Your Rights and Responsibilities as a VISTA

January 2010 Version

Session Outline
8:30 – 9:30 a.m. (1 hour)

Session set-up:
• Chart paper
• Masking tape
• Markers
• Six tables with five participants seated at each table

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Recognize the key characteristics of discrimination and harassment
• Know where to go if you experience or witness an act of discrimination or harassment
• Know how to check one’s own assumptions, dialogue and attempt to resolve an issue before
moving to the next step.

Time Steps Resources/Materials

15 minutes Welcome/Intro
Overhead & Training
1. If this is a new group, introduce self, and invite Materials: Session
participants to introduce themselves briefly at Outcomes; Chart paper
their tables. and masking tape
2. Go over session outcomes and explain that the
civil rights course is a blended learning
opportunity. Today’s session is meant to extend
the learning they did in the “Your Rights and
Responsibilities as a VISTA” course online.
3. Begin by asking “What did you learn in the
online course.” Chart their responses.
4. Use the overheads to review the definitions of
harassment and discrimination. Overhead: Definitions
5. Explain that in today’s session we will look at six of Discrimination and
more scenarios. At tables they will discuss what Harassment
they would do if they witnessed or experienced
these scenarios. And then at least one group will
fishbowl a conversation showing what the “what
next” would look like.
40 minutes The Conversation: Possible Responses

1. Hand out the “Civil Rights Scenarios Handout: Civil Rights

Worksheet.” Scenarios
2. At their tables have each group go over one
scenario and decide: What would you do if
you saw or experienced this situation? Who

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 would you talk to? What questions would you
ask to explore and possibly resolve the
situation?
3. Encourage participants to look at the
scenarios with this idea in mind: Try to check
their perceptions with the person or people
involved first. If they are unable to do this
they should go to the appropriate person,
which will usually be their VISTA
supervisor.
4. As tables work, circulate to make sure that
they are all on track.
5. After they work for about ten minutes, ask for
a group that would be willing to role play
what they would do in this situation. Have
two people do a fishbowl.
6. During the fishbowl, ask participants to
observe the conversation and responses, and
think about how they might respond, alter or
extend the dialogue.
7. If necessary, stop the fishbowl as it
progresses and have participants discuss what
is working or not.
8. Debrief the fishbowl by asking people to
share their observations and responses to the
dialogue.
9. If there is time, do a second fishbowl.

Note to Facilitator:

Key points to keep in mind about what we want them

to gain from this activity:

• The goal is dialogue, for them to try to resolve

the issue before moving on to the next step.
• Whenever possible, VISTAs should check their
perceptions with the person or people involved
first. If they are unable to do this they should go
to the appropriate person, which will usually be
their VISTA supervisor.
• If the incident involves a supervisor, the VISTA
should call the State Office.

5 minutes Conclusion
1. Ask participants: why is it important to learn
about your Civil Rights?

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2. Close by saying that VISTA and the Overhead: Where to
Corporation for National and Community Go for Help
Service take discrimination and harassment
very seriously. Note that if they need help
participants can find the following list of
resources in their Participant Manuals:
• State office contacts. A list of Corporation
state offices can be found in the Participant
Manual or online on the VISTA Campus at
www.vistacampus.org. If a VISTA is unable
to work out a situation with help from a
VISTA supervisor, he or she can contact the
state office.
• The Corporation’s Office of Civil Rights
and Inclusiveness (OCRI). If VISTAs are
unable to resolve a situation with help from a
VISTA supervisor or with state office staff,
they can contact OCRI using the following
contact information:
1201 New York Avenue, NW
Suite 10800
Washington, DC 20525
(202) 606-7503 (hotline)
(202) 606-3472 (TDD)
(202) 606-3465 (fax)
eo@cns.gov (email)
• Complete list of the Corporation’s official
policies on discrimination and harassment.
These can be found in the Participant Manual,
as well as at the following online locations:
a. The online VISTA Member
Handbook at
www.americorps.gov/help/vistahandb
ook/
b. In the “Library” section of the
“Becoming a VISTA” section of the
“Essentials” page on the VISTA
Campus (www.vistacampus.org)