IntroductionThis article presents a review and evaluation of the impact of a policy at the local level. The policy under investigation 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 based on data collected through interviews and observations. Finally, an evaluation of the results and their relevance for the program is proposed. History of the AmeriCorps VISTA Program According to the timeline available in Getting Started: A Guide for AmeriCorps Members (Corporation, nda), the foundation on which AmeriCorps was created began with Franklin D. . Roosevelt's creation of the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. The GI Bill of 1944 was the first to link service and education, with scholarships offered to veterans who served the country during the Second World War. In 1961, John Kennedy established the Peace Corps, to which AmeriCorps is often compared as its domestic equivalent. Volunteers in Service to America, a program that also benefits from educational awards, was first established in 1964 "giving Americans the opportunity to serve full-time to help thousands of low-income communities" ( Corporation, nda, p. VISTA is a capacity building program that places VISTA members in administrative (non-administrative) positions within community organizations across the United States. In 1993, VISTA was incorporated into the newly created AmeriCorps, a national program developed as a result of the Natio... .... middle of paper ......oachs for diverse populations. New York: Routledge. Corporation for National and Community Service (nd)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 arrangements 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 VISTA Story (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.americorps.gov/for_individuals/choose/vista_legacy.asp.Corporation for National and Community Service (nd)d. VISTA… Serving America. Retrieved from http://www.americorps.gov/pdf/06_0523_americorps_vista_legacybook.pdf.