Section 1: Strategic Initiatives

Below are the Corporation for National and Community Service’s  Strategic Initiatives.  Please give at least one example of activity that addresses at least one strategic initiative that your program has addressed.  Describe the activity, including the need that was addressed; local collaborations or partners; service activity; and results.

Ensuring a Brighter Future for America’s Youth

Get SET is able to effectively fill-in the void left by the elimination of virtually all the arts curriculum in Trenton schools due to dramatic budget cuts through Misti's work as our AmeriCorps' Artist-in-Residence.

AmeriCorps Member, Misti Asberry, our Get SET Artist-in-Residence taps into our children's Visual/Spatial Intelligence.

AmeriCorps Member, Misti Asberry, our Get SET Artist-in-Residence created art

projects for our Children from Kindergarten to Eighth grades.

Misti's work during the 4th quarter of the Get SET Academic Year after school arts program enabled our children to tap into their creative potential in the following ways. Given the proven theory of multiple intelligence we know that by taping into their visual/spatial intelligence, we will also help our children increase their ability to excel in other areas of intelligence:  verbal/linguistic, musical/rhythmic, logical/mathematical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and bodily/ kinesthetic.

• Painted and Designed picture frames in celebration of Mother's Day
• Created beautiful works of art called paper Batik. This method uses chalk and paper instead of cloth and wax.
• Painted flower pots and planted seedlings.

Misti has helped us to continue addressing the need for youth from local high schools to focus their energies on positive things by having them assist her in working on art projects with the Get SET children. Through her efforts we are able to prevent our youth from being seduced by drugs, alcohol, and gangs.

Misti continued to help ensure the need that our 6-8 Get SET Spanish speaking parents have to totally focus on learning English in order for them to more effectively assist their children academically,  by engaging their children in another room .

Engaging Students in Communities

Mobilizing More Volunteers

To date we have expanded our pool of youth volunteers to a total of 21. This is an increase of two new volunteers during the 4th quarter.

A low volunteer to children ratio ensures that we have a greater impact on the children because the more youth and adult volunteers we have, the more we are able to listen attentively to their hopes, dreams, fears, and concerns.

Harnessing Baby Boomers’ Experience

The low income families in Get SET rely on our free academic after school program to give them access to the arts and help the children with their homework.

We are dependent on the Baby Boomers involvement in our program because they freely provide their skills, talents, and expertise each week, and some do so more often.

The Get SET children have shown our Baby Boomers respect and have expressed their appreciation of them. This has inspired them to remain faithful throughout the academic year.

The Baby Boomers have shared with us the growth that they have observed in the children's academic skills and in their behavior and positive attitude.

Section 2: Great Stories

Highlight member activities which are especially reflective of the impact the program has in the community, or which illustrate an innovative or highly successful aspect of program operation.  Please provide at least one story.

Misti's has chosen to complete her final AmeriCorps membership hours by creating a Get SET Gallery. Westminster Community Center will have a long hallway dedicated for the Get SET Gallery. Misti took pictures of all of our Get SET children during our Academic Year after school arts program and is in the process of  creating individual portraits of each of them. These portraits and other works of art created by our Get SET children with Misti's help this year will be on display. We are planning to invite all the children and their families to a special grand opening reception of the Get SET Gallery.