LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The city of Las Vegas is expanding its AmeriCorps programs in east Las Vegas after receiving more than $770,000 in new grant funding aimed at strengthening youth services, workforce support and early childhood education programs.
WATCH | East Las Vegas reporter Adriana Gonzalez-Chavez talked with the program director and a volunteer about the AmeriCorps programs:
City leaders are now recruiting 64 AmeriCorps volunteers to help support families and students across the valley through a variety of community-based programs.
AmeriCorps volunteers provide services ranging from youth education interventions and college and career support to connecting families with housing, food and healthcare resources.
“There are AmeriCorps programs all over the United States,” said Candace Camarillo, AmeriCorps program director for Las Vegas. “More than 200,000 Americans serve in AmeriCorps all across the U.S., and here at the city of Las Vegas we have a program of 67 AmeriCorps members currently.”
The new funding will help expand several local initiatives, including early childhood education programming.
“It can help us expand our early childhood education into full-day programming, rather than our half-day, which is what we have right now,” Camarillo said.
Program leaders said workforce development programs will also grow on the east side of the valley as part of the expansion.
For current AmeriCorps volunteer Skyler Koelsch, the work is deeply personal. Raised in East Las Vegas herself, she now works to support families and address chronic absenteeism among students in the community.
“I want families to know that we are here for them,” Koelsch said. “We are an open-door policy for them and we want to be reached out to.”
Koelsch said volunteers often help families connect with essential resources beyond academics.
“We are ready to do boots-on-the-ground work to get them anything they need, whether that’s medical supplies, medical care, food supplies, housing, shelter resources,” she said.
One of the schools Koelsch works with is Oran K. Gragson Elementary School, where volunteers help create customized support programs for students struggling with attendance.
“We build personalized programming for each school to help address those obstacles,” Koelsch said.
City officials said the volunteer opportunities are designed not only to strengthen communities, but also to help participants gain professional experience and job skills.
The AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps VISTA programs engage in national service projects focused on education, family support and community development.
In Las Vegas, volunteers will work in several programs that focus on helping children, teens and families. Those include youth leadership initiatives, literacy and academic support, technology training programs for young adults and community resource outreach efforts.
Some volunteers will work with the youth leadership program, which provides educational and life-skills activities for middle and high school students. Others will assist with the Community Navigator Program, connecting families and residents with local resources and service providers.
Programs include:
- The Batteries Included/NextGen youth leadership program serving middle and high school teens in Las Vegas, designed to ensure teens reach their greatest potential by providing out-of-school educational and life skills activities.
- The Community Navigator Program that connects students, families and community members to resources and service providers in some of Las Vegas’ highest-need communities.
- The Strong Future Technology training program, which provides opportunities to support youth and young adults, ages 16-24, in gaining skills in technology to prepare them for in-demand tech careers.
- ReInvent Schools, which focuses on improving academic excellence for every child by creating a strong collective culture among students, families and educators to ensure academic achievement and lifelong success, including literacy tutors, chronic absenteeism and nutrition mentors.
- Strong Start GO Ambassadors for the mobile pre-kindergarten program, which offers children and families free high-quality, early-education programming, including family engagement workshops and activities.
- Strong Start Ambassadors to provide academic interventions and community resources assistance for the Strong Start Academy Elementary School students.
- Community Affairs Ambassador to aid in developing and coordinating a calendar of community events, resource fairs and workshops to increase awareness, engagement and participation of diverse communities.
- Youth Fire Prevention Assistants, who will provide education to youth about fire safety, fire survival and the serious legal, financial and social costs of setting fires.
Officials said the part-time service opportunities range from 10-month to 12-month commitments.
Applicants must be at least 17 years old, have a high school diploma or GED by the end of the service term, and be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident.
Participants may qualify for several benefits, including:
- A stipend of up to $24,962 for a one-year service term
- An education award of up to $7,395 after completing the program
- Eligibility for federal student loan deferment or forbearance
- Professional development and training opportunities