ACAM Opportunity Youth Collaborative VISTA Y2, OneStar

Alliance of Community Assistance Ministries (ACAM) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit and a nationally recognized management support organization (MSO) that strengthens and convenes a network of faith-based nonprofits serving low-income families. The 200,000 individuals served each year by ACAM’s Network are among the most vulnerable in our region. 99% of clients are in the spectrum of low-income with 75% in the lowest bracket, "extremely low income.” To strengthen the ACAM network and Houston’s wider social services safety net, ACAM uses the Greater Houston Opportunity Youth (OY) Collaborative to transform the career horizon for disconnected youth by investing in career on-ramps, learning and advancement. The ultimate goal of the GHOYC is to collaboratively scale pathways for young adults 16-24 years old who are neither working nor in school. The ACAM OY AmeriCorps VISTA position will support the building out of infrastructure to support the goals of the Collaborative and enhance the capacity of each organization involved to improve the lives of opportunity youth in the region.

The Opportunity Youth Collaborative VISTA will serve among a team of professionals aiming to improve the lives of youth and young adults ages 16-24 in the greater Houston area who are disconnected from school and employment. The term we use to refer to this population is Opportunity Youth. According to recent estimates there are approximately 100,000 Opportunity Youth in the greater Houston area. The VISTA will assess to update documents and protocols for the Young Adult Action Advisory Council as related to recruitment, engagement, awareness, and retention to ensure sustainability. The VISTA will create and document protocols to capture meeting notes and key decisions among the various workgroups in the Collaborative to inform stakeholders of progress on activities and coordination to be maximized. The VISTA will continue upkeep of the OYC Program and OYC Strategies Sustainability Binders to obtain perspectives from the Youth Advisory group through written and oral presentations.