Welcome to our VISTA Spotlight Series! Each month we spotlight the incredible service one of our AmeriCorps VISTA Members and the amazing work they do. Our members and their host sites are at the core of our program, and we are enthusiastic to share the great things they are doing in their communities!
Sydney Gilbert is our Afterschool Corps VISTA service at Elon University with the ”It Takes a Village Project” who started this past May. While earning her Public Health Degree from Elon University she knew she was planning on earning an advanced degree but wanted to take a year away from schooling and help her community. Originally from Arizona, Sydney came to North Carolina to attend Elon University but quickly got involved with the greater Burlington Community by working youth focused programming. Being able to serve at Elon has given her the chance to get her feet wet in full time service and take a break from her own formal education.
The “It Takes a Village Project” within the Center for Access and Success is Elon University’s tutoring initiative serving 12 different Title I Elementary schools in the Alamance-Burlington School District. This program provides free tutoring for ABSS elementary students in math and reading on-site at each of the 12 elementary schools we partner with. Elon University student volunteers serve as tutors, supervised by ABSS classroom teachers and Village Liaisons. The Village Project partners with ABSS, the Oak Foundation, and other local organizations including Alamance County Public Libraries and Alamance Partnership for Children.
Sydney’s role as the Afterschool Corps VISTA involves strengthening relationships with community partners, increasing the capacity of Village programs for parents and families, updating their website and social media pages, and evaluating the program’s success. Since she began service, her primary focus has been working with the rest of the Village Project team to prepare for the two-week summer program, Summer in the Village. Currently, she is working on developing and coordinating new programs offered to Village parents, including information sessions, focus groups, and a community resource fair, which she hopes to pilot in the summer program and continue throughout the school year.
Sydney is about 2.5 months into her service, and she is looking forward to the ability to work to decrease the Elementary Achievement Gap and improve access to quality education for the families she serves. Although there is a significant disparity with the quality of education Elementary schoolers have access to, she is grateful for the opportunity to contribute to an initiative that works to improve educational access. Sydney is excited for a year of impactful service, personal growth, and hands-on professional experience.
If you wish to read more about the Village Project you can do so here, or find them on Facebook.
This blog was written by Madeline DeLorenzo with information and support from Sydney Gilbert.