VISTA leaders have the opportunity to participate in an Action Learning Team in which the leaders can:
- Enhance their leadership, project management and project implementation skills.
- Contribute to state of the art resources available to VISTA leaders on the VISTA Campus; and
- Strengthen the VISTA program.
Led by the VISTA leader facilitation team of Jean Carroccio, Kapila Wewegama and Elaine Williams, each virtual team works collaboratively to investigate an issue of relevance to the VISTA program. Teams work together for approximately three months.
The products below are examples of the action learning teams' outcomes:
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Project Sustainability Assessment Checklist to Promote Sustainable VISTA Projects (PDF)
Assess progress towards sustaining your VISTA project to ensure capacity remains after the last VISTA is gone.
VISTA Leader Roles: Effective Practices and Examples (PDF)
Explore of the six leader roles, including a role briefing, success stories, constructive examples, and an at-a-glance role definitions sheet all from the perspective of VISTA Leaders.
Created by VISTA Leaders: Christine Brasile, Kathleen Burkhardt, Cassandra Robin April 2010
Communicating Through the VISTA Life Cycle: A Tutorial (PDF)
Explore the most common communication challenges that VISTA members, leaders and supervisors deal with at each stage of the VISTA Life Cycle and how to successfully manage them.
Created by VISTA Leaders: Whitney Casey, Patricia Christensen, Angela Deckard LMSW, Curtis Deveter, Katie Hardgrove MSW, Melissa Vater April 2010
VISTA Online Resource Guide (PDF)
Find information related to your role as a leader and guide your VISTA members to resources related to their service goals.
Created by VISTA Leaders: Daniel Barton, Kimberly Jaeger, Lauren Mulcahy, and Justin Russell April 2010
VISTA Leader Stress Guide (PDF)
Keep your cool under the pressure of your leader roles and responsibilities, including the daily challenges of living in poverty.
Created by VISTA Leaders: Bob Boylan, Nicole Densmore, and Kimberly Jaeger September 2010
Leaders Transition Passport (Doc)
Make your transition from VISTA member to VISTA leader efficiently and effectively by using this guide.
Created by VISTA Leaders: Marie Andersen and Kristi Synold September 2010
The Supervisor's Guide to Finding & Selecting Terrific VISTA Leaders (PDF)
This handbook is designed to help VISTA leaders, program supervisors and other staff members successfully and efficiently recruit and select for the VISTA leader position.
Created by VISTA Leaders: Kathleen Burkhardt, Brad Hunter, Patrick Magee-Jenks September 2010
Leading Your Members from a Distance (PDF)
This resource helps VISTA leaders, remote VISTA supervisors, sponsoring supervisors and others seeking to develop dynamic and efficient remote teams.
Created by VISTA Leaders: Rebekah Farley, Swati Karandikar, Bonnie Roberts, and Chris-Michael Tena March 2011
Life After VISTA (Doc)
Recommendations for promoting greater utilization of the Life After VISTA area of the VISTA Campus based on member survey data.
Created by VISTA Leaders: Audra Walters, Christine Rumbaugh, Dan McConvey, Erica Shanks, Kristi Kehrwald, and Nefisah Sallim March 2011
The VISTA Leader Story: A Resource Guide for Your Journey (PDF)
VISTA YouTube Channel: Digital Storytelling Resource Guide Playlist (Link)
An easy-to-use storytelling resource guide (and companion video) highlighting the importance of telling the VISTA leader story, the basics of storytelling, and tools you can use to create your story.
Created by VISTA Leaders: Patrick Gruber, Erica Jones, Becca Mandel, Kristi Synold, Carlie Toland March 2011
Your First 30 Days And Beyond, Getting Started as an AmeriCorps VISTA Leader (Doc)
Explore critical information new leaders need in the first 30-60 days of service.
Created by VISTA Leaders: Margaret Djekovic, Monica Linhardt, Shannon Rokosik, Mike Ross and Ken Simin Fall 2011
Educating Sponsors about the VISTA Leader Program (PPT)
Recommendations for new and existing resources to be put on the VISTA Campus to create a single, easily-accessible, comprehensive, and logically-organized library of resources for sponsors to learn about the VISTA Leader Program.
Created by VISTA Leaders: Leah Diaz, Sara Gallagher, Stephanie Gittinger, Victoria Gutierrez, Samantha Lukasiewicz, Carly Probasco, and S. Andrew Snyder Fall 2011
Engaging AmeriCorps VISTA Alumni (PDF)
Discover ways to engage AmeriCorps VISTA alumni to support your current VISTA members, leaders, and overall project.
Created by VISTA Leaders: Josh Ankerberg, Del Bharath, Katie Klein, and Justine Suleski. Fall 2011
Effective VISTA-Supervisor Relationships (Link)
Explore the facets of effective VISTA-supervisor relationships through an interactive guide that offers resources on communication, planning and conflict resolution.
Created by VISTA Leaders: Rena Deitz, Katherine Foster, Andy Gmitter, Adrian Russell, Jennifer Schmidt, and Caroline Trowbridge. Spring 2012
A mobile app for VISTAs (Link) | Webex recording (Link)
Explore ways a future mobile application could make the service of VISTAs easier, better, and more effective, and see how current VISTAs are using their mobile devices.
