North Mississippi VISTA Project Seeks Applicants

Project places members in full-time community service positions

OXFORD, Miss. – The North Mississippi VISTA Project is seeking applicants interested in benefiting their local communities or kick-starting a career in nonprofits, higher education and public service. 

The North Mississippi VISTA Project, offered through the University of Mississippi’s McLean Institute for Public Service and Community Engagement and part of AmeriCorps, is a yearlong program that places members in full-time, paid positions at nonprofit organizations and Title I school districts throughout north Mississippi. 

Volunteers in Service to America, or VISTA, members are placed in organizations involved in community-university engagement, financial stability and economic opportunity, healthy futures, K-12 education and enrichment, literacy promotion and youth mentoring. 

Laura Martin, associate director of the McLean Institute, served as an AmeriCorps member between her undergraduate and graduate studies. Martin said the experience she gained set a trajectory for her future academic and professional paths and helped her develop a professional network she works with to this day. 

“VISTA members are exposed to all the different aspects of what a community organization does as well as how they operate within the context of the communities they serve,” she said. “I can trace a straight line from my AmeriCorps service to where I am today.”

Applicants for the 12-month program must be at least 18 years old and have a high school diploma. Once selected, VISTA members are eligible for a $1,000-per-month living allowance, an end-of-service education award of about $6,195 or a cash stipend of $1,800, health benefits, child care benefits, professional development training, noncompetitive eligibility for future federal employment and a housing stipend in some cases.

Anyone interested can visit https://vista.olemiss.edu/ for more information. The application deadline is Friday (July 16).