23 Jun 2022

321

How AmeriCorps Is Improving Service to Indigent Communities in the Bronx

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In the present challenging economic environment, US government officials have found it difficult to utilize the scarce resources in performing the expected needs of the nation. Tight budgets at the federal, state and local stages are corresponding with the heightening societal problems in the United States. Some of these encounters include the increasing high school dropout rates and extended healthcare framework (Singer & Vista, 2018). With the rate of unemployment at 9 percent and employment of youths at 17 percent, it may be quite tasking for the federal, state, and local government to adjust their budgets so that they can attain a financial surplus (Rolle, 2019). Private funding is just starting to stabilize from the losses of the last few years. The government is keen on providing Americorps’ service to poor communities of the Bronx in a way that it is more productive using these limited resources. 

Having put this matter in perspective, national service gives the platform to enhance their inadequate financial resources that do not even reach the indigent communities in the Bronx. National service entails the work done by people who dedicate to a position for a period of a year, with small pay and normally operating under a brief educational scholarship. The Corporation for National Community Service (CNCS) is the most recognized nation investor in giving national service chances to people in need in the United States. The records of CNCS reveal that in 2010 AmeriCorps programs like HealthCorps and National Civilian Community Corps supported through funding about 88,000 members (Partelow & Spicklemire, 2017)

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Since the launch of AmeriCorps in 1993, it has been very instrumental to teach, for America’s input in developing leaders for educational equity and distinction. It has motivated a number of students in various communities across the county to commit to academic excellence, particularly those in rural setups that are in a state of poverty. Young people are given the chance to make a great difference in our nation’s quest for its ideal (Stuart, Gamse, Jefferson, Bein, Nisar, Freeman, & Cropper, 2016) . Teach For America communities and other platforms that AmeriCorps provides have a shared principle and persuasion in which they believe that all children and youths should be given the chance to write their own stories and maximize their innate abilities. In fact, it is possible to be steered this way as granted the opportunity by the AmeriCorps education award. 

The organizations have failed to build strong, real community links and actions. AmeriCorps should source maximally the input of families, community groups, business organizations, and other nongovernmental organizations to promote the learning experience of students with the communities in the Bronx (Ceresola, 2018). Notably, young people spend most of their time at schools and any mishaps may really affect their experience there. 

Therefore, the main concern of AmeriCorps should be to invest in partnerships with community members and various entities. Tutors within the communities can be trusted the more because they may quickly understand the needs of the students and know how to address them than tutors hired from other regions (Maki, Dwyer, & Snyder, 2015) . They are at a greater advantage to know the system that already exists, the practices that have worked or failed, and the practices that should be promoted for the successful education of the students. 

AmeriCorps have adopted a system in which they consider effective leadership training and development programs for the volunteers. The issue is not in the training, but in bringing people on board in the communities of the Bronx from various communities. Even though the training is essential in equipping the volunteers on how to tackle the demands of the jobs, only locals can easily understand the needs of their community members (Singer & Vista, 2018). Thus, AmeriCorps should ensure that in the organizations they partner with there is a system that will address challenges, which students are going through as concerns their community, as well as the different stages of their participation within the school environment (Partelow & Spicklemire, 2017) . The easy way out should be to have diverse programs that are geared towards creating advisory boards that will be student-led councils that will receive various issues of the other students and deal with them. This could be the best strategy for developing and fostering good leadership in the communities of the Bronx. 

AmeriCorps members have actually been enlisted in various programs within the communities, partnering with other organization. For instance, the YouthBuild has been a strong partner of the organization who banks on the members of AmeriCorps that offer their skills of mentorship and tutorship to com unity members and help with the on-site vocational training (Maki, Dwyer, & Snyder, 2015) . However, in as much as the focus of AmeriCorps is in giving opportunities for people to volunteer and offer them some incentives, they should be cognizant of the overall objective of lifting up the whole community. As such, organizations such as YouthBuild who allow their participants to be part of AmeriCorps and be involved in offering services to community should devote enough for this (Rolle, 2019). The focus of these participants should not just be in receiving college tuition and receiving health insurance but having the heart and enthusiasm of giving back to the community. The relationship is symbiotic, the YouthBuild is given the opportunity to roll out the AmeriCorps program and receive funds to administrate and in the training and development programs. The finalists of YouthBuild would get an opportunity to secure jobs elsewhere because of having built their profile with AmeriCorps or as well be part of AmeriCorps. 

