1. USING CIVIC ENGAGEMENT TO SUPPORT THE PRE K-16 PIPELINE: THE PERSPECTIVE OF MACC AmeriCorps*VISTA Natalie Dawe MACC AmeriCorps*VISTA member for the College Advising Corps

2. Background  Mission of AmeriCorps*VISTA: Alleviate poverty  Role of MACC AmeriCorps*VISTAs:  Community service and service-learning specialists on college campuses  Working group of 11 MACC AmeriCorps*VISTAs met in January 2011 to discuss our education, access, and success programs  Product of the working group: Guide on the Pre K- 16 Pipeline

3. Goals  Give examples of how to put civic engagement into practice for access and success initiatives  Describe challenges MACC AmeriCorps*VISTAs have seen in their programs  Share lessons learned and best practices

4. What did it take for you to go to college and to finish your degree?

5. Defining Key Terms  Access typically defined as enrollment  Success typically defined as educational achievement and degree attainment  These terms limit our discussion  I propose we use PREPARATION, PURSUIT, & PERSISTENCE

6. Defining Key Terms  PREPARATION:  Academic, emotional, & financial preparation  PURSUIT:  College knowledge, completing the college application, understanding how to finance college, choosing a college, enrolling in and transitioning to college, & starting the semester  PERSISTENCE:  Accessing the support needed in order to succeed in college (academic, financial, emotional, leadership support), fall-to- fall reenrollment, financial literacy, & degree completion

7. The Pre K-16 Pipeline | | | | | | | | | Pre-K K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 College Bound, Gordon College K thru 2 nd College Bound, Gordon College 3 rd thru 5 th College Bound, Gordon College 6 th thru 8 th ACES, Lasell College 5 th and 6 th Student Bridges, UMass Amherst 5 th thru 8 th College Advising Corps, MACC 9 th thru 12 th SPARK the Truth, Wheelock 9 th thru 12 th MAPP, Middlesex CC 13 th thru adulthood Leadership Development & Civic Engagement Certificates BFIT 13 th thru adulthood Student Bridges, UMass Amherst 13 th thru 16 th Let’s Get Ready, Stonehill College 9 th thru 12 th Student Bridges-COCA, UMass Amherst Middle school thru 12 th Public Policy Institute, North Shore CC 7 th thru 12 th Community Scholarships, Boston University Adulthood Life Skills, BHCC 6 th Common Interest Communities, BHCC 13 th thru adulthood Key Preparation Pursuit Persistence

8. Snapshot of 3 Ps Programs  Preparation: SPARK the Truth, Wheelock College  Pursuit: ACES, Lasell College  Persistence: Leadership Development & Civic Engagement Certificates, Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology  All 3 Ps: Student Bridges, UMass Amherst | | | | | | | | | Pre-K K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 ACES, Lasell College SPARK the Truth, Wheelock Leadership Development & Civic Engagement Certificates BFIT Student Bridges Student Bridges- COCA Student Bridges

9. Civic Engagement as a Method  Method to help others with the 3 Ps  Boston University, Bunker Hill CC (LifeSkills), College Advising Corps, Gordon, Lasell, Stonehill, UMass Amherst  Method to help yourself with the 3 Ps  BFIT, Bunker Hill CC (Learning Communities), Middlesex CC, North Shore CC, Wheelock, UMass Amherst  Target: Youth, K-12 teachers, parents, community members  Curricular vs. extracurricular  Desired Outcomes

10. Starting a Civic Engagement and 3 Ps Program  Developed through an existing partnership  Lasell and Boston Renaissance Charter Public School  Initiated by higher ed institution  Boston University, Bunker Hill CC  Initiated by a community-based organization  Let’s Get Ready (Stonehill), Lynn Housing Authority (Gordon)  Initiated by students  UMass Amherst, Wheelock  **Build a network of allies**

11. Utilizing Higher Ed Resources  Students  Faculty  Higher ed staff and departments  Senior leadership, admissions, financial aid, academic services, and student affairs  Physical resources  Space, scholarships, assistance with books

12. Partnerships: Who & How to Make Them Work  Schools, housing authorities, community/youth centers, community-based organizations  1) Clear expectations for all partners  2) Reciprocity: Each partner benefits  3) Communication

13. Challenges  Recruiting college volunteers  Retaining college volunteers  Youth-led organizations  Only one person supporting the program  Assessment and evaluation  Funding

14. Lessons Learned & Best Practices  Engage with all the pieces of civic engagement  College Advising Corps, Bunker Hill CC, UMass Amherst  Communication between partners  Service has rich content  Community-based federal work-study  Clear and uniform objectives when have multiple sites and stakeholders  Student voice  Find allies across the campus

15. Impact and Outcomes  146 K-12 students tutored and mentored  Gordon College, UMass Amherst, Bunker Hill CC  1045 K-12 students who visited a college campus  UMass Amherst, Lasell College, College Advising Corps  1250 high school students who received help with the college application process  Stonehill College, College Advising Corps  168 college students participating in civic engagement programs focused on their persistence  UMass Amherst, Bunker Hill CC, Middlesex CC, BFIT

16. Questions?  Natalie Dawe, MACC*AmeriCorps VISTA natalie.dawe@mass-advisingcorps.org  Thank you