AMERICORPS
VISTA PROJECT

WV’s Promise AmeriCorps VISTA Project is Getting Things Done!

WV Promise Youth Alliance, Inc. ​is currently accepting applications from non-profit organizations, schools and state agencies to gain a VISTA resource to focus on developing, enhancing and sustaining educational programs focusing on fulfilling the Five Promises for children & youth. VISTA members serve to strengthen and supplement efforts to eliminate and alleviate poverty, and to increase funding resources to support programs. VISTA resources are used to provide a sustainable solution to poverty, not just making poverty more tolerable. All Promise VISTA Site Projects must be developed in accordance with AmeriCorps VISTA's core principles: an anti-poverty focus; community empowerment; sustainable solutions; and capacity building. 60 Years!

WV Promise Magazine 2020-2022

How Can Your Organization Apply for a VISTA Resource?

To be eligible for a VISTA resource, your organization must be a public, private, or faith-based nonprofit, or a local or state agency. If your organization is interested in becoming a Partner Host Site for a Promise VISTA please fill out the Host Site Application.

How Do Candidates Apply to Serve as a VISTA Member?

To apply as an AmeriCorps VISTA candidate, you must Create a Profile. This is where you will enter basic information about yourself and create a profile on My AmeriCorps.

After your online application is complete, you can submit it to WV Promise Youth Alliance or other projects. Steps to Applying.

For more information please contact Pam Engle at Pamela.J.Engle@gmail.com​

Create a Profile

 

AmeriCorps Promise VISTA Summer Associate Opportunity

WV’s Promise Youth Alliance, Inc.

The AmeriCorps Promise VISTA Summer Associate (SA) program is a short-term national service opportunity designed to directly support children and youth during the critical summer months. Through this program, WV Promise Youth Alliance places trained Summer Associates with approved Host Sites to strengthen and expand summer programming aligned with the Five Promises:

  • Caring Adults

  • Safe Places

  • Healthy Start

  • Effective Education

  • Opportunities to Give Back

Summer Associates serve on-site with children and youth, helping organizations increase their capacity to prevent summer learning loss, provide enrichment, and ensure youth have access to safe, healthy, and engaging programs.

What Summer Associates Do

Summer Associates provide direct service and program support to youth-serving initiatives such as:

  • Reading and literacy activities

  • STEM and hands-on learning projects

  • Arts and enrichment programming

  • Healthy Futures activities (nutrition, physical activity, gardening)

  • 4-H and experiential learning programs

  • Mentoring, tutoring, and youth engagement

  • Supporting structured summer camps, afterschool, and community programs

They are not placed to perform office or clerical duties. Their focus is youth engagement and program impact.

How Host Sites Benefit

Host Sites gain:

  • Additional trained personnel dedicated to summer youth programming

  • Increased capacity to serve more children and youth

  • Support in fulfilling multiple Five Promises at once

  • Assistance in strengthening existing programs and expanding offerings

  • A structured partnership with WV Promise Youth Alliance

Term of Service

Summer Associates serve 9 weeks during the summer, Virtual Member Orientation/Start Date on June 1 last day of service date is August 2, 2026.

Host Site Contribution

If awarded, Host Sites are asked to provide:

  • A VISTA Site Supervisor for daily guidance and support

  • Meaningful, structured youth programming for the SA to serve within

  • A safe and supportive service environment

  • An administration fee of $1,800 per Summer Associate

Ideal Host Sites

Organizations that are a strong fit for Summer Associates include:

  • Schools and educational programs

  • Youth centers and afterschool programs

  • Summer camps and enrichment programs

  • Community centers and faith-based youth programs

  • Nonprofits serving children and families

The Goal

The goal of the Promise VISTA Summer Associate program is simple:

Ensure children and youth in West Virginia have access to safe, enriching, and educational opportunities during the summer while building the capacity of community organizations to deliver the Five Promises.

WV Promise Youth Alliance works closely with Host Sites before, during, and after the summer term to ensure a successful placement that benefits both the organization and the children being served.

WV’s Promise has placed 696 AmeriCorps Promise VISTA Summer Associates over the past 13 years at 265 children and youth–serving Partner Host Sites, collectively reaching more than 90,539 children and youth.

Our partners utilize Summer Associates as mentors, teachers, and tutors who deliver engaging educational activities that help prevent summer learning loss while also supporting efforts to ensure children and youth are fed during the summer months. Utilizing Summer Associate VISTA members is a cost-effective way to expand summer programming without hiring additional staff.