This post was written by Sean Krumpe, Tax Foreclosure Prevention VISTA at the Division of Housing and Community Development

Serve Philadelphia VISTAs are AmeriCorps members who fight poverty and injustice at the City-level by working within various government departments and local organizations. During their one-year service term, VISTAs apply their personal knowledge and experience to build issue-solving capacity within their department, all while learning about the dynamics and operations that drive city government work.  

We are hosting an alumni panel on March 18. Register today to learn more about the Serve Philadelphia VISTA experience.

Why should you consider serving as a VISTA in Philadelphia? 

We often feel disillusioned with political participation and civic engagement. We hope to see large-scale positive change in our country, but don’t know how to actually make it happen. Now, people are beginning to understand that this change does not come from the very top of our government, but from the community level. People in local and city governments enact specific changes to laws and create programs that help improve the lives of community members. 

In Serve Philadelphia VISTA, corps members work to solve issues related to housing, poverty, resource accessibility, and other equity-related areas. We work day-to-day on different projects with members of the city government in our specific department or organization. Input from corps member knowledge and experience is truly valued by their government colleagues, and the impact of Serve Philadelphia VISTA is seen in the completion and implementation of their projects, creating tangible results in the city. 

I encourage you to look into the 40+ projects we are offering and consider how you might make your own positive impact on Philadelphia.  Real change happens on a local level, and Serve Philadelphia VISTA works directly with city stakeholders and community members to make this change happen.