Member Spotlight: After School Enrichment Program Specialist

Meet Skye Blackmon. Skye serves with the Building Communities, Bettering Lives AmeriCorps program in the After School Enrichment program at the YWCA.

What motivated you to join AmeriCorps? I have always wanted to help make a difference and I wasn’t able to do that with my previous employment. I also want to be a teacher and this seemed like the perfect opportunity for me to get some experience with that.

What would you like to get out of this service opportunity? I want to have developed good teaching skills, more confidence in future employment opportunities, and gain skills to assist with non profits. I also would like to make a difference in as many lives as possible.

What will your service focus on for the 2017-18 program year? It will focus on making an improvement in the lives of children experiencing homelessness. Our goal is to give them as many opportunities as we can regarding homework help, tutoring, improving grades, making sure they have enough food, and taking them to places they may otherwise not be able to go.

What are your plans after AmeriCorps? After AmeriCorps I want to become an American Sign language interpreter, then become certified to teach sex education. I want to partner with a local non profit or planned parenthood and go to schools, churches, or other community spaces and teach about safe dating and safe sex.

Thank you for your service Sky!