AmeriCorps NCCC FEMA Corps

Morning peeps! Things are going well here-we only have about 40 days left until we graduate! so excited!
Well, here is my take on FEMA Corps, the program:

FEMA Corps. The national service program.
I am pretty far into this program so I thought this would be a good time to talk about the FEMA Corps program to those of you who are interested in joining or who just want to know more.  I have never been a part of the traditional AmeriCorps NCCC, though from what I have heard from fellow Corps Members, I am fairly confident in comparing the two.

What is the same between traditional AmeriCorps NCCC and FEMA Corps?
The Basics: 18-24 year olds, 10 months, based out of the five campuses, team-based, resedential, education award, bi-weekly stipend, all that good stuff.
Learning Experience: It's impossible not to learn anything in this type of setting!
Resume Builder: Add your experience and what you have learned to your resume.
Networking: You will have the opportunity to network in both NCCC and FEMA Corps, however FEMA Corps will be networking with mainly Emergency Management professionals whereas traditional will be networking with
Travel Experience! and all the skills that go with that (packing, budgeting, etc)
Specialty Roles-Each team member will be assigned a specialty role on their team- Corps Ambassador, Service Learning Initiator, Project Outreach Liason, Health and Wellness POC, Vehicle and Safety POC, etc. These roles vary from campus to campus.

What is different?
Your service year will look somewhat different than AmeriCorps NCCC in terms of the work you will be doing
Uniform. We be reppin the A in blue!
Service- As of now, corps members are only given direct service hours for work that they do with FEMA. Your sole sponsor in this program will be FEMA, unlike traditional NCCC where various non-profits can be a sponsor.
Specialist Roles-Teams are determined and assigned during CTI based on the Corps Members' interest and experience of the different Specialist Roles.  These are Individual Assistance, Community Relations, Logistics, Voluntary Agency Liason, Public Assistance, and Mass Care. (I explain these roles in depth in a previous blog post if you want to read up about em). 
New program, so naturally there are kinks and there will be  A LOT of changes in the years to come.
Social Media presence is more strict than that of traditional NCCC. Rumors are that they are now fining people that are overly negative on social media sites about FEMA or the FEMA Corps program.
Notions-Most people have false notions about who you are, what you do, and what you are capable of.  This might go with traditional as well, but it is a major trend in FEMA Corps. Because we are working solely with FEMA and we are a new program, citizens and FEMA employees will think you are actually working with FEMA and not serving.  Many have made quick judgements. Every person in FEMA Corps has been called a kid or child. It's something we have encountered since we left Vicksburg/CTI.
ISP hours- We do not need to complete as many ISP hours as of now. This will likely change if and when the FEMA Corps program gets more flexible with what type of work the Corps Members will be doing or the schedule.
Is FEMA Corps right for me?
If you are interested in Emergency Management and related fields and want to get your foot in the door to a career in Emergency Management, I highly recommend FEMA Corps. However, FEMA Corps is not just for those who are interested in Emergency Management! It's for people who want to serve, to strengthen communities, give back, and to learn a lot! 

Disclaimer: This program was designed to challenge you! THAT'S A GOOD THING!  Throughout this program, corps members are faced with many challenges.  Some of the challenges might include: Being away from home and homesickness, long-term relationships, living and working with a group of diverse people, lonliness and isolation, traveling and living on a stipend, change in diet and food, physical training,

Personal Challenges: Well, I've finally realized that although this program may seem like it's only here to help the communities it serves, it goes above and beyond that behind the scenes. This program challenges each corps member every day-it's designed to do this.  Each Corps Member faces different challenges- but I can't speak for anyone but myself.  I have faced many struggles this year, and I'd like to share a few with you all.  Some minor challenges of mine have been missing home, getting over my need for attention, active listening, spiritual trials, choir and singing withdrawal,  being able to love myself even though I'm nowhere near perfect, getting over my laziness, being without my cat and pets, living out of a suitcase, and living and working with people I would not normally have spent time with. 

My biggest challenge: Honestly, going into this program, I thought it was going to be somehwat easy to get through this.  However, I did not realize how difficult it is to spend an entire year with people that are so different and that think and work differently than yourself. Going into this program I thought a lot of people would be similar to me- and some of them are somewhat. Most of us are here to serve! But my BIGGEST challenge this year is struggling with how to deal with those that put me down for either believing what I believe or for doing what I do.  Although this program teaches it's Corps Members to accept other people's beliefs, obviously, just like in the "real" world things don't always play out that way.  Disclaimer: I am NOT complaining- I see these challanges as ways to strengthen my character--- I am just telling you the facts!

Challenges: I have encountered many challenging situations this year: My personal beliefs have been ridiculed in front of me, I have been laughed at for caring about the environment, I have been asked why I am "bothering" to help animals if their suffering is not bothering anyone, and I've been told time and time again that my actions that I consider helping are NOT helpful at all.  As you can see, some of these situations are not OK with me. And these have all happened within AmeriCorps- either members or staff.

And you may be thinking, why is this your problem? Well, because if all of this is happening in a program where they teach acceptance and appreciation for diverse beliefs, then I am going to run into it time and time again in the "real world" aka outside of AmeriCorps.  I need to learn how to deal with these situations, because frankly I am the one that is hurting from these situations. I have lost a lot of respect for some people in this program and the program itself. (Don't get me wrong- I LOVE this program for all that it has done for me and for the opportunities it has given me. However, some of it's policies/activities do offend me and they have not changed them even though I let them know about my position and the reasoning behind it.)  And when I lose that respect for them, I am the one that is isolated.  It also creates an environment where I am afraid to voice my opinions or be who I naturally am (and the way that God created me!) in fear of being judged, or worse: laughed at. By doing the right things and following what I believe, I am separated from the whole- both because I am different and partly because I don't want to identify myself as part of that way of living. And I've got to be honest with you all- this trend is still a struggle. I have not overcome this yet- but I know there is a huge lesson here.  All I can do for right now is keep doing what I'm doing and try my best to set an example for others.
Personal Accomplishments:
During my year of service I have taken it into my hands to learn new things when I have free time or the work gets tedious.  Here is a list of what I have studied and practiced individually, and yes they are quite random!
1. Typing skills
2. American Sign Language-Basics
3. German Practice
4. Practiced using my right hand and became ambidextrious!
5.  Learned how to be an assistant driver
6. Public speaking and experience with media exposure
7. Learned IPA- the International Phonetic Alphabet
8. Read a bunch of books! (I highly recommend "Not For Sale")
9. Learned a lot of trivia with a trivia game I bought at a yard sale.
10.  Became more confident in my singing and directing
11.  Learned active listening
12. Spiritual growth and understanding
13. Learned about other programs that I want to look into for the future!
14. Professionalism
15. Stopped drinking soda
16. Physical Training accomplishments
17. Street Smarts
18. Cooking!!!
19.  Map Navigating

Seriously, I've learned so much more than this list. I am proud of myself for overcoming many personal challenges!

I hope this post gives you some insight on AmeriCorps NCCC FEMA Corps!