By Olivia Holstine | December 2nd, 2024
Well, here we are. Just over 2 years since I arrived. 25 months of learning, growing, frustration, uncertainty, excitement, and joy. As usual, I struggled with what to talk about and then ended up with a three part dissertation on my feelings. Let’s go!
Part The First: This programming was made possible by viewers like you. Thank you.
I’m writing this 2 days before the 2024 election, with all the tensions and division that comes along with that. In contrast, I’d like to take a moment to focus on unity and hope, and how AmeriCorps is a representation of those higher goals. Volunteering and community service are some of the most powerful ways to help bring communities together and show care. It has beneficial ripple effects for the volunteer, their cause, the economy, and increases people’s sense of belonging in their community. It acts as a reminder to all involved to take a step back; that most people just want to have a good life for themselves and don’t actually wish harm on their neighbors, no matter their political party. Don’t use this as an excuse for further division, but a reason to reconnect.
The fact that we have AmeriCorps programs and all the volunteer networks is a reason to celebrate. It is proof that no matter what else is going on, we as a country haven’t given up on helping each other. Instead we have developed frameworks and funding dedicated to making that community service easier and more effective. Not only does it show our belief that communities can and will benefit from these programs, but our trust that there are people who care enough to do the work if we give them the chance.
So, I’m grateful for the Montana Campus Compact (now MCNCE) team that supported me during the good and the bad moments of service. I hugely appreciate my fellow service members who were always ready to laugh together over the rollercoaster ride that is AmeriCorps. I’m indebted to the Fort Peck Reservation community members that were kind enough to open their lives to me and take a chance on this random girl from Minnesota. But at the end of the day, the people I can’t ever thank enough are the American citizens, who grumble and argue but pay the taxes and donations that make this possible. It may amount to pennies per person, but it’s pennies that support communities around the country. It’s pennies that confirm our conviction that we are all made stronger by helping those around us.
While I won’t pretend it’s all pure altruism on any side, don’t get stuck in the cynicism and miss the core good. So often we’re told that seeing the simple good in the world and people around us is naive, or corny, or unsophisticated. It’s not. It gives us hope, and strengthens our trust in the possibility of a better future. We are more likely to succeed with a kinder mindset that allows us to connect with others to learn and collaborate, rather than isolating and judging. The cliches are cliche for a reason – there’s truth to them. Letting ourselves feel uncomplicated joy and thankfulness is good for the mind and the soul.
So, take a breath. We can do this.
Part the Second: Actually Reflecting on My Project
Climate planning is an incredible and engaging and infuriating field. It didn’t help that my cohort was the first time VISTA had climate planning options, so they weren’t familiar with it either. The climate planning needs similarly don’t always fit the best with a traditional AmeriCorps VISTA model, at least foundationally. VISTAs are capacity builders, as opposed to more “Boots on the Ground” volunteers from other AmeriCorps programs. We work with projects and programs to figure out how to increase their ability to serve not just by giving them an extra pair of hands, but using our time making partnerships, developing curricula, finding funding, etc.
This traditionally would fit in more with an established climate planning program – expanding the programming in new directions, creating workshops, partnering with others to implement projects, etc. However, planning a program or department from scratch is different. Creating a robust community plan of any sort will usually take a minimum of 3 years if you include gathering a team, assessments, planning, and public review. Beyond that, a successful adaptation plan is not a single document but will include at least one permanent employee to manage it. The work includes ensuring implementation goals are met, supporting programs so they can start the initiatives, and organizing regular plan updates.
This is a job that requires a lot of networking at the community level to make connections with the right people, learn about the community’s needs, and gain trust so people will work with you. It’s not necessarily best suited to a revolving door approach with VISTAs coming in and out on an annual basis. This is not to say VISTA can’t adapt or be helpful, but it needs to be approached with a certain mindset.
For example, my two-year term. I stayed for a second term in part because I knew that if I left for someone else to come in, the project likely would have stalled or fallen apart. Not because I was so great, but simple logistical timing – we had just received the first project grant, I was getting ready to start the first planning meetings, and had found professional networks to support the program. Trying to teach someone else to take over a project where no one else knew what was going on and was new to the community would have been a nightmare. In contrast, here after my second year, there was time and funding to hire a permanent full-time replacement, the committee is established and cares about the project, and there is a concrete project roadmap in place so the next person coming in will have direction.
