program implementation
Youth Program Development
Organization:
YMCA of Greater Boston VISTA Name:
Leena Silverman
Program Start:
1/2007
Project Description:
- Successfully apply for and run the MIT/Astronomy project. Includes outreach, volunteer coordinating, and running the program over the summer.
- Successfully run the Kinetic City program. Including familiarizing herself with the curriculum, choosing participants, building relationships with the participants, teaching the class, and creating a presentation of the end result
- Create a CyberY operations binder.
- Create a digital movie with youth/teens about their life experience
Project Outcome:
VISTA’s major duties included full responsibility of computer lab and resources for the lab.
CTC Implementation and Program Building
Organization:
Boat People SOS - Virginia VISTA Name:
James Nguyen
Program Start:
4/2001
Program End:
4/2002
Project Description:
BPSOS’s project ACCESS, Access to Computers for Community Empowerment, Support and Services, hopes to improve English fluency and the acquisition of computer skills in the low-income community. The VISTA members will work on the following tasks:
1. Work with community groups to identify youth needing the service and mobilize their participation in the program.
2. Set up neighborhood-based classes. This involves identification of additional resources to support these classes (such as donated computers, text books, class space, supplies).
3. Teach ESL and computer classes. This will include tailoring existing class materials to the needs of the target population.
4. Recruit, train, and coordinate volunteers to serve as instructors and mentors.
5. Encourage parents to take part in the education of their children.
CTC Implementation and Program Building
Organization:
Boat People SOS - Virginia VISTA Name:
Nhan Le
Program Start:
2/2001
Program End:
11/2001
Project Description:
BPSOS’s project ACCESS, Access to Computers for Community Empowerment, Support and Services, hopes to improve English fluency and the acquisition of computer skills in the low-income community. The VISTA members will work on the following tasks:
1. Work with community groups to identify youth needing the service and mobilize their participation in the program.
2. Set up neighborhood-based classes. This involves identification of additional resources to support these classes (such as donated computers, text books, class space, supplies).
3. Teach ESL and computer classes. This will include tailoring existing class materials to the needs of the target population.
4. Recruit, train, and coordinate volunteers to serve as instructors and mentors.
5. Encourage parents to take part in the education of their children.
CTC Assistance
Organization:
Boat People SOS - Washington, DC VISTA Name:
Megan Cherry
Program Start:
5/2001
Program End:
7/2001
Project Description:
BPSOS’s project ACCESS, Access to Computers for Community Empowerment, Support and Services, hopes to improve English fluency and the acquisition of computer skills in the low-income community. The VISTA members will work on the following tasks:
1. Work with community groups to identify youth needing the service and mobilize their participation in the program.
2. Set up neighborhood-based classes. This involves identification of additional resources to support these classes (such as donated computers, text books, class space, supplies).
3. Teach ESL and computer classes. This will include tailoring existing class materials to the needs of the target population.
4. Recruit, train, and coordinate volunteers to serve as instructors and mentors.
5. Encourage parents to take part in the education of their children.
CTC Implementation and Program Building
Organization:
Boat People SOS - Virginia VISTA Name:
Vy Phan
Program Start:
2/2001
Program End:
2/2002
Project Description:
BPSOS’s project ACCESS, Access to Computers for Community Empowerment, Support and Services, hopes to improve English fluency and the acquisition of computer skills in the low-income community. The VISTA members will work on the following tasks:
1. Work with community groups to identify youth needing the service and mobilize their participation in the program.
2. Set up neighborhood-based classes. This involves identification of additional resources to support these classes (such as donated computers, text books, class space, supplies).
3. Teach ESL and computer classes. This will include tailoring existing class materials to the needs of the target population.
