HOLA Pre-Service Orientation Summary

After their Pre-Service Orientation through CNCS, HOLA’s Year 3 VISTA members received substantial training on HOLA’s campus. The VISTAs began with a full orientation from HOLA’s Director of Leadership that included a full campus tour, an overview of each of HOLA’s nine academic and enrichment programs, introduction to each program director and administrative staff member, and an intensive discussion of HOLA’s mission and core values. VISTAs also received orientation and training from HOLA’s Administrative Director and Executive Director. Technical training at their workstations was provided by HOLA’s IT staff. Together, the Development and Communications VISTA members met with the program director of each of HOLA’s programs to receive a targeted training on each program. VISTAs were also required to observe afternoon programming for the first few weeks of their service year, followed by peer-learning sessions. While the Volunteer VISTA member began her service year a month later than the other members of her cohort, HOLA also onboarded two other staff members with her, and the three received an identical orientation provided by the Director of Leadership. After that orientation, the Development and

HOLA’s Director of Leadership also took the lead on the group’s first week of orientation and training. After their “HOLA overview,” the directors of HOLA’s Academic Programs each contributed to training the Associates in their specific programs. As the Associates would be leading an Academic Tutoring Lab in addition to their support of summer camp activities, HOLA’s Bridges Middle School Education Program Director led a multi-day intensive training for the Associates that included having them participate in online classes and with testing tools and shadow HOLA’s academic program staff as they created class curricula and prepared for the