Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service

Youth AmeriCorps Projects in Iowa

A.M.I.G.O.S. (AmeriCorps Mentors Initiating Growth Opportunities for Students )
Iowa Third Judicial District Juvenile Court Services (JCS), Big Brothers Big Sisters of Siouxland (BBBS), Transitional Services of Iowa (TSI), and Siouxland Human Investment Partnership (SHIP) partner in this program to benefit troubled youth, AmeriCorps members, and the Sioux City area community. JCS identifies high school youth transitioning from out-of-home placement back to the classroom and other youth under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court who have academic difficulties. After training from experienced partners, 32 quarter-time AmeriCorps Members serve as educational mentors for these youth, helping the youth and their families reconnect with each other, the schools, and the community. All program partners provide support services for the Members. Without mentoring and services, these youth often return to the same difficult life situations that caused trouble initially. The program also pairs each youth with a peer mentor, a high school student at the same school who offers support during the school day. Thus, this program matches each youth with two mentors: an educational mentor (AmeriCorps Member) and a peer mentor (high school student). With support from the Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service, mentors and partners can make a difference!
For more information, please contact:
Lisa Wrenn, Program Director
Iowa Third District Juvenile Court Services
822 Douglas St.
Trosper Hoyt Building, Suite 201
Sioux City, Iowa 51101
Phone: (712)279-6586 ext. 17
Cell: (712) 251-0570
lwrenn@cableone.net

Graceland University AmeriCorps Planning Grant
The Graceland University AmeriCorps Planning Program will develop a coalition of youth service providers throughout a six county area (Clark, Lucas, Union, Ringgold Decatur, Wayne) in south central Iowa for the purpose of developing a collaborative grant plan for AmeriCorps service year 2008-2009...

with a project vision to lift individuals and rural communities out of poverty through capacity building and education,
with a project mission to increase the capacity of the regions nonprofit human-service-network to empower youths and communities to combat poverty, strive for self sufficiency, and foster creative solutions for future prosperity through capacity building and education of youth.

Tom Morain
Graceland University
Graybill Hall, Institutional Advancement
Lamoni, Iowa 50140
641-784-5053
tmorain@graceland.edu

Iowa AmeriCorps State of Promise
Iowa AmeriCorps State of Promise strives to actively engage Iowa communities in providing youth with the 5 Promises of Iowa's Promise: Ongoing relationships with caring adults; Safe places with structured activities during non-school hours; A healthy start and future; Marketable skills through effective education; and Opportunities to serve. The purpose of the initiative is to provide youth access to the 5 Promises, of Iowa's Promise, by providing youth with safe, enriching and educational out-of-school activities and programming. The AmeriCorps members serve to expand local community partnerships, increase volunteer recruitment to strengthen program impact, build organizational capacity, foster active citizenship and support sustainable out-of-school programming.

While enrolled in the AmeriCorps State of Promise initiative members may engage in developing or implementing a mentoring program, developing service learning opportunities, recruiting volunteers on a one time or ongoing basis to work with and supervise youth, develop educational enrichment activities, work with community partners to develop organizational capacity, engage the community in positive youth development practices and support the development of sustainable, quality out-of-school programming. Members will also participate in local and state level training to strengthen their knowledge and skills.

The initiative is housed at ISU Extension and serves in fifteen communities. Members are placed at the following sites:
Adair County Extension/Nodaway Valley Community Schools
Boys and Girls Club of Central Iowa
Centerville Community Schools
Community Corrections Improvement Association
Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque
Dubuque Community Schools - Kool Kidz
Iowa Council of Foundations
Lamoni SAFE Coalition
Lutheran Services in Iowa - Bremwood Campus
Promise Partners - Pottawattamie County's Alliance for Youth
United Action for Youth
United Way of Central Iowa
United Way of North Central Iowa
Wayne Community School District

For additional information contact:
Sharon K. Dreyer, Program Coordinator
Iowa AmeriCorps State of Promise
Extension 4-H Youth Building
Iowa State University
Ames, Iowa 50011-3630
515/294-1611 sdreyer@iastate.edu

Northwest Iowa Youth AmeriCorps
The Northwest Iowa Youth AmeriCorps program serves with non-profit agencies throughout the counties of Buena Vista, Clay, Dickinson and O'Brien to promote and provide a healthy and nurturing environment for infants, children and young people. Member activities include planning, implementing and staffing:

Preschool and child care facilities
After-school arts programs
Student service programs
Summer recreation and summer camp programs
Substance abuse prevention programs
Literacy programs
Financial counseling for low income families
Disaster preparedness planning with persons with special needs

AmeriCorps volunteers also recruit, train and manage volunteers when needed to assist with programs and service projects.
Community Partners benefiting from AmeriCorps involvement include The Witter Gallery in Buena Vista County; Clay County Extension, Sacred Heart Schools, Positively Spencer Youth, RSVP, Clay County Emergency Management Division of Special Needs and City of Royal in Clay County; Camp Foster YMCA, Joyful Journeys Child Development Center, and Upper Des Moines Opportunity, Inc. in Dickinson County, and Hartley Zodiac Committee and Hartley Public Library in O’Brien County.
Connie Elg, Program Directors
Clay County Agricultural Extension District
110 West 4th Street, Suite 100
Spencer, IA 51301
(712) 262-2264
elgconni@iastate.edu

Partners in Learning
The Partners in Learning AmeriCorps Program focuses on literacy with the primary goal of empowering youth to improve academically. Members provide academic support to students K-12 during school, after school, and on non-school days. Through summer programming, Members create supportive and safe learning environments providing recreational and cultural enrichment. All program positions allow Members to create new programs, to network with other community agencies for resources, and to facilitate programs for at-risk children and families. Members serve in fourteen Dubuque Community Schools, the library, the Dubuque Community Y, the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, the Multicultural Family Center and two neighborhood family resource and technology centers. Emphasis is also placed on engaging families in programming that increases their parent-child interaction and expanding their access to family technology resources. Besides the development of all these activities, the Partners in Learning Program also provides Dubuque County residents the opportunity to engage in meaningful community service alongside AmeriCorps Members.

For more information, please contact:
Penny Ehlinger , Program Coordinator
Dubuque County Extension
Clarke College Mail #1546
1550 Clarke Drive
Dubuque, IA 52001
(563) 584-8644
Penny.Ehlinger@clarke.edu