigh, Joshua Cunningham, Hannah Mueller

Page 27 Summer 2011

Page 28 HardCorps!

Small Victories By Natalie Lovell

VYDC member serving at Spectrum Family Services, Burlington, VT

cautious optimism that I have

approached every job I‘ve had

in the social services field.

Walking into a place like

Spectrum and expecting to

change someone‘s life is

dangerous - it creates a false

expectation of how

effective the service you‘re

providing can be and the time it

takes a person to create lasting

change in their life. Instead, I

celebrate small victories with

clients, like a decision to

engage in counseling or get on

birth control or start attending

Vermont Adult Learning, but

don‘t get angry when they make

the decision to stop these

healthy activities.

As my year at Spectrum is

drawing to a close, I am

saddened that I won‘t see these

awesome kids every day, but

remind clients that I will still be

around Burlington. My decision

to attend the UVM‘s College of

Education and Social Services

means that I‘ll continue to be

around the city, and will most

likely be interning at agencies

they have regular contact with. I

have told clients that they‘re

welcome to come up to me if

they see me on the street,

especially after the pregnant

clients who are due months

after my service ends. But

hopefully, I won‘t see much of

them. When I stop seeing them

hanging around downtown, it

means they‘ve moved on to

better things.

Last night as I was driving

home from a friend‘s birthday

show, I saw a client, ― Billy ,‖

sitting on the street, surrounded

by candles and playing his

guitar. It was a beautiful sight to

anyone passing by, a kid quietly

singing and strumming a guitar

surrounded by flickering candle

light late on the city street. But I

saw him and it made me sad.

Billy is a Burlington character,

a familiar site around town,

always carrying a guitar. He‘s

sweet and kind, excitable and

emotional, silly, and sad. And

the entire time I‘ve been serving

at Spectrum, he‘s struggled to

maintain his mental health,

substance abuse problems,

housing, and employment.

Before he turned 22, Billy

came to the Spectrum Drop-In

almost daily. He would say

mildly inappropriate things to

the staff, sing songs he wrote,

try on clothes, shower, drink

coffee, and talk about his life

with staff. He spoke about

sleeping in the church yard, and

being hassled by cops. At one

point he was the unnamed

subject of a ―Seven Days‖

article about a homeless man

found squatting in an apartment

building‘s basement.

Because of a Drop-In policy

regarding age limits, Billy was no

longer allowed in before 4:30PM

after his twenty-second birthday.

Billy took it personally and

disappeared for awhile. After

Christmas he appeared again,

showing off the Christmas

presents he‘d received from

family and telling us about the

apartment he‘d been able to get

with the help of a Section 8

voucher. He looked cleaned up

and seemed happy. But about a

month after he got the apartment,

he was again struggling with

alcohol abuse and mental health

issues. Clients staying with him

reported that in the middle of the

night he was screaming about

killing himself. A month and a

half ago, he came in asking for a

referral for counseling. He

explained that he‘d had a seizure

and was stressed out, but that he

felt that engaging in counseling

would help him - that since he

was making the decision to do it,

it might really help him.

We haven‘t seen much of

Billy since then. He still stops in

for coffee and clothes. He still

struggles with his mental health.

We still provide him with basic

necessities. And to me, this is

much of what my year of service

has been. Much of my time at

Spectrum has been about helping

youth living in a near constant

state of crisis just make it through

the day. Don‘t think I‘m looking

at this as a failure, though. When

I started my year at Spectrum, I

approached it with the same

I celebrate small victories with

clients, like a decision to engage

in counseling or get on birth

control or start attending

Vermont Adult Learning.

Promoting Healthy Living in Rural Communities By Mary Herrmann

VYDC member serving at UVM Extension/4-H Afterschool Program, St. Albans, VT

nutrition. The school nurse

included my food label

handouts in the school bulletin,

and a healthy food of the day

was begun. It amazed me that

the school was interested in

changing eating habits.

Nutrition became something the

students were familiar with and

practicing. At my last session, I

asked each student to fill out a

survey that assessed what they

had taken away from the class.

One question asked if they

would practice what they

learned at home; the great

majority said yes. I believe

Food Fun and Reading gave

students the opportunity to learn

about nutrition in a way that

they could incorporate into their

lives.

In Franklin County

Vermont, where I currently

serve, there are many factors

that shape the overall health of

the population. In Bakersfield

located in eastern Franklin,

resources are very limited due

to only having a small grocery

store. I agreed to do an

afterschool program called Food

Fun and Reading with

Bakersfield‘s elementary

school: Food Fun and Reading

is a 4H program that

incorporates a story and snack

with a MyPyramid activity that

introduces each food group. I

soon realized that spreading the

word of nutrition was no easy

task in rural Vermont.

In Bakersfield elementary

all of the students live in a very

rural setting. About 60% of the

student body is on free and

reduced lunches. The quality of

nutrition in these lunches, like

many school lunches across

America, is not ideal; knowing

this, I wanted to bring quality

and variety to the program. In

planning for this 6 week course,

I focused on how I could make

nutrition understandable and

obtainable.

My first step was snack

planning - I wanted to provide

the children with easy to make

snacks. With these snacks I

focused portion size and

nutritional value. Next, I wanted

the students to have something

to take home and show their

parents; I created a recipe and

food label for each snack. By

combining the snack and the

handout, this program would

provide a hands-on learning

experience as well as something

that they could take home and

share with their

families.

I began

teaching Food

Fun and Reading

to student‘s in

grades K-5. In

the first lesson,

many students did

not want to try the

new and different

foods. I instated a

rule called the

―two bite rule,‖

under which each

student had to try

at least two

moderate-sized

bites. I was

amazed to see the

students learn to

like new foods by simply trying

them. The most popular recipe,

salsa, was also the one with the

most vegetables (prior to this

class, vegetables were the

children‘s least favorite food).

After my experience at

Bakersfield elementary, I began

to understand the importance of

teaching rural populations about

nutrition. I wanted the students to

learn that nutrition is something

everyone can obtain.

Food Fun and Reading got the

school more involved in

Page 29 Summer 2011

Mary Herrmann helps to mend fences around the tree

nursery and community garden located by the North Brach

Nature Center during her AmeriCorps weeks Service

Project.

VYDC End of Service (Silver Lake, Vermont July 26th, 2011)

The Vermont Youth Development Corps AmeriCorps*State Program:

VYDC start date for the 2011-2012 service year is September and we will began recruitment in

July. To learn more please contact the Washington County Youth Service Bureau/Boys & Girls

Club (Bureau). The Bureau is also the sponsoring agency of the Vermont Youth Tomorrow

A*VISTA Program (VYT). For more information please contact us at 802-229-9151 or

vyt.vydc@gmail.com

Vermont Youth Development

Corps

c/o Washington County Youth

Service Bureau / B&GC

P. O. Box 627 / 38 Elm Street

Montpelier, Vermont 05601-0627

Page 30 HardCorps!

VYDC members show their antlers, in honor of their new t-shirts

(designed by member Jen Zimberg) Back Row (Left to Right): Rachel

Patrick, Kerry Hill, Elizabeth Labeau, Joshua Cunningham, Mike Abdo,

Zach Lisabeth, Natalie Lovell, Sarah Parker, Ruth Link, Hannah Mueller;

In Tree: Ryan Carnell; Front Row (left to Right): Howie Le, Kelsey

Haigh, Jen Zimberg, Danielle Moore, Anna Weisberg, Adrian Schubert,

Claire Raudonat, Liz McAllister, Emily Bens, Meng Lu, MacKenzie Ross,

Molly Magee