Sarah Pilson - Coming to Ameri...Corps

Hi everybody! My name is Sarah Pilson, and I am a first-year Pathways to Employment AmeriCorps VISTA serving at Alternatives for Girls in Southwest Detroit. Alternatives for Girls is an organization that uplifts and empowers homeless, at risk girls and women by bridging gaps in access to resources and opportunities. This mission is accomplished through many of their departments including the Outreach and Education Services (OES) department I serve out of. Within this department, I am launching their pilot Workforce Development program in order to equip participants with employable skills so that they can gain independence from government assistance. In order for this pilot to succeed, I have built relationships with local community organizations to host workshops, conduct onsite interviews, and potentially bring in funding to support the program. I am currently working to solidify a relationship with Bank of America to run a financial literacy workshop and assist participants in creating bank accounts.

Serving with Alternatives for Girls, I have learned so much about underserved populations within Detroit, which I was not aware of in all my years as a resident of the community. In this community, there are individuals that have never sat in an interview, never used a computer, never had a bank account, and never had a home. The participants come from a variety of backgrounds and have experienced traumas I couldn’t imagine enduring, but they still have a strength and resilience I have only witnessed here. This experience has taught me about trauma informed care and the importance of advocacy and self-determination in this line of work. As I continue to plan and network, I keep in mind tips from the Human Centered Design course we’ve been completing through the Pathways to Employment VISTA Program to ensure I do not lose focus of the people I am here to (indirectly) serve.

Even though there are and will be challenges during my service year, I am still so happy that I did not let this opportunity pass me by. As my VISTA year continues, I hope to form new connections and lifelong bonds with those around me. I also hope to accomplish my goals and have a successful pilot program, so that community members have a safe space to develop employable skills and life skills so that they can determine their own lives and thrive beyond the bar that is set for them.