#americorps NCCC

[macgyvermedical]

Hello! I wanted to ask about Americorps. :) First off, are they always taking people? Given the difficulty of finding a job as of late, I was wondering if hiring/the acceptance of applications has slowed any. Second, what's the pay like? Is it just enough to live on, or enough that you could put some towards college debt or savings? Third, where could you apply; are there recruiting centers or is it all online? Fourth, what's life like in the corps, per your experience?

Here are the programs currently accepting applications (6/4/24). The applications are pretty much always open for at least one entry time (there are 3 entries per year- Fall, Winter, and Summer). I know that the acceptance rate changes with the number of applications, and some years they take everyone, while other years they take fewer applicants. The only way to know if you get in is to apply.

You can use the search feature below to see what programs are available. Make sure the "AmeriCorps NCCC" and "AmeriCorps NCCC Team Leaders" buttons are clicked, click nothing else, and hit "search".

Since it's service, the pay is a stipend. When I was in NCCC in 2018, the stipend for CMs was $300/month and the stipend for TLs was $800/month. I think it's more now so if anyone knows please let me know so I can give more updated info. Keep in mind that:

All your basics- food, transportation, lodging, etc... is covered in full

Any federally backed student loans you have go into forbearance and the interest is paid by AmeriCorps

You get an education award of about $7,000 per service term (up to 2) that can go toward future education, job training or to pay off existing student loans

Basically the only thing you pay for while in NCCC is your cell phone bill and any personal care items, personal clothing, etc...

I saved about half of my stipend while I was in NCCC

Other AmeriCorps programs, like VISTA, pay essentially the local poverty line, since part of the program is learning to live on very little.

You apply online. Call 1-800-942-2677 if you need any help with the application.

[starsteemer]

Got invited to americorps NCCC for the fall, i am viscerally terrified. Like obviously i wanted this cause i see myself as an adventurous person who cares about community, the environment, and volunteerism and i WANT new experiences and i WANT to get away from the agony of stagnation in my personal growth but then i read the email saying i am invited and started crying on the spot cause im also so so attached to my online friends and im scared i wont be able to stay close with them when internet and even electricity is not guaranteed

[company-and-co]

So about Americorps-

How possible is getting hrt in Americorps? Is it covered in the health benefits or???? (Asking bc the health benefits website part is just- Not working??? Idk what to do with that)

I don’t have easy access to HRT where I live, meaning I’m not on it, so unfortunately I don’t have any direct experience with this. However, the health insurance they do provide only covers you while you’re working for them, and it’s very rudimentary. Like it only covers things that happen to you while on the job; I had gotten a spider bite and if I didn’t have my own insurance it would have covered the antibiotics.

Long story short, I don’t believe it would cover HRT, mostly because I think it would fall under “prior to AmeriCorps”.

[beetlesneedle]

snowy streets and alleyways like walking through heavens gates

[proteus-no]

To put things into perspective: I hadn't hit the posting limit since 2014, until that night

the best part of experiencing november 5th 2020 was watching tumblr attempt to describe what it was like to experience november 5th 2020

[grrrrrrrbarkbarkbark]

Alright thats it.

*drags that fucker into a random AmeriCorp NCCC team*

They JUST got federal non-compete. And you took it away.

So have fun doing nothing but trail building for the next month and a half, with 6 dollars of food each day! (Let's hope your on a big te so you can pool resources)

Hope you get an actual bed and not sleeping on the floor or a cot. And Let's hope you get a place with heating in mid January. Because good heating isn't a guarantee.

Also fuck all health insurance that definitely wont cover if you have a work related injury.

And not allowed to wear your own clothes for most if not all of the dau. AND you only get 2-4 sets of wearable clothes. So let's hope you aren't in a place we're you need to use a laundry mat. Which your only allowed to use on weekends.

And also let's hope you have steeled toe boots that properly fit you as well. Otherwise since your trail building your going to be wearing cheap as fuck boots which blister your heel ankle and skin after doing any amount of walking up or down a hill.

By the way your doing this while wearing probably a somewhat full backpack or carrying an entire leaf blower.

Why? Because you can't bother to fuckjng fund any state park so it's not terribly understaffed. Let alone any other non profit. Like working 12+ hours a day for hurricane Irene relief.

Go fuck yourself on a bed of poison ivy and stinging nettle.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Grist:

It also appears to be the Climate Corps’ last class, as the Biden administration has quietly been winding down the program ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20. “It’s officially over,” said Dana Fisher, a professor at American University who has been researching climate service projects for AmeriCorps. “​​The people who were responsible for coordinating it have left office or are leaving office. Before they go, they are shutting it all down.”

Think of it as a precautionary step. When Trump takes over, any federal program with “climate” in the name will likely have a target on it. Republican politicians have fiercely opposed the idea of the Climate Corps ever since Biden proposed it at the start of his term in 2021, with Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky blasting the notion of spending billions of dollars on a “made-up government work program” that would essentially provide busywork for “young liberal activists.”

