Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) Policy Analysis
In the paper that follows I will analyze the Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) program, specifically working to break down the success of the program based on the history and how much the program has changed. This includes the source of financing for the programs and how that impacts its effectiveness; the laws that directly relate to the VISTA program; the achievements of the programs since its inception; the measurements of success for the program; the methods of recruiting VISTA team members; the retention of the VISTA members and VISTA nonprofits; the sustainability of the program and the sustainability of the projects once the VISTA volunteers leave. Following this analysis, …show more content…
By 1967, the summer associate program and citizen corps was created both under the umbrella of VISTA; the summer associate program was initiated in an effort to engage college students who could not commitment time during their academic year, and the citizen corps was created to offer part time service positions for citizens who could not commit eight hours a week. Unfortunately not long after these programs were implemented all the funding for the VISTA programs was discontinued due to the inability of congress to make a funding decision for the program. In 1968, President Richard Nixon was elected and in 1969 he signed a bill which established funding for VISTA until 1971. In 1971, President Nixon implemented a reorganization plan which combined VISTA, Peace Corp, and senior programs (Senior Companion Program, the Foster Grandparent Program, and the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program) under the ACTION agency. The purpose of the ACTION agency was to grow and expand volunteerism in the United States by having one independent agency working towards the common goal in an effort to make the programs more sustainable. In 1993, the AmeriCorps program was founded and President Bill Clinton signed the National and Community Service Trust Act, which combined VISTA with the AmeriCorps Program and moved it under the control of the newly established Corporation for National and Community Service. The Corporation for National and Community Service is a bipartisan independent federal agency. The Act also renamed the VISTA program the AmeriCorps VISTA program. In 2001, the Department of Interior established the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement VISTA team known as the Appalachia Coal Country Team which addressed environmental degradation in disadvantaged Appalachian communities. In 2006, the
In the paper that follows I will analyze the Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) program, specifically working to break down the success of the program based on the history and how much the program has changed. This includes the source of financing for the programs and how that impacts its effectiveness; the laws that directly relate to the VISTA program; the achievements of the programs since its inception; the measurements of success for the program; the methods of recruiting VISTA team members; the retention of the VISTA members and VISTA nonprofits; the sustainability of the program and the sustainability of the projects once the VISTA volunteers leave. Following this analysis, …show more content…
By 1967, the summer associate program and citizen corps was created both under the umbrella of VISTA; the summer associate program was initiated in an effort to engage college students who could not commitment time during their academic year, and the citizen corps was created to offer part time service positions for citizens who could not commit eight hours a week. Unfortunately not long after these programs were implemented all the funding for the VISTA programs was discontinued due to the inability of congress to make a funding decision for the program. In 1968, President Richard Nixon was elected and in 1969 he signed a bill which established funding for VISTA until 1971. In 1971, President Nixon implemented a reorganization plan which combined VISTA, Peace Corp, and senior programs (Senior Companion Program, the Foster Grandparent Program, and the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program) under the ACTION agency. The purpose of the ACTION agency was to grow and expand volunteerism in the United States by having one independent agency working towards the common goal in an effort to make the programs more sustainable. In 1993, the AmeriCorps program was founded and President Bill Clinton signed the National and Community Service Trust Act, which combined VISTA with the AmeriCorps Program and moved it under the control of the newly established Corporation for National and Community Service. The Corporation for National and Community Service is a bipartisan independent federal agency. The Act also renamed the VISTA program the AmeriCorps VISTA program. In 2001, the Department of Interior established the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement VISTA team known as the Appalachia Coal Country Team which addressed environmental degradation in disadvantaged Appalachian communities. In 2006, the