Today, Steve and Vanessa will depart Mile High Youth Corps after two full years of service to the agency. Both began at Mile High Youth Corps in February 2009 as AmeriCorps Leadership and Conservation Corpsmembers. After serving a full 1,700 hour service term, they were both selected (and chose to!) serve a second full year term as Alumni Mentors. Over the past two years, their impact has been invaluable and is hard to put into words.
Thus, I present the Top Ten Things We Love About Our Alumni Mentors created by the 2010 AmeriCorps Leadership and Conservation Corpsmembers:
10.) Experience
The Alumni Mentors have already experienced what we are going through and can offer support and guidance during challenging times. They know what to expect and help us prepare for whatever we may encounter during our term.
9.) Program Design
They impact program design, planning and implementation. Since they experienced the program before they are in a unique place to provide on-going suggestions for improvement, and know what will keep the CMs engaged.
8.) Outreach
The Alumni Mentors play a vital role in agency recruitment. They interviewed us, managed applicant paperwork and represented MHYC at various outreach events. Being able to talk to someone who has already gone through the program is a huge factor in getting applicants questions answered and excited for the job!
7.) Resources
Alumni Mentors help us navigate our way through the agency when looking for additional support or resources and within the community.
6.) Technical Skills
Whether you need help installing a HET, creating a blog, or sawing down a large Russian Olive, these are the go-to technical experts that are always there to help us navigate challenging technical issues. They provide us with training and can always be called on by staff to pinch-hit out in the field at a moments notice.
5.) Dependable
Right from the start at orientation they are always there for you when you need them, at the beginning of the day and at the end of the day. They answer our questions, and if they don’t know the answer they always make sure to find it for you.
4.) Support
They always have our best interest in mind. One of their primary roles is to be there to support us and offer advice. They have gone to great lengths to help us with our next steps once our term of service ends and can be counted on to tell a funny joke to brighten a tough day, or be a shoulder to cry on if we need it.
3.) Motivators
Alumni Mentors are the immediate contact with us, the Corpsmembers as a crew, and therefore, are the best gauge of our pulse. They know when we might need some extra motivation, an incentive or a push to finish out a hard day. They are constantly looking for ways to make our experience better.
2.) Leadership
The Alumni Mentors possess a combination of personality and skills that makes us want to accomplish our goals. They provide us with direction and guidance throughout our term and especially within the agency’s Leadership Council.
1.) Role Models
The Alumni Mentors embody what AmeriCorps and MHYC is all about, through their exceptional work ethic, positive energy, commitment to service, and balance between work and fun. They inspire us to do our best everyday, to own our experience and make the most out of our term of service.
On behalf of the staff and Corpsmembers at Mile High Youth Corps, thank you Steve and Vanessa for your service and best of luck in your future endeavors!
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It’s been many a day as we come toward the end of such an awesome term. It has been 10 spectacularly awesome months and I can say my terms here at Mile High Youth Corps couldn’t have gone any better. I am leaving some of the best people I’ve ever met and I can say it’ll be a bitter sweet ending. Throughout the term I have been able to work alongside many diverse individuals and have been able to learn something from each and e every one of them. To all I have been able to get to know, thank you for giving me a new outlook on the world and giving me a chance to grow as a person and leader. I cannot express how grateful I am to have met such astounding people.
