Overview of Basic Requirements/Guidelines
for CTC VISTAs And CTC VISTA Supervisors

The Project’s orientation sessions and the Corporation’s handbooks for VISTA members and supervisors provide a generous amount of information regarding the how-to’s of VISTA service. It’s a lot to digest so we’ve put together this one-page overview of Project expectations, requirements and guides in an effort to keep it simple…

• Be in regular communication with Project staff so that we know how things are going. (We can't help if we don't know!) VISTA leaders are the main point of contact– you are expected to be responsive to their inquiries and to participate in the monthly conference calls which they coordinate by region. If you are serving in Eastern Massachusetts, you'll also be attending our monthly meetings.
• develop an on-going project blog, website, or report to provide public documentation of your work and project;
• participate in special priority area discussion forum(s) that are applicable to your organization's work and in all other appropriate project discussion list(s);
• work with your fellow CTC VISTAs to create shared resources;
• be knowledgeable about and respect VISTA restrictions on lobbying/political activities, formal course enrollment, outside income/work, and direct service as opposed to capacity building;
• attend the CTCNet annual conference (or another appropriate conference if arranged with your organization and the Project) that takes place during your year of service;
• participate in project evaluation if so requested;
• complete exit forms.

VISTA member handbooks are provided to all VISTAs at their PSO; the online version is available on the Americorps website.

• Submit: the required Memo of Understanding, Project fee, and Program Progress Report(s) as per http://www.cpcs.umb.edu/vista/ReportingonYourVISTAs.html;
• provide VISTA with a proper work space and conduct an orientation and introductions as is customary with new staff;
• provide VISTA management/supervision based on Project application work plan and member assignment description — personnel policies as per agency, assistance with future plans/termination; note project requirements for CTC VISTAs (above);
• take care of transportation and housing arrangements for VISTAs to attend annual CTCNet national conference (or another appropriate conference if arranged with your VISTA and the Project);
• participate on supervisors' and priority area email lists and in project evaluation if so requested; attend quarterly meetings if you're in eastern Massachusetts; communicate successes and address challenges with project staff;
• know what to do if problems arise and guidelines for unexcused absence, administrative leave, and termination: contact the CTC VISTA Project Director.

The official AmeriCorps*VISTA Supervisor's Manual is not currently available online and is being revised. There is a special Supervisor Resource section on the project web site at http://www.cpcs.umb.edu/vista/SupervisorResources.html, which has lots of additional supervisor resources including the basic "CTC VISTA Project Supervisors' Tip/Responsibility Sheet" (directly at http://www.cpcs.umb.edu/vista/VISTASupervisorTipSheet.doc).