Voicing Experiences Through Service (VETS)

Voicing Experiences Through Service (VETS) is a multi-year, multi-state project funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service and housed at the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, Indiana University, Bloomington. VETS supports young people ages 14 to 21 as they build relationships with veterans and collaboratively record oral histories of their service. These histories are then submitted to the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. While CNCS funding has completed, the lasting partnerships built through the VETS project have been so successful that efforts continue in many of the schools and communities touched by this project.

In the collaborative spirit of the VETS project, participants created a program guide in the form of a wiki in order to inspire others to join the project. Schools in each of the states have successfully implemented the program in grades 6-12, in alternative schools and after-school programs. One of the few stipulations for those who wanted to join the VETS project was that program sites had to be inclusive of all students. One of the over 100 school sites was a youth detention facility where a 19-year-old veteran told his moving story to the youth in the detention center.

Not only have the oral histories resulted in excellent student products, the projects helped students to connect to language arts and social studies standards as well as soft skills, such as interviewing skills, self-determination, empowerment, communication, and social skills. Other outcomes included intergenerational connections and the appreciation students developed by honoring and preserving veterans’ legacies. Veterans and their communities benefited from developing meaningful, reciprocal relationships with students and were able to contribute their valuable life histories to local, state and national audiences.

In preparation for her interview with Army Col. C.J. Arilesi, a veteran of World War II, Nadia Abouraya reviewed research on World War II and watched a CNN documentary on the pre-Cold War years. It was a rewarding and informative experience for both Nadia and Col. Arcilesi, who is a longtime family friend. Nadia later served on the Advisory Committee for the VETS Project in Maryland and participated in workshops to assist other students in interviewing veterans. Pictured above are Col. Arcilesi, Nadia, and the colonel’s daughter, Pirene.

Korean War veteran Don Monce, 80, looks at the diploma that he just received from Sandra Weaver, superintendent of the Metropolitan School District of Wabash County, Indiana. The honors came some 62 years after Monce left school to fight in the Korean War. When students discovered the fact that Mr. Monce had not received his diploma while interviewing him for their VETS project, they worked with state officials to correct this situation. Their response led to the school giving him a full-blown Northfield High School commencement, complete with cap, gown, pomp and circumstance in the school gym overflowing with students and townspeople.

On May 7, 2010, VETS and Learn and Serve Indiana hosted an appreciation celebration in the rotunda of the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis in recognition of the successful efforts of young Hoosiers engaged in service-learning. Students from Northwood Elementary School in Mooresville served as emcees. In addition to showcasing VETS and Learn and Serve Indiana projects, the ceremony highlighted Governor Daniel’s designation of February 5 as a Day of Recognition for Service-Learning.

Students from Washington High School in Washington, Indiana prepared a delicious reception to honor their veteran partners and high school mentors.

To learn how to implement a similar program in your school, see the VETS wiki in the NSLC library: The VETS Project: Voicing Experience Through Service: A Guide for Bringing Oral History and Service to the Classroom for All Students