Literacy*AmeriCorps is a national service program that provides literacy services to youth, adults and families in communities throughout the United States.
As part of the AmeriCorps network of national service, Literacy*AmeriCorps engages adults of all ages and backgrounds to meet the nation’s critical needs in education, public safety, health, and the environment. In the domestic version of the PeaceCorps, AmeriCorps offers an opportunity to apply your skills toward helping others in your community.
Literacy AmeriCorps is administered by Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council, a national leader in adult education and family literacy. Local organizations manage the program in each city while GPLC oversees and monitors each local program. The Literacy Coalition is proud to bring this opportunity to Central Texas!
In Central TX, members serve as ESL instructors, GED instructors, volunteer coordinators, and as agents of community outreach. Literacy AmeriCorps members help create a network between local non-profits providing similar services, and strive to connect low-cost or free resources to the individuals seeking them.
Below is a list of service sites that 2011-2012 members currently serve:
• Literacy Coalition of Central Texas
• American YouthWorks
• English at Work
• Foundation Communities
• Communities In Schools (ASPIRE Family Literacy Program)
• Manos de Cristo
• Any Baby Can
• El Buen Sumeritano
• Community Action in San Marcos
• Ascend (formally know as the Austin Academy)
• Avanze
• Lifeworks
• Interfaith Action Network (iACT)
• Kyle Learning Center
College Forward provides college access and college persistence services to motivated, economically disadvantaged students, in order to facilitate their transition to college and make the process exciting and rewarding. 42 AmeriCorps members are serving in the Austin area this year!!!
Here’s what College Forward AmeriCorps members have been doing/will be doing in the next couple of months…
· Hosted College/Universidad 101, an informative day long workshop about financial aid, the college application, and transition process, for College Forward families at Concordia University on March 24th
· Assisted with Financial Aid Saturdays sponsored by the Austin Chamber of Commerce to help students and families complete Financial Aid applications (FAFSA/TASFA) at Hays High School on March 24th
· Assisted with Financial Aid Saturdays sponsored by the Austin Chamber of Commerce to help students and families complete Financial Aid applications (FAFSA/TASFA) at Manor High School and Lehman High School on March 31st
· Providing breakfast and test taking tips to high school juniors in our program the morning they take the ACT on April 14th
· College Forward Coaches and students from Lehman and Hays high school will be volunteering at the Fuentes Elementary Spring Carnival in Buda, TX on April 14th
· College Forward AmeriCorps members and students will participate in Global Youth Service Day on April 21st. They are planning 10 different community service projects throughout the Austin area.
· Providing breakfast and test taking tips to high school juniors in our program the morning they take the SAT on May 5th
Learn more about College Forward at http://www.collegeforward.org.
