​Hey there! My name is Alejandra Gómez, and I am a second year VISTA serving with Urban Neighborhood Initiatives (UNI) in the community of Southwest Detroit. It is very exciting to be serving another year in this community that I cherish so much! UNI serves a very specific geographical area in Southwest Detroit, but many projects I have been a part of this summer have involved a citywide partnership and approach. For many of you who do not know, my VISTA Assignment Description’s focus is strengthening our current college network and reducing chronic absenteeism in Detroit. It is very interesting to look back a year ago and realize how much I have changed personally, becoming more confident and determined, along with how much the work has evolved around me. As I spoke to a fellow comrade, I was reminded that it is important to be receptive to change, especially when one’s objective is to expand capacity building in a community that is constantly changing.

Currently, my service has been focused around the messaging campaign geared towards Attendance/ Chronic Absence launched in the city of Detroit. My supervisor, Christine Bell, has worked closely with Jack Nank from ThreeSpot, a public relations firm that has facilitated our messaging campaign strategy. From these efforts there has been a website, pledge cards, and other items created that have allowed us to promote the importance of attendance around the city. The website not only has resources, but allows for all (parents, students, community members, administrators, teachers, and so on) to make the pledge to assist children’s goal of being present in school on time, all day, every day. We are also in the midst of launching a listening campaign and distributing surveys that will identify key barriers why students are not going to class. Being in school is very important for children’s educational well-being, and distressingly, close to 60% of our children are chronically absent, meaning that they miss two or more days of school a month.

I continue to support three out of seven pilot schools in Southwest Detroit which are Bennett Elementary, Earhart Elementary/Middle School, and Western International to decrease chronic absence by 10% by the end of the school year 2017-2018. I have met with principals and other support staff in charge of driving the work in their schools to reflect on last year highlights and urgent gaps. My role is to ensure they receive outside support and resources that they need to drive this work. For example, Ines DeJesus, Senior Fellow from Attendance Works, and I are creating binders for each member of the attendance team to keep resources, meeting notes, data and much more that will allow them to have organized and proactive meetings moving forward. I am excited to see how this work continues to evolve and makes a positive impact in our children.

​Being a VISTA has been one of the most rewarding opportunities I have ever been a part of. It is great to interact with others in the community and truly engage with partners in efforts to help everyone fulfill their role in life. My favorite part has been being able to interact with students, parents, community partners and experience first-hand the reason for this work. Below are some pictures from an event I went to a few weeks ago called Grand Valley State University Women Empowerment School Zone, which allowed me to talk to more families about chronic absence, to listen to them and to capture their stories. Also, some pictures from my Vista Year Initiative, when I interviewed students to get their thoughts around chronic absence. I hope nothing but the best for my fellow comrades this year, treasure every moment and make every second count because next thing you know it will be August again.