CLEC AmeriCorps Success Stories
“Washington Campus Coalition for the Public Good's CLEC AmeriCorps program has improved my community by having its members everywhere. At the Center for Community-Based Learning and Action (CCBLA) specifically, we have members out doing work with the foodbank, the incarcerated, the youth, the houseless. Our team is out serving the community hands-on everyday. It has had a big positive impact on my career and on myself as a person. When I started this service, I had never run a workshop. Now, I do it at least once a week. I feel more confident speaking in front of people and leading academic conversations. This is valuable to me because I want to go into teaching. Not only does this benefit my future career, but it has also helped me as a person. I grew up very shy and I would have never imagined myself leading workshops at the Equity Symposium or a Latinx Youth Summit.”
— Evergreen State College | 2023
“I feel that I have greatly improved my speaking/leadership skills as well talking to a large group about tool safety, invasive vs native species, and site specific info. It has also been beneficial partnering with people from other environmental/ecological restoration groups to improve my confidence in group leadership and skills they are more knowledgeable about. My service time has definitely showed me that a career in ecological restoration/community leadership similar to what I am doing now is something I would like to pursue.”
— Bellingham Parks Department Volunteer Program | 2023
“One of my greatest successes was being able to introduce first time members of the community and visitors to the pantry to the many different resources our site has to offer. We have a collection of community resources that are open to all of our guests, this specific guest was new to the community under some unfortunate circumstances and being able to connect them to the resources they need was amazing. I always enjoy hearing about the different ways that people use what they've gotten from the pantry.”
— Inland Oasis & West Side Food Pantry | 2023
“This is my second service term and I feel it is so much different than my last term. Both terms were working with specific populations and both were new information for me. I feel that my time in Disability Resources helped prepare me for students I will have that require accommodations. My time in this current position is teaching me about so many different resources that are available to college students. I feel this will help me with my high school students. Being aware of them means I can help spread that knowledge to kids sooner in their learning journeys. This position is also giving me several opportunities to give others feedback and this is great practice for me to gain in preparation for giving feedback to students in my career.”
— Idaho State University | 2023
“People are enjoying healthier forests on their hikes, the fire breaks and reduction of ground level forest fuels are keeping people safe, the riparian planting will restore the health of our waterways which can improve water quality for islanders. Our efforts have also focused on future climate change and toward adapting the ecosystem to these changes in order to support life, including human life, into the future.”
— San Juan Conservation Corps | 2023
“Student support = Community Support. By supporting students we are also supporting integral members of our community by being there in some of their greatest times of need, helping to lift them up when they are at a perceived low. A lot of times, I serve by helping re-frame situations and presenting them in a new way to assist those in need to ‘see it differently.’ By doing this, they are able to manage and navigate situations they wouldn't have thought they could prior. Serving in a number of ways is how this program has helped improve this campus as well as this community. ”
— Tacoma Community College | 2023
“Since all of the residents we serve are low-income, I think the project is very impactful. I think it's useful to provide knowledge surrounding preventative care and how to live a healthy lifestyle. Especially since all the programming is onsite, it takes away a lot of barriers to care. I think we'll have more of an impact in the next few months when the providers come on-site to offer presentations/services. A success has been launching the food pantries at each site. I feel like we reached a lot of residents that way, and it seemed like the need was really there. Also, I hosted a mindfulness painting event in which we got a lot of turnout where we saw a lot of families that don't usually go to events. I've enjoyed getting to meet the residents and trying to organize events that meet their needs.”
— Mercy Housing | 2023
“We are inspiring young high school minority students to pursue a career in healthcare where workforce diversity is highly needed. With our clinical outreach, we are serving marginalized population's who are in need of dental care within the Seattle area.”
— University of Washington School of Dentistry | 2023
“I have taught over a hundred different students between the grades 3rd through 5th since I started. I get to interact directly with these students inside their schools and teach them fun dance styles. Being in a rural area, these children have very limited resources to the arts. Many schools have cut their arts programs, there's rarely traveling performance groups that come to the area (besides the ones that Festival Dance brings). I am to provide arts education programs for local youth who otherwise do not get the exposure to arts and cultures.”
— Festival Dance and Performing Arts | 2023
“[CLEC] has allowed me to help students and show them what services we offer for them and meet with other faculty members on campus. [My project] is impacting students' life. For example a lot of them didn't know about the free on college professional clothing and we have had a lot of students come in to take some clothes to get ready for an interview.”
— Lewis-Clark State College | 2023
“I have been able to provide mental health services to a significantly large amount of individuals who would not have care otherwise. I've gained so many skills and feel like I'll be leaving this experience ready to do more mental health work for underserved communities. I'm also proud of my MLK week presentation and my work in getting the prison's TBI treatment program up and running on my unit. I am definitely more service-oriented in my career goals. When I think about what to do next, I now think about how it will impact the community I'll be doing the work in. I also feel better able to communicate and manage my emotions.”
— Antioch University | 2023
“My favorite experience this year has been working with people in the community. Working with colleagues toward a common goal is invaluable. I would name my greatest success as supervising the student leaders of the programs. They are incredible people who care deeply for the community and youth. I have helped guide them in preparing program activities, working with their peers in making programming most effective, and developing their teaching/class management skills. I am honored to support the leaders by encouraging them and teaching them what I have learned through my personal classroom experience.
Not only this, but working with the youth directly has been immeasurably inspiring. I have grown to deeply care for the youth, truly understand them as humans, and care for them through the lens of their circumstances. All I have experienced and learned with colleagues, student leaders, youth, and community partners I will take with me to future careers. I believe that these programs bring the community together. Youth meet students from other classes, make new friends, and build relationships. Mentors get involved in their community, have a presence in schools and community centers, and make connections with others in both the Gonzaga and Spokane communities. Our events welcome youth and their families, helping promote positive memories and access to resources for families.
I see how the mentoring relationships help support the youth in developing social skills, emotional skills, positive orientation toward the future, and support networks. I am thrilled to see how much the youth enjoy the programs; I hear stories that they ask about it all week at their schools, looking forward to program day. I have also seen the impact on our college students. These students are exposed to experiences and stories that they did not experience in childhood. This expands their understanding of the world, increasing their empathy towards others. I watch the mentors' care for the youth and their passion for the programs. The impacts on youth and mentors alike is amazing to watch.”
— Gonzaga University | 2023