But the American Climate Corps’ thousands of members across the country will keep their jobs, at least for the time being. That’s in part because the Climate Corps isn’t exactly the government jobs program people think it is. Environmental advocates hyped the corps’ creation as a “major win for the climate movement,” while news headlines declared that it would create 20,000 jobs. But the Climate Corps didn’t employ people directly — it was actually a loose network of mostly preexisting positions across a slew of nonprofits, state and local governments, and federal agencies, with many different sources of funding. Take away the “American Climate Corps,” and little changes. The jobs survive, even if the branding doesn’t.

“People say it’s the American Climate Corps, but like, what does that mean?” said Robert Godfried, the program manager for the recently launched Maryland Climate Corps, part of the larger network. “There isn’t really any meat on those bones.”

Some of the jobs roped into the American Climate Corps have funding locked down for much of Trump’s term. Zampaglione’s program, the Forest Corps, has $15 million in funding from the U.S. Forest Service that should last it five years, according to Ken Goodson, the director of AmeriCorps NCCC, which recruits young adults for public service. 

Other federal agencies, however, will likely see funding cuts that hit these climate jobs, especially as Elon Musk has promised to cut $2 trillion from the government’s budget — about one-third of existing spending — as co-lead of Trump’s proposed Department of Government Efficiency, aka DOGE. 

“The big challenge,” Fisher said, “is going to be a question having to do with funding for these federal programs, and the degree to which they’re going to be even allowed to say ‘climate.’”

[lunarian-anarchist]

Just submitted my application for Americorps NCCC....

Wish me luck y'all. I think this'll be really good for me and I've always wanted to gain skills for disaster relief so I can build a career around that. Being in Florida I definitely see a need for more people specialized in disaster relief given....ya know.

[janhooks]

It's so funny when I see people like if only America had a national service program where young people can live and work on a team doing service projects throughout the country. Reinventing AmeriCorps NCCC...

[tonysopranosfeverdreams]

The one thing I will say about americorps nccc is like it can be a very intense experience I knew multiple people who were kidnapped and/or arrested (I was one of those lmao) and it can spurn some weird stuff I can’t rly explain

[limeadeislife]

I remember, when I took Intro to Psych during my sophomore year of college, the professor said something once about how it's easier to have a crush on someone after riding a roller coaster together. Like, sharing an intense or scary experience can contribute to feelings of bonding and attraction

About two and a half years after that, as I think I've mentioned on my blog a couple other times, I did a fairly unique public service program called AmeriCorps NCCC. It involved being sent first to a campus in a small town in Mississippi and living communally in close quarters with a bunch of other 18-to-24 year olds who were meeting each other for the first time, then traveling to other places in the southern U.S. to work on public service projects, with the daily schedule of work and other required activities often running over 8 hours. Opportunities to leave the communal living environment were few and far between. Definitely an intense experience. On the other hand, the weather was warm, and some of the places we saw were pretty beautiful

And during the first month, I met a girl who I got the sense was fairly "popular" - because of course, when you throw a bunch of 18-to-24 year old strangers together in close quarters, a social dynamic that includes some people being popular will develop. It's kind of like freshman year at a small college where most people live on campus, I think, combined with some kind of summer camp for young adults

This girl was friendly to me in the same way that she was friendly to everyone. And while the full story is worth telling in some other context, for now I'll just say that we went from being casually friendly, to being friends, to me finding out that she had feelings for me (which was mutual), to us dating(!!)

This is the ex I've mentioned on here a handful of times. And recently, this past March 24th, was the 5th anniversary of her breaking up with me

I know it's not normal, and likely not good - some people would probably say it's creepy - to still feel sad about an ex after 5 years. That's half a decade.

Now, part of this is that she was the only person I've ever had a happy romantic relationship with that lasted for more than roughly 2 months, so in that light, I don't think it's so strange that the memories would still be significant to me.

But the other aspect of it is that Intro Psych roller coaster principle. AmeriCorps NCCC was such a different experience from normal life, the "real world". We were in this crazy unfamiliar thing together and we both felt tired or anxious pretty often, and we found each other and turned to each other for comfort, and that was definitely just. An emotionally intense experience. I don't really know how to describe it with words. You know the romance plots in fantasy novels, where the protagonists are on some dangerous life-changing adventure, and the affection between the love interests is accordingly stronger and more poignant? It felt kind of like that.

And that was honestly probably one of my favorite emotions that I've ever experienced, and it just feels kind of hard for me to accept that I'll probably never have a chance to experience it again. Even if I do find a happy romantic relationship again in my life, something that I already worry about for various reasons.

I'm 27 now. Intelletually I know that there are plenty of people in their late 20s, including other weird nerds, who are in happy, fulfilling romantic relationships. (I believe some such people follow me here, and I appreciate the hope you provide.) But it's just hard for me to imagine for myself. I don't know if that one unconventional experience gave me unrealistic expectations. But - I'm sorry to generalize - I feel like when I encounter people nowadays who are theoretically in my dating pool, they're mostly regular adults who have jobs and live in apartments, and are looking for a partner who is also a stable, responsible adult with a job and an apartment. And even if I do achieve the external markers of that - get a permanent full-time job, move into my own apartment - and one of those people agrees to go on dates with me, it's hard for me to imagine the resulting relationship feeling as meaningful.

