IntroductionThis document presents an examination and evaluation of the impact of a policy at the grassroots level. The policy in question is the Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) program policy governing VISTA members' participation in training courses. First, a brief history of the AmeriCorps VISTA program will be provided. A review of the details of the policy will follow. Next, a summary of perspectives regarding the impact of the policy from VISTA members is presented from data collected through interviews and observations. Finally, an evaluation of the results and their relevance for the program is offered. History of the AmeriCorps VISTA Program According to the timeline available in Getting Started: A Guide for AmeriCorps Members (Corporation, ed.), the foundation upon which AmeriCorps was founded began with Franklin D. Roosevelt's creation of the Civilian Conservation Corps in the '30. The GI Bill of 1944 first created the link between service and education, with education awards available to veterans who served the country during World War II. In 1961, John Kennedy created the Peace Corps, to which AmeriCorps is often compared as the national equivalent. Volunteers in Service to America, a program that also has education awards, was first established in 1964 “offering Americans the opportunity to serve full-time to help thousands of low-income communities” (Corporation , ed., p. 12). VISTA is a capacity-building program that places VISTA members in administrative (non-clerical) positions within community organizations throughout the United States. In 1993, VISTA was incorporated into the new AmeriCorps, a national program developed as a result of the Clinton administration's Natio. .... middle of paper ......oach for different populations. New York: Routledge.Corporation for National and Community Service (n.d.)a. Getting Started: A Guide for AmeriCorps Members. Retrieved September 30, 2008, from http://AmeriCorps.gov/pdf/ac_member_guide.pdf.Corporation for National and Community Service (nd)b. Limited activities and provisions while on duty. In the AmeriCorps VISTA member handbook (13). Retrieved from http://www.americorps.gov/help/vistahandbook/chapter13.html#limited.Corporation for National and Community Service (nd)c. The AmeriCorps Story VISTA (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.americorps.gov/for_individuals/choose/vista_legacy.asp.Corporation for National and Community Service (nd)d. VIEW... Serving America. Retrieved from http://www.americorps.gov/pdf/06_0523_americorps_vista_legacybook.pdf.