AmeriCorps Seniors
Each month, GIA will feature a brief member profile, offering professional background and fun insights from the people in our network. This month, we spoke to Atalaya Sergi, Director of AmeriCorps Seniors, and newly elected member of the GIA Board of Directors.
Many of us have heard about AmeriCorps but can you tell us a little bit about AmeriCorps Seniors?
AmeriCorps Seniors is a foundational program housed within AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism. It is one of the original national service programs, enacted in 1964. AmeriCorps Seniors make grants to communities and organizations focused on engaging older adults, ages 55 years and over, in national service and volunteering.
Every year, we match more than 170,000 AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers with service opportunities offered by our 1,200 partner organizations—and we believe there is a good fit for anyone who wants to serve:
Foster Grandparents serve in an intergenerational program that helps young people with academic and social-emotional development. Senior Companions help older and adults and people with disabilities live independently, reduce isolation, and provide respite for family caregivers. The RSVP program recruits volunteers and places older adults in local organizations to increase capacity for key services, such as job readiness, reducing food insecurity, providing disaster assistance, offering support for veterans and military families, and a host of other needs.
Additionally, the Senior Demonstration program gives organizations and communities the flexibility to innovate and design creative programming that addresses community needs and highlights how older American volunteers can contribute to our most pressing national needs.
Volunteers who participate in AmeriCorps Seniors programs remain engaged and active in their communities and find purpose through the service they provide. Data supports this assertion. In a 2019 longitudinal study, AmeriCorps Seniors found that 84% of volunteers reported improved or stable health while serving; 88% of volunteers reported a decrease in feelings of isolation; and 78% felt less depressed.
What are your current funding priorities?
AmeriCorps provides grants to local community non-profits, public and faith-based organizations, and Tribal Nations and Indigenous Communities. As part of this goal, we focus on six priority areas: Education, Economic Opportunity, Disaster Services, Environmental Stewardship, Healthy Futures and Veterans & Military Families. In addition, AmeriCorps’ current strategic plan includes an emphasis on partnering with communities challenged by poverty.
In 2023, AmeriCorps Seniors is poised to double down on supporting older adults through workforce development and partnering with Tribal Nations and Indigenous Communities. You’ll see those funding opportunities open in November and December respectively.
We were thrilled to have you as a guest during our Fireside Chat at our 2022 GIA Conference Opening Plenary.
During the session, you announced a new program opportunity for funders that AmeriCorps Seniors is rolling out. Can you tell us about this newest funding opportunity?
Since its inception, AmeriCorps has been a strong advocate for and supporter of those seeking to gain the skills and resources needed to find a fulfilling career. The funding opportunity I mentioned, the Workforce Development Senior Demonstration Program, shows that national service can provide older adults with a rewarding pathway back into the workforce, too.
In 2020 the Brookings Institution released a report outlining potential policies that would help improve workforce development services for older Americans. The report notes that tailored programs could help combat age discrimination, help older Americans gain skills training and experience, and connect older adults to more employment opportunities. This AmeriCorps Seniors opportunity is a starting point to show how national service can be a key component of our nation’s efforts to welcome more older Americans into the workforce.
What about GIA’s mission really motivates you?
The GIA mission statement really speaks to my heart. More specifically, the pursuit of “a just and inclusive world where all people are fully valued, recognized, and engaged at all ages” really drives the work that I do. That’s why I’m so excited about joining the GIA Board next year.
Supporting and connecting funders that are dedicated to this space is truly transformational in so many ways. By strengthening our partnerships, we can make an even greater impact and create a healthier, more productive society—one in which every American can have a seat and a voice at the table.
For some fun insight into your background, we’d like to hear about some of your interests. How did you personally become involved in the aging sector and philanthropy?
Prior to my appointment with AmeriCorps, I worked for Jumpstart for Young Children: a national non-profit dedicated to preparing children for kindergarten. The volunteers who supported the organization were primarily college students. While I worked to find new volunteers and develop strategies to expand our reach to new communities, I learned about the AmeriCorps Seniors’ Foster Grandparent program.
Fast forward to when older adults started to become Jumpstart volunteers, I threw myself into the field even more. I began attending local community meetings and conferences, met with city and county experts in the field, and aligned myself with national leaders who champion intergenerational work to learn as much as I could. Though my career took me in a variety of directions, I remained committed to engaging older adults and championing the value they bring to communities, and I took every opportunity to be a part of projects with that focus.
I value our elders and believe that holding space for them, lifting up their value, and inviting them to share their wisdom and lived experiences benefits all of us. I’m honored that as the national Director of AmeriCorps Seniors, I have the chance to pursue this mission each and every day.
What are you currently reading, binge-watching, or listening to on repeat?
I’ve been devoting a lot of time to learning more about Native Nations and hearing from Native voices. Recently, I started reading a collection of Native biographies that represent the twelve Native nations of Wisconsin titled Generation Earth Ethics: Native Voices of Wisconsin.
With what character from a cartoon, book or movie do you most identify?
The character Dion from the Netflix series “Raising Dion” immediately comes to mind. I may not fully relate to this character since he is a little boy, but I can certainly relate to the desire to protect my community and do it with an awesome team of friends. I also wish I had Dion’s ability to teleport, that would be my chosen superpower!