But rationally there must be people in their late 20s who also want this vague thing that I want. Maybe it's just hard to picture something before it happens. Maybe hypothetical-future-partner and I could go on a road trip together (after I get a driver's license, cause I don't have that yet currently either) and that would trigger a similar roller-coaster-effect. Idk.

[macgyvermedical]

Hi! I saw your post about the NCCC. Can you tell me a little bit more about what it was like? And maybe some certifications or skils I might want to have before applying that would help me be a shoe in? In a year or two I'd like to leave where I am and travel, and then maybe settle down somewhere else after, and this seems like a good way to go about that and simultaneously chase my interests and find things I enjoy. Basically- I've got time to build skills before I want to apply, and I think it'd be a great fit for me, so I'm just curious about any and all information that would help me be more informed and prepared.

What it's like: (note that I served in 2018, so some of this may be outdated information)

Once you're accepted, they place you at one of 4 campuses throughout the USA. You get a duffel bag mailed to you (anything you bring with you has to fit in this duffel) and a plane or train ticket emailed to you. You have to take that plane or train to the campus, because they pick you up in a bus or van from the airport or station.

Once you get to campus, you go through "in-processing" where you get your uniforms, gear, and PPE, get assigned a room and/or bunk, and meet your instructors for training. If you're a Corps Member, you are also assigned a team and meet your Team Leader at this time (though some campuses do this later in training).

Training lasts about 2 months for Team Leaders and about 1 month for Corps Members. You are with the same cohort (called a "Class") for your whole service term, including training. Training includes how to get along as a team, physical training to ensure you're physically capable of the work demanded of you, and specific training on things like how to drive the van, how to use certain tools and PPE, and how to do any tasks associated with your particular role on the team.

Towards the end of training you go on a 1-2 day mini project, where you go through all the motions of a real project (called a "spike"), except that it's really near by campus and it's pretty much for practice.

Then you go on your first real spike. Depending on where it is and what time of year it is, you might live in a tent, in a dorm, in a half-built house, or any remotely suitable housing supplied by the hosting organization. We lived in a conference room once, and once in an old nursing home wing that wasn't being used.

Food is handled by giving a lump sum of money on a card to the team, and you have to figure out grocery shopping and cooking as a team. This is a challenge, but one that usually works out.

For transportation, the team has one 15-passenger van. Gas is paid for by NCCC. If you have a project that requires a lot of tools, you may have a pickup truck too, but this is rare, and you're not allowed to use it for anything other than project reasons. You keep a log of every time you use the van or truck, for any reason, and there is a 25-mile radius from housing that you're allowed to go.

Spikes are between 3-8 weeks long and you do 4-7 of them during a service term. In between you have "transition" where you go back to campus, debrief from your previous project, brief and train for your next project, and catch up with everyone else. At the end of the service term, you have a final debrief, have a life after americorps meeting, learn job skills like writing a resume, etc... and get your plane ticket home.

What you should do to get prepared:

You don't need certifications. If you need to know something for a project they will train you. If you want something I'd say get First Aid or Wilderness First Aid. Getting a little job experience and a lot of volunteer experience will help you a lot more.

[starsteemer]

Who gonna be in class 31A in SW americorps NCCC this fall 😁

[company-and-co]

Y’all I did NOT just find out that AmeriCorps NCCC has like an account on this dumpster-forsaken site.

I’ve been in this program since October and??? Why would they be here???

Anyways — as a current CM — if you wanna know anything about it, feel free to ask me. I have Bias, of course, but I have ✨experiences✨

(I’m not saying this to discourage anyone from applying, just if anyone wants to ask specific questions about the program or my experience as a non-binary member—I remember not finding much about that when I was preparing for my term)

[that-fema-corps-blog]

Welcome to my blog!

I spent a year in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Corps, a professional development and service program for young adults under the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) umbrella. Both FEMA Corps and traditional NCCC involve working, living, and traveling around the United States in teams with a small living stipend. I chose FEMA Corps due to a greater interest in emergency management and disaster relief.

I wasn’t finding much recent firsthand information on FEMA Corps, so I decided to make this blog according to what I would have liked to know prior to joining. Be warned: some of it is a little dry. Birds are also a special interest of mine, so I’ll be sharing a lot about them, too.

List of blog entries: Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4

Information: FEMA Reservist Position Information Disaster Survivor Assistance: Just-In-Time Training Disaster Recovery Center: Just-In-Time Training Environmental Planning and Historic Preservation Cadre Disaster Aid in Alaska (Day 307)

Highlighted posts: A (pretty cool) site inspection in Caguas, PR (Day 122) Birding in San Juan, PR (Day 179) A road trip through California (Day 281) A trip to Forks, CA (Day 305) A road trip through Crater Lake, OR (Day 350)

I posted everything to a personal primary blog before realizing I should have put it all on a secondary blog. But now it's been reposted here. All of these posts can also be found on the WordPress site too.