4. Recruit, train, and coordinate volunteers to serve as instructors and mentors.
5. Encourage parents to take part in the education of their children.
CTC Implementation and Program Building
Organization:
Boat People SOS - Virginia VISTA Name:
Hyunhanh Tran
Program Start:
8/2001
Program End:
8/2002
Project Description:
BPSOS’s project ACCESS, Access to Computers for Community Empowerment, Support and Services, hopes to improve English fluency and the acquisition of computer skills in the low-income community. The VISTA members will work on the following tasks:
1. Work with community groups to identify youth needing the service and mobilize their participation in the program.
2. Set up neighborhood-based classes. This involves identification of additional resources to support these classes (such as donated computers, text books, class space, supplies).
3. Teach ESL and computer classes. This will include tailoring existing class materials to the needs of the target population.
4. Recruit, train, and coordinate volunteers to serve as instructors and mentors.
5. Encourage parents to take part in the education of their children.
Online Community Network Implementation
Organization:
National Cristina Foundation VISTA Name:
Ed Driscoll
Program Start:
7/2009
Program End:
7/2010
Project Description:
The CTC VISTA member will contribute to the many tasks involved in the full launching of the cristinanetwork.org on-line social network. This includes identification of needs and location of appropriate resources, development of appropriate tools for partners as determined by feedback from partner members, monitoring of various forum discussions and overall assisting with the efficient and effective launching and growth of the cristinanetwork.org.
Goal 1: Support the successful launch and integration/development of crisstinanetwork.org
Project Outcome:
Ed was responsible for developing and delivering web based orientation training to many of our 2,000 plus partner organization in an effort to transition them into the new Cristina Network. This represented a significant shift in the Foundation’s first 25 years of operation and places a great deal more responsibility on the individual partner organizations. Consultations with partners was required to provide them with the information required to transition into the new system. Concurrent to the transition, it was important to maintain the day to day functioning of the Foundation so as not to lose the many partners who had been working with us throughout our history. To achieve this objective, we had to modify, or streamline our current operational model to maintain effectiveness. Ed was involved in all aspects of this process as he worked in close collaboration with the CEO of the organization, Dr. Bud Rizer.
Ed was keenly involved in our project with the Wharton school. In order for the Community Consultants to fully analyze our program they had to become familiar with all of our processes and operations. Ed was central in providing this information via webinar, phone, and through personal contacts.
Neighborhood News Bureau Community Journalism Project lead
Organization:
Grand Rapids Community Media Center VISTA Name:
Denise Cheng
Program Start:
9/2009
Program End:
9/2010
Project Description:
Our newest project, for which a vista would help us build a sustainable structure, has received initial funding via the The Grand Rapids Community Foundation and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The purpose is to establish four Neighborhood News Bureaus (NNB) in the city. The purpose is to increase citizen engagement and to encourage greater flow of meaningful information from and to our urban neighborhoods. The NNB project will give Grand Rapids citizens the opportunity to become citizen reporters with a soon-to-be established online and physical network of neighborhood news bureaus in the urban core. The CMC will give citizen reporters the tools, structure and mediums by which to gather, write and report on local news and events. Reporters will be able to produce news for the web, radio or TV through the use of CMC’s resources. NNBs will be physically located in known neighborhood gathering locations, and each site will be outfitted with video and still cameras, computers, audio recorders and templates plus the connectivity required to “file” stories to the web. Additional production equipment and facilities are available for citizen reporter use through the Community Media Center.
The addition of a CTC VISTA member would provide a much needed staff person to help design and establish sustainable structures for the NNB project. While a Knight grant was indeed awarded to this project, all grants in this cycle were reduced by 40% due to the current economic climate. The VISTA member would help use move forward, as planned and would be a main support person for development of the local NNB locations. The work would include neighborhood outreach, collecting and organizing training materials, doing initial set up and organization of NNB’s and creating materials for use in story management and distribution for later use by editors and news gatherers.
Each bureau will be initially “staffed” with a news team comprised of neighborhood residents and college journalism/communication students. As the projects grow, each will be encouraged to develop its own leadership/advisory board. The VISTA member will help ensure high quality and fairness in the program by establishing a pool of professionals to provide training to participants.