The Failure of Organizations under AmeriCorps to Create a Learning Environment in Classrooms that Are Homely 

Institutions under AmeriCorps fail to create a learning environment in classrooms that feels familiar and homely to the people they are serving. Newly qualified teachers who also have foundational challenges as far as the communities in the Bronx is concerned occupy the classrooms. Sometimes the volunteers in AmeriCorps are not qualified teachers, and these together with newly qualified teachers have difficulty in coming up with lesson plans and creating better relationships with the students outside the classroom (Partelow & Spicklemire, 2017) . In fact, some of these teachers entirely do not physically prepare the classroom for the lessons that they want to teach the students. They concentrate all their efforts to prepare content for the students, with less emphasis on the goals of the organization and little attention to the classroom environment. 

Consequently, the teacher’s lessons based on the inadequate preparation of the classroom environment gave room for students to be so much disruptive. Disruption of any nature in classrooms does not constitute success. The teachers are able to predetermine this and create a proper framework that will enable them to evade these disruptive moments (Stuart et al., 2016) . The training of the teachers has been missing the environmental organizational section of managing the classes. The training does not include helping the teacher how to select the classroom environment, which is a part of non-verbal communication with the student. 

The students in the communities in the Bronx had a hard time to bond with their teachers. This is because of the approach that AmeriCorps has concentrated over the past, whereby those who volunteer to be part of the organization are from different communities. As such as, the students manifest behaviors by observing how the difficulties that their instructors are showing during the teaching process. This gives and takes interaction is not productive at the end of the day (Maki, Dwyer, & Snyder, 2015) . The students do not gain more in that form of relationship where they are undermining their teachers from the inside, and the teachers themselves are not motivated to give their best. 

The management of Americorps has not understood that all aspects of the classroom environment within the communities of the Bronx should be considered. The classroom environment is the place where the educators interact with the students (Maki, Dwyer, & Snyder, 2015) . Therefore, all of the aspects within the classroom environment should motivate the teaching process and the learning from the students. In fact, the classroom environment also influences the expected and desired behavior of the students and their learning experience. The system that has been encouraged in the classrooms within the indigent communities of the Bronx does not give room for a talking classroom (Rolle, 2019). A talking classroom has been proved in the various education system across the world to be working for and not against the educators. The arrangement that is encouraged within the classrooms and the materials provided for the student can motivate proper behavior. In the case of the experiences in the communities of the Bronx, there is much rebellion and assumptions from the students and many of them do not demonstrate the appropriate behavior towards their educators. 

Strategies and Practices Organizations under AmeriCorps Could Adopt in the Future 

The goal of AmeriCorps should be to foster a safe learning environment for the students. A safe learning environment should be one that brings the feeling of a home in the classroom. Students tend to feel uneasy in the normal classroom that is not homely, and it is all about the environment that has been created. Such a homely environment is created by first engaging the students to determine what their preferences are and what they could be doing to help them in their learning environment (Partelow & Spicklemire, 2017) . Questions such as if they feel disengaged in the present environments that the organization has created or if they like to learn by themselves or desire to have the comfort of dividing into small teams where they can learn together. 

The organizations should create a safe environment that is a judgment-free zone so that the students can freely engage and learn with less criticism. Even if the criticism is allowed, this should be positive criticism where the students feel motivated to continue learning. Students get afraid not to express themselves because they feel that they will be judged if they do (Maki, Dwyer, & Snyder, 2015) . The fellow students should also be given the opportunity to give their views without being interrupted. If the students are always laughing at each other when their colleagues answer questions wrongly, they actually withdraw. The peers should not be judging their fellow students negatively, as that will hinder them from opening themselves up. Students should understand that having different perspectives in a classroom is allowed and missing the answer to a question is normal (Rolle, 2019). Failure should be construed as a learning experience and a motivation to work hard. Therefore, having a judgment-free zone is instrumental for a homely feeling in the classrooms. Students should be allowed to be openly expressive and encourage others to speak out their opinions. 

