AmeriCorps can be hard to define, because AmeriCorps Members are such a diverse group of people doing a multitude of tasks in many different environments and geographic areas. It is sometimes referred to as the “domestic Peace Corps,” a phrase that underlines AmeriCorps Members’ commitment to service in America’s communities.  

Since its inception in 1993, more than 250,000 women and men have served in AmeriCorps, and the program continues to grow and receive strong governmental support. The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNS) is the branch of the Federal Government responsible for AmeriCorps programs, with an annual budget of over $400 million. State commissions, non-profit organizations and public agencies can apply to CNS for a grant to set up AmeriCorps programs to meet local environmental, educational, or public health needs. This allows AmeriCorps programs to be tailored to unique situations, allowing both the Members and the communities being served to reach their full potential for service. Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC) recognized the need for a program that would provide both community service to rural villages, and leadership and growth opportunities for young Alaska Natives . A grant was applied for and awarded.  TCC's Employment & Training Department now administers the Tribal Civilian Community Corps (TCCC) *Alaska program, providing continued guidance, support and resources.  

In addition to Tanana Chiefs' TCCC program, many thousands of Members serve nationally in AmeriCorps through AmeriCorps* VISTA (Volunteers In Service To America – about 6,000 annually) and NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps – about 1,000 annually). In Alaska, more than 400 individuals serve as AmeriCorps volunteers annually. 

TCCC (pronounced “T triple C”) is an AmeriCorps program designed specifically for young Native American adults. It is modeled after the established NCCC  - the National Civilian Community Corps – whose thousands of members have been successfully “getting things done” in communities all across America for nearly eight years.

As in the NCCC, our Members give 5-10 months of service to local communities, working in teams of approximately ten individuals, including one Team Leader. The program has a permanent residential campus in Nenana, but Members often go on service projects that require spending three to six weeks working and living in the field.  Tanana Chiefs' program is one of only three TCCC programs in the country (the other two are located in Arizona and California), with expectations of other tribes adding campuses in the future.

In addition to working on service projects ranging from trail building to tutoring, construction to oral history interviews, TCCC Members focus many hours on their individual development and career and life goals. To this end, Members receive extensive training to build their leadership qualities, self-confidence, team spirit, and self-discipline. Attaining future educational goals is strongly encouraged, and those Members who start the TCCC without a GED are tutored so that this, too, can be achieved.

Practical trainings are implemented so that the Members can be both effective and safe while working on service projects. Trainings include CPR and First Aid, power tool safety, and personal finances. Basic vocational training in areas such as carpentry, cooking, building maintenance and welding is also gained.

TCCC diverges from the original NCCC model, however, in that it places a strong emphasis on traditional Native skills and values. Members come to the Nenana campus from all over Alaska, and a few make the journey from elsewhere in the U.S. The program is open to Alaska Natives and Native Americans who are 18 to 26 years of age. Members receive diversity training, and the program fosters respect and appreciation for the diversity of traditional ways represented by the Members and service project sponsors. It is an unprecedented opportunity both for the Members accepted into the TCCC program, and the communities served throughout Alaska.