Additionally, VISTA will help establish a structure and methods for collecting and maintaining a neighborhood information “bank” for use by the news bureaus.
Primarily, the Vista will be working on the establishment of the physical neighborhood news bureaus. They will be responsible for helping set up the physical and technical structure and coordinating with an initial corps of trainers to provide training for the neighborhood.
The Vista will work with our core NNB steering group and committees to carry out the the project development plan. Work will include relationship building with potential host sites, arranging for assistance for chosen sites; working with the journalists committee to identify training needs and develop a curriculum and recruit presenters; working with the PR committee to prepare our news bureau community launch activities: utilize social media frameworks to increase interest and connect with potential partners; develop user feedback mechanisms; and will produce user guidelines and other reference pieces to aid in community access and use of the site.
Goal 1: To help the CMC fulfill its mission of “Building Community Through Media” through the development of a Neighborhood News Bureaus.
Goal 2: To help the CMC be an ever more active presence in the Grand Rapids area as a vital resource for free speech and information about what’s happening from the citizen’s point of view.
Project Outcome:
The primary goal was for Denise to help “design and establish sustainable structures for the” Neighborhood News Bureau project…now called the Rapidian. Denise has done an outstanding job at reaching out to the community to gather input, creatively think through the citizen reporting process and create procedures, structures and partnerships that support those processes. She has organized training materials and events; evaluated and revised methods, and researched other “best practices” bringing those lessons to bear on The Rapdiian project. Denise worked effectively in a team that included a drupal developer, a content coordinator (part time), the design manager and the publisher. As the only person dedicated FULLTIME to the launch and evolution of the project, Denise has taken an inspiring leadership role, allowing us to reach farther into the community and engage new participants.
We have expanded our reach and perceptions of relevance in the community (for the good). Mainstream/traditional media now includes us in discussions; promotes our work and even seeks our input and advice as they look to expand their use of community reporters. We a re currently working on the development of a business model to sustain the work, however, our “user engagement numbers” are significant.
The project was sufficiently open ended enough to allow Denise great creativity to design execution plans. But in addition to The Rapidian proper, she has extended a connection to our community radio station and represents the Rapidian weekly on-air. She has also established a drupal working group in our community.
Online Outreach and CTC Implementation
Organization:
Socio-Economic Development Center for Southeast Asians VISTA Name:
Rachel Rose Sandow
Program Start:
9/2009
Program End:
9/2010
Project Description:
This project grew out of a strategic assessment and will improve communication with collaborative partners, constituents and improve the utilization of an existing organizational resource. There will be three components:
Development of sustainable communications strategies: E-newletter - To communicate with supporters, collaborators and constituents on a regular basis. The development of an agency brochure and template that can be updated or reused for new programs.
Web-site: To up-grade and improve web-site with information and links to Southeast Asian resources for adults and youth. To provide detail about accessing basic services that supports the work of SEDC’s case managers and links Southeast Asian communities nationally.
Computer Lab: An underutilized resource, provide technical support, develop policies for use and maintenance. Research opportunities for free and low-cost software. Solicit college student volunteer to staff computer lab and work with clients.
Goal 1: Improve communications with constituencies
Goal 2: Re-open Computer Lab
Project Outcome:
The VISTA member worked along with SEDC staff to improve communication and collaboration throughout the agency. She developed a sustainable communications strategies, including starting up SEDC Web-site and maintained the site throughout. She interviewed staff and wrote the contents for the web. She established newsletter and distributed widely in the community. She also assisted in setting up computer lab for after school children to use. She spearheaded on all of these projects by collaborating with SEDC staff. The projects that she worked on are still active and we hope to continue it for many more years.
Media Literacy Analysis and Curricula Development
Organization:
Access Humboldt VISTA Name:
Sam Kaplan
Program Start:
9/2010
Program End:
9/2011
Project Description:
The Corps member will survey the constituents of Access Humboldt, analyze the data, incorporate these key elements into our programs and curricula, and increase the awareness of the available resources.