Created by VISTA Leaders: Jenica Baty, Ben Brubaker, Christen Cannon, Josh Criswell, Marina Fleming, Andrea Gewirtzman, Caroline Schumacher, and J. Matthew Wampler. Spring 2012
Self-Directed Learning Guide through the VISTA Campus (Link)
Chart your path for professional development using the learning resources of the VISTA Campus.
Created by VISTA Leaders: Geoff Hickox, Cassandra J. Maurer, Chanté Wallace, Christina Giorgio, Marta Ewa Baran, Rabi Vandergon, Stefana Soitos, and Victoria Malaney. Spring 2012
Gaining Community Buy-In for your VISTA Project (PDF)
Apply these nine best practices from VISTA projects that have succeeded in maintaining significant community involvement.
Created by VISTA Leaders: Lesa Sexton, Caitlin Gesell, Lynette Martin, Erin Dunne, Jonathan Williams, and Liza Harville. Fall 2012
VISTA Training Self-Assessment Guide (PDF)
Assess your skills and find free training resources to develop what you need to succeed as a VISTA.
Created by VISTA Leaders: Ashley Johns, Bria Schultz, Christie Atlee, Colleen Homer, Leah Lomotey-Lakon, Misty Pegue, Sam Mooneyhan, and Sheila Mettetal. Spring 2013
Guiding Your Members from Day One (PDF)
Learn to use the VAD as a guide in coaching and guiding VISTA members to high performance. Find out more about the team and how they created this guide.
Created by VISTA Leaders: Amanda Scherer, Benjamin Holland, Courtney Dunsmore, Melissa Fenn, Nicole Williams, Yvette Sumner, and Hadiyah Shabazz Spring 2013
VISTA Member Recruitment Materials (zip)
Incorporate this process and timeline into your member recruitment planning to recruit effectively.
Created by VISTA Leaders: Stan Brajer, Kevin Gong, Andrea Grant, Sam Rigotti, & Regan Stark Summer 2013
Managing Conflict: A Resource Guide for VISTAs and Leaders (Link)
Be a Conflict Killer! An interactive website full of tips and tools teaching VISTAs and Leaders to overcome conflict throughout its five stages.
Created by VISTA Leaders Amanda Cochran, Sarah Jacobson, Brantley Kirkland, Theresa Larson, and Anya Piotrowski Fall 2013
The VISTA Leader's Guide to Elevating Relationships with Site Supervisors
This product provides VISTA Leaders with communication, relationship-building, and leadership resources to help elevate relationships with VISTA site supervisors to their fullest, most productive potential. This guide also includes a separate companion piece for VISTA site supervisors on elevating relationships with VISTA Leaders.
Created by VISTA Leaders: Toni Dondero, Lora Fraire, Shawn Hogue, Kristyn Holden, Kali Lawrence, Meghan Simmet, Carly Smoth, and Danielle Vaccaro. Spring 2015
VISTA Portfolio Toolkit: Turning Service into a Career
This toolkit guides VISTA members, leaders, and alumni in creating a portfolio for use in post-service job searches to give employers a better understanding of the AmeriCorps VISTA program.
Created by VISTA Leaders: Natasha Al-Rafie, Whitney Conley, Janice White Fisher, Jazmine Hudson, Marissa Maurer, Brigidann Rauch, Caitlyn White, and Angela Wiedl. Spring 2015
Toolkit for Effective Collaboration Among VISTAs
See how strategic networking among VISTA members and leaders can benefit them, the project, and the sponsor.
Created by VISTA leaders: Gretchen Chomas, Perdita Das, Ryan Haskell, Christopher Mackey, and Vanessa Reyes. Summer 2015
Use these tools to enhance the measurement, collection, and reporting of VISTA project impact data. Created by VISTA leaders: Nathaniel Collins, Shannon Palka, Tassandra Rios, and Kenisha White.
Explore three models of coaching you can use in a variety of situations to guide and support your VISTAs. Created by VISTA leaders: Emily Pripas, Kelly Langan, Kaitlyn Noe, and Maihnia Lee.
Road to Resilience: A VISTA Guide to Assessing and Building Resilience
Learn how to identify and cultivate resiliency in yourself and your VISTA team. Created by VISTA leaders: Raga Nadella, Shanice Turner, Tracie McKeown, and Kelly Merdinger.
Creating a Meaningful Year of Service through Capacity Building
This guide helps VISTA supervisors deepen their understanding of capacity building in order to provide appropriate direction to their VISTAs. Created by VISTA leaders: Chelsea Christiansen, Eileen Kelly, Meghan Berka, Nicole Justian, and Philip Armstrong.
This resource for VISTA supervisors and leaders offers suggestions on making a VISTA project accessible and welcoming to diverse populations. Created by VISTA leaders: Stevie Chilcote, Caitlin Esping, Rhea Johnson, and Kevin Kenneally
Designing and Implementing an Impactful Summer Associates Program
A toolkit to help sponsors design and implement VISTA Summer Associates projects that produce positive impact.
Created by VISTA leaders: Samantha Cripe, Laura Kozuszek, Josh Miller, Sarah Perez-Klausner, and Sarah Petrokonis. April 2018
A guide for VISTAs and leaders on how to effectively manage up to bring out the best value to their supervisors, organizations, and projects.
Created by VISTA leaders: Kaitlin Dorn, Natasha Mills, Leif Olandese, and Jessica Rothenberg. July 2018.
A resource for understanding how to employ social networks to empower communities and spread new ideas and innovations.
Created by VISTA leaders: Ben Beckley, Lucas Martin, and Rosalyn Valdez. July 2018.