OXNARD — El Centrito Family Learning Centers has announced it has been selected to receive up to three full-time AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers In Service To America) members whose efforts will strengthen service delivery and sustainability within El Centrito’s pioneering After School & Summer STEAM (Science, Technology,Engineering, Art & Math) Academy.
El Centrito is currently recruiting motivated individuals to serve a one-year term as VISTA members in this project. VISTA members will have the opportunity to make a positive impact on their community, while developing rigorous professional skills; with guidance and mentorship from El Centrito’s leadership team, VISTA members will develop skills in curriculum development, fund development and grant writing, or community relations and volunteer management.
The purpose of VISTA is to support efforts that build sustainable community capacity and alleviate cycles of poverty, and the hands-on learning opportunities offered by El Centrito’s STEAM Academy are essential to that goal.
El Centrito’s STEAM Academy, which serves predominantly English Language Learner students, provides comprehensive support to both students and their parents in order to boost academic achievement and propel a trajectory towards higher education, a fulfilling career, and a path out of poverty. El Centrito’s STEAM Academy participants gain confidence and 21st Century skills that strengthen their long-term employability, which strengthens local workforce development and supports their path out of poverty.
El Centrito’s Executive Director, Joseph Castañeda Carrera remarked, “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to collaborate with the AmeriCorps VISTA program. The skills and energy that VISTA members will bring to the STEAM Academy will be a boon to the program and will support El Centrito to advance its mission, ‘to create a multicultural community of excellence by inspiring children, youth and families of Ventura County to learn, lead and reach their greatest potential’.”
If you are interested in investigating the benefits of the program or applying to become an AmeriCorps VISTA member with El Centrito Family Learning Centers, check out our website for more information on how to apply: www.elcentrito.org.
For more information, contact executive director Joseph Castañeda Carrera, jcastaneda@elcentrito.org or 805-483-8685.