The whole deal should be to ensure a safe learning environment, and that should be the focus of AmeriCorps. If AmeriCorps organizations such as City Year enhanced the learning spaces so that they will feel like home, students would be much more likely to engage in classroom activities along with growing academically in an easy manner (Stuart et al., 2016) . The classroom should be kept orderly and always clean. Cleanliness makes the students feel the warmth of home. However, a dirty environment could cause them to be uncomfortable and opt to be at home rather than school. 

Another practice that the organizations should encourage in the classroom is to promote motivational spirit. This could be done by rewarding the students further for any exemplary performance. This is besides the scholarship that AmeriCorps is providing them. They should have a consistent desire to work hard and engage with others to give their best. The students should be celebrated for their good work in various ways. There should be better rules and regulations that help to monitor the behavior of every student so that the rest have a peaceful time to concentrate on their studies (Stuart et al., 2016; Rolle, 2019) . Therefore, vices such as bullying, name-calling, and many more should not be encouraged within the school premises. 

The students should have instructors that are calm and friendly. The teachers, as well as the students themselves, should model kindness each time they have the opportunity to express it. The students should ensure that they are calm with their colleagues and in control always so that they are not driven by wrong emotions (Maki, Dwyer, & Snyder, 2015) . The teachers should be walking around and interacting with the students so that they create that friendly connection with them. It is such an attitude from the instructors that will make them free to laugh with their students (Partelow & Spicklemire, 2017) . Coming to school should be a transition of the environment of home. In fact, the environment should be one that students feel free to do their assignments and classwork without being negatively critiqued. Most of their significant hours are spent at home, and having a homely environment in schools is the best that organizations can have. 

Evidently, in every poor community such as those of the Bronx, students demonstrate rebellious and inappropriate behaviors. Thus, even the approach taken to counsel and instruct them should be one that is informed and at the same time effective. The learners will be happy and positively responsive if they note that they are being cared for (Ceresola, 2018). Every student that has emotional and behavioral challenges can be positively impacted by good role modeling and guidance, this alongside an appropriate classroom environment. Therefore, AmeriCorps should invest in their educators, a higher percentage of them having been hired locally within the same communities they are serving. The educators must have the capacity to offer the right guidance to those students displaying challenging behaviors so that they can maintain a pleasant environment for all (Stuart et al., 2016) . The students, as well as the teachers, should be proud of their school. This can only be achieved when the teachers are caring, the students are less disruptive and confident, and the schools within the communities are well organized. 

Conclusion 

Improvement of Americorps’ service to indigent communities of the Bronx has to begin with the people within these communities that are offered education or any other services. The heads and educators allocated to these communities must continue enhancing good practices and achievements. For the effectiveness of AmeriCorps’ service to be felt, it must be founded on good practice and enhancing the experience of the people. The skills and experience of good instructors can be transferred and be usefully applied by the students. Therefore, more investment should be on hiring teachers locally who recognize the difficulties of the students and herald their achievements and making them be proud of their schools within the communities. If the instructors will be approachable and caring to their students, the students will find the schools homely and be encouraged to give their best. 

References 

Ceresola, R. (2018). The Influence of Cultural Capital on How AmeriCorps Members Interpret Their Service.  VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations 29 (1), 93-103. 

Maki, A., Dwyer, P. C., & Snyder, M. (2015). Understanding AmeriCorps service: Perspectives from psychological theory and research on volunteerism.   Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy ,  15 (1), 253-281. 

Partelow, L., & Spicklemire, K. (2017). Proposed Cuts to AmeriCorps Would Be Devastating for Education Reform.  Center for American Progress

Rolle, L. E. (2019). The Importance Of Coaching: A Program Evaluation Of The Americorps College Completion Coaches Program. 

Singer, M. M. L., & Vista, A. (2018). Community: Voices from a Small Cohort . In  Conference Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education . 

Stuart, J. B., Gamse, B., Jefferson, A., Bein, E., Nisar, H., Freeman, B., & Cropper, P. (2016). School Turnaround AmeriCorps National Evaluation: Final Evaluation Report .  Corporation for National and Community Service . 

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StudyBounty. (2023, September 14). How AmeriCorps Is Improving Service to Indigent Communities in the Bronx.
https://studybounty.com/improving-americorps-service-to-indigent-communities-of-the-bronx-essay

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