Memorizing the Mission

Today we were instructed to memorize the Americorps NCCC and FEMA Corps mission statements so when we’re out in the field we can explain our role and purpose.  Hard to believe that a little over 2 weeks ago I hardly knew a thing about Americorps.  I was first introduced to the idea of Americorps sometime back in June or July.  I went out for margaritas with my friends Mishel and Jenny and was bemoaning the fact that I was having trouble finding a new career path.  I knew I wanted to explore my interest in community service but I found myself in competition for jobs with people who had MSWs or years of experience.  Jenny piped up and told me about a customer of hers that worked for Americorps and suggested I check it out.  The next day I went on-line and read about the new FEMA Corps program and started working on the application the following week.  The rest is history.

For those of you who don’t know, President Clinton started the AmeriCorps program with the goal of "helping others and meeting critical needs in the community."  It’s often compared to the Peace Corps as its domestic counterpart.  There are 3 separate programs under Americorps: (1) Americorps National Civilian Community Corps or NCCC, (2) Americorps VISTA and (3) Americorps National and State program.  My program, Americorps NCCC, is modeled after the Depression era Civilian Conservation Corps and a mission “to strengthen communities and develop leaders through direct, team-based national and community service.”

Although they call the training we’ve had over the past 2 weeks leadership training, I’m of the belief that it’s really training on how to be a good human being and that every U.S. citizen should be required to take it.  Shouldn’t everyone learn about “active listening” and how to properly discipline a child?  I know it isn’t rocket science but I’m not sure I know many people in this world with these basic skills (including myself).  Perhaps my parents tried to teach me this stuff when I was younger but I wasn’t inclined to listen.  I just wish it didn’t take until my 40s to learn it.  Better late than never, right?