Climate VISTA programs are amazing and can be very helpful to the communities. I have learned so much, grown personally and professionally, and hopefully set up the community for long term success. There simply has to be an acknowledgment by all involved of what’s needed to make them effective. Thankfully, MTCC/MCNCE has been very eager to work with the climate VISTAs not only to support them in service but learn how to improve the program. I hope this VISTA project at Fort Peck can serve as a foundation for similar AmeriCorps projects in the future.
Part the Third: Advice for Anyone
Whether you are starting in an AmeriCorps posting, leaving one to start a career elsewhere, or just an average Jane who clicked this article for the moderately interesting title, here’s the core of my advice: the single most important skill to cultivate is a good work ethic. Boom! So revolutionary, I know!
But in all seriousness, this is the key. I’m a good worker, and I take pride in that. In every job I’ve had, I’ve gotten compliments on my ability to get things done and many times I’ve been asked to stay past my initial end date or to come back if and when I could. I’m not trying to say I’m perfect. I’ve procrastinated on projects I wasn’t sure of or didn’t want to do. I’ve been lazy and wasted time on my phone at work. But at the end of the day, I try to make sure I get things done.
Work Ethic is Largely About Looking for Ways to Help Without Waiting To Be Asked
I think it’s common, especially with younger workers, to struggle with work ethic. In my (admittedly young/limited) experience, there are a few major factors. First, people don’t know what a good work ethic looks like. Sometimes it is a lack of experience, never having been given good examples. Sometimes it is because students get ‘good at school’ and struggle to translate those skills from academic to professional life. My basic answer to that is this: always be looking for ways to be productive. Don’t wait to be asked, even for little things – look for tasks to do, and ask if you can help. The anecdote I was taught for this was about a carpenter who didn’t hire the most technically qualified applicant but the one who, when asked to hold a bunch of loose nails, put them in order during the interview without being told. If you can problem solve without being micromanaged or ‘babysat’, you make yourself easier to work with and more productive and thus more valuable for promotion or less likely to be laid off.
Make it Worth YOUR Time – Try to Learn from Everything & Everyone, Take Pride in Your Work
There are a lot of jobs without good external incentives, support, or interesting work, which makes it hard to want to put in effort. The trick for this part is to make it worthwhile for yourself, not just your employers. Do work you can be proud of. Find ways to better yourself, so even if you don’t plan on staying in this one job you can prepare for a better job or project in the future.
Take every learning opportunity that comes your way – formal and informal. If you have routine tasks, figure out what ways are most efficient, or most fun. Get bored and ask yourself why things are done the way they are – sometimes it’s as simple as ‘money’, but other times it’s more interesting. If there’s personality politics or conflict, try to understand how and why people respond in certain ways, and if it got them what they wanted. Identify red flag behavior and its consequences, or figure out what about a person makes them easy or hard for you to work with personally*. All of this can be useful when deciding whether or not to take jobs in the future, or how to handle similar situations.
The more diverse skills and experiences you have, the better prepared you are for future opportunities. Even (and sometimes especially) skills in fields unrelated to your main work can give you insight or teach you principles that you can apply in other areas of life. You may even find a new interest or job for yourself along the way.
The Final Tool: Spite
If all else fails, spite is a great motivator. Not to hurt other people, but to prove them wrong. You think I can’t do this? Fine. You’ll see you’re wrong. A council member tries to block me by claiming I don’t have enough proof? I show up with what they wanted and more at the next meeting. You try to isolate me in an effort to make me quit? I’ll take that as freedom to make my own connections to get this done. It’s obviously not ideal to rely on spite all the time, but it can be helpful when dealing with rough patches or irritating individuals.
*Chronic Exploitation vs Occasionally Filling In
I am not advocating for people to stay in toxic work environments. As a young worker, I can say with confidence that there are so many people my age who are disillusioned going into the working environment. Pretty much everyone my age to about 15 years above me has terrible stories about how entry-level positions in every industry are generally overworked and underpaid, as companies figured out they could increase profits by running on skeleton crews. However, even if it is a truly toxic environment, try to make sure that you can look back and say that you didn’t make a bad situation worse for the people around you.
Additionally, there’s a difference between systematic unfair labor practices and being asked to help with duties outside of your job description from time to time. The latter is part of any job – sometimes things get busy, people get sick, or just need an extra hand. While it can become a problem if it goes on too long or without compensation, doing those extra tasks is just part of life. 