Let me just start off by saying that for several reasons, joining AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps) was the best decision I've made in my very short life time. It's madness. It's tough. But not for a second do I regret it.

The NCCC is a 10 month long term of service, based out of one of five regional campuses. My campus is based in middle of nowhere, Iowa, and we serve a ten state region that comprises most of the upper Midwest. The four other campuses serve the rest of the country along 10-state regional lines: the west, southwest, southeast, and northeast. I'm also the team leader, so my experience was a little different than your average Corps Member, in that I was responsible for creating and maintaining my team's culture, handling our budget, directly coordinating work that's assigned to us by our project sponsors, and myriad other things a team leader does.

After a month of training at your campus (two months if you're a TL, or team leader), your ~12 person team gets in their 15 passenger van with their supplies and personal protective equipment and whatever else can fit, and drives to the community they're serving in for these roughly 6-8 week long mini terms of service called "SPIKES". I've had 5 spikes, and personally have served in Cedar Rapids, IA, doing construction with a habitat for humanity affiliate, I've served in Detroit, MI, working with elementary school aged youth providing tutoring and after school daycare programming, spent 6 weeks in south central Illinois building and refurbishing the 11-mile Chief Illini trail, a month in northern Michigan working at a summer camp in their dining hall, and now am in Omaha, NE, working at a hundred-acre botanical garden.

This is a crazy job. You work with, sleep with, eat with, and live with your team (aged 18-24). And this program is the epitome of diversity. No two people on my team are from the same state -- we have two high school grads, a two year convicted felon on parole, a college graduate from Boston University, a handful of community college educated kids, and me, a college drop out.

I'm not sure what else to say. The service we do is incredible. I've built a house for a family. I think I've made an impact in the city of Detroit, and know for a fact the three black males on my team made a lasting impression on the kids we worked with. I fell in love with a part of the country I'd've never visited and found a job next summer, in northern Michigan working for only the best boss I've ever had. I've swung pulaskis and pickaxes and shovels for eight hours a day and finished 11 miles of dirt trail. We do PT three times a week and have weekly meetings where we discuss what we've done. It's here that I quit smoking (7 months, woohoo) and quit going out 5 nights a week.

I don't want to say that it will change your life. I'm a firm believer in the idea that meaning is created, it's not found. But the NCCC is a wonderful opportunity to live on the government's dime (room and board is provided) make a tiny bit of money (small stipend and a 5,600 education award at the end, in addition to forbearance granted on federal student loans) and meet hundreds of new people in the program. I honestly think this should be compulsory to all when they turn 18, like in Israel or Russia, except not military conscription, but community service.

Thanks for asking me, I've been meaning to share with hubski what I've been doing for the last 9 months, but haven't really taken the time to share. (Edit: wonder if I should turn this into a full post?)