Notre Dame Mission Volunteers - AmeriCorps
Encyclopedia
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| Established | 1995 |
| Exec. Dir. | Sister Katherine "Sissy" Corr |
| Office | Baltimore, MD, USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... ; |
| Homepage | www.ndmva.org |
Notre Dame Mission Volunteers – AmeriCorps is a faith-based non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
founded by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur
Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur
The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, is the name of a Roman Catholic order of religious sisters, dedicated to providing education to the poor.The order was founded in Amiens in 1803, but the opposition of the local bishop to missions outside his diocese led to the moving of headquarters to then...
in 1992. In 1995, NDMV sought a partnership with AmeriCorps to allow for an increase in the number of members, offering greater community service in financially-limited sites. This partnership formed Notre Dame Mission Volunteers-AmeriCorps. Its members serve in seventeen sites across the United States and four international sites in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. Its National Office is currently based out of Baltimore, Maryland.
Mission
NDMVA serves in memory of St. Julie BilliartJulie Billiart
Saint Julie Billiart was a French religious leader who founded, and was the first Superior General of, the Congregation of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.-Childhood:...
who sought to educate those in most need. The organization seeks to break the cycle of poverty
Cycle of poverty
In economics, the cycle of poverty is the "set of factors or events by which poverty, once started, is likely to continue unless there is outside intervention."...
through education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
and literacy
Literacy
Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...
, giving communities the strength they need to sustain them and live out their god – given potential. NDMVA members provide hands-on support to economically disadvantaged communities. They tutor children and adults (literacy, GED
GED
General Educational Development tests are a group of five subject tests which, when passed, certify that the taker has American or Canadian high school-level academic skills...
, and ESL
English language learning and teaching
English as a second language , English for speakers of other languages and English as a foreign language all refer to the use or study of English by speakers with different native languages. The precise usage, including the different use of the terms ESL and ESOL in different countries, is...
), organize after-school enrichment activities, model and teach conflict resolution
Conflict resolution
Conflict resolution is conceptualized as the methods and processes involved in facilitating the peaceful ending of some social conflict. Often, committed group members attempt to resolve group conflicts by actively communicating information about their conflicting motives or ideologies to the rest...
and parental effectiveness
Parenting
Parenting is the process of promoting and supporting the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood...
, and involve community professionals in the learning process.
Approach
NDMVA creates holistic educational programs for at-risk children and adults in economically disadvantaged communities. We target children in Head Start and school settings as well as adults who are high school dropouts in need of GED, literacy, or parenting skills. Our volunteers are recruited from the local communities and from college campuses nationwide. To further our goals, we develop service partnerships with groups and individuals in the public and private sectors.Our members work to empower the economically disadvantaged and oppressed through education and personal hands-on support. They tutor children and adults (literacy, GED, and ESL), organize after-school enrichment activities, model and teach conflict resolution and parental effectiveness, and involve community professionals in the learning process.
We seek to build community among our members, as well as the people with whom we work. Currently, our members come from 20 states and myriad racial, ethnic, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Our multicultural, ecumenical group is bound together by common ideals of service, educational empowerment, community building, and a desire to translate spiritual values into action.
Communities Served=
Baltimore,MD; Bend, OR; Boston, MA; Boulder, CO; Chicago, IL; Cincinnati, OH; Dayton, OH; Hartford, CT; Los Angeles, CA; New Orleans, LA; Orlando, FL; Philadelphia, PA; Phoenix, AZ; San Francisco, CA; Seattle, WA; Washington, DC; Watsonville, CA; Wilmington, DE
Notable Partnering Sites=
- I Have A Dream Foundation Boulder, Co
- NativityMiguel Network of SchoolsNativityMiguel Network of SchoolsThe NativityMiguel Network of Schools is a nonprofit 501 organization dedicated to providing a high quality, middle school education to low-income families across the nation...
- Serviam Girls AcademyServiam Girls AcademyServiam Girls Academy is a private school in New Castle, Delaware offering classes in grades 5-8 for girls. Established in 2008 as an Ursuline school, it is affiliated with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wilmington and is a member of the NativityMiguel Network of Schools. The current enrollment is...
- Sound Youth Seattle, WA