Careers Expo for Youth

There’s a gap between learning and work for our students. In an effort to make strides in bridging that gap, the United Way of Southwest Virginia, Ignite, and United Way Volunteer Center will present this exciting event! The Careers Expo for Youth, September 26-27, will be held at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Abingdon. The … Read more

Be a School of Service!

Every student deserves the opportunity to acquire the skills they need to be successful in life – skills like empathy, creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration. Unfortunately, there is a gap – especially in underserved communities – between what youth are learning and what skills are needed to thrive. That’s why this school year, YSA … Read more

Stories of Service: Isabel Gross

Isabel Gross, an AmeriCorps member with the Aspire! Afterschool Learning – Learning Links program in Arlington, saw the spark of excitement recently working with a student on his science fair project. “(My student) Brian and I were . . . building different kinds of bridges and seeing how many books they would hold before breaking. … Read more

Bus Brings Tech Skills to Youth

When STOP, Inc.’s Vice President Michelle Bryant attended the Virginia Volunteerism and Service Conference in 2014, the birth of a great idea was born. At the conference, a representative with Google told Michelle about a special initiative the company was implementing to address the lack of representation of African-American males in the field of computer … Read more

Serving Richmond Public Schools

Virginia Department of Social Services home office staff joined together to volunteer for Richmond Public Schools (RPS) at two locations on Friday, March 3rd. More than 20 staff members served at the RPS Teacher Supply Store  and the the McKinney Vento Center which serves homeless public school students and families. One team sorted school supplies … Read more

Virginia Education Summits

Does your program work with students and youth?  Do your members work in Virginia’s schools or in out-of-school time programming? Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to learn from Virginia’s education leaders! The Virginia Office on Volunteerism and Community Services will host three day-long sessions across the state featuring workshops and activities to help your organizations … Read more

Teach It Forward! Challenge

The Center for Community Engagement & Career Competitiveness (CCECC) at Averett University started the Teach It Forward! Challenge (TIF!)  in the spring of 2016 as a way to meet an ongoing need for consistent tutors in the Danville community. The CCECC saw an opportunity to meet this need because Averett students identified tutoring as one … Read more

Stories of Service: Miriam Farris

Igniting a Passion for Learning for Struggling Students Miriam Farris is an AmeriCorps member and tutor with The Literacy Lab – Virginia Reading Corps program at Elizabeth Redd Elementary School in Richmond. Redd is a Title I school, which means that a high percentage of its students come from low-income families. Miriam reflects on a … Read more

Last Minute MLK Day Ideas!

Youth Service America just posted these fantastic last minute ideas for honor the MLK Day of Service holiday! It’s not too late to volunteer in your community. Check out opportunities at http://www.allforgood.org/join/find-organization and make the holiday a day of service! 6 Last Minute Ideas for MLK Day of Service 2017 Sign up to receive daily … Read more

AmeriCorps Impacts STEM Skills

The Dan River Year (DRY) AmeriCorps program supports southern Virginia’s interest in improving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) outcomes for the region’s citizens The program primarily focuses on K-12 students, job seekers and incumbent workers in the counties of Halifax, Pittsylvania, Henry, and Patrick; and the cities of Martinsville and Danville.  DRY’s goals include … Read more