service

Peter Levine asks this question in tracing the evaporation of the active citizenship theme from the campaign to the White House.

Service and transparency are not nearly "edgy" enough; there is no fight in them. People are angry - from the Tea Partiers to MoveOn. When citizens try to solve serious social problems, they identify enemies. They do not just hold hands and serve together; they strike back at those whom they perceive as threats. "Active citizenship" reduced to non-controversial "service" or downloading government data completely loses touch with the legitimate anger of the American people.

The White House chose to make health care its major focus and included no aspects of civic engagement in the deliberations about the bill, in its advocacy for the legislation, or in the design of the statute. There could have been real public discussions, instead of sham "Town Meetings" that were really speeches by politicians with time for Q&A. Progressive volunteers could have been encouraged to conduct face-to-face dialogues in their communities and to form relationships with one another (instead of merely finding themselves on the receiving end of an email list). The legislation could have included health co-ops as an experiment in engaging citizens in policy.

As Levine notes to close out his piece, the climate legislation, currently "stuck in the Senate," makes for a good starter kit for this new, authentic political dialogue, in which the grassroots is mobilized and the American people are asked to participate. It's audacious in that it could shift the debate away from special interests (or at least make their involvement more transparent), and it could restore more faith in our government. An addendum might be asking C-SPAN to cover these dialogues across America and any administrative meetings in Washington. Obama has already admitted he messed up by not involving C-SPAN in health care discussions.

20-29 year olds with no college experience are half as likely to volunteer as those in the same age group who do attend college, according to a report by CIRCLE and jointly released with the National Conference on Citizenship.

Conducted by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University’s Tisch College and released jointly with the National Conference on Citizenship, the report found that 25 percent of young adults who have attended college volunteered in 2007 while only 11 percent of those with no college experience volunteered. This gap has remained constant since 2002.

Peter Levine, director of CIRCLE, said young people without college experience are underutilized and underestimated: “Studies show all young people want to get involved in their communities, and lack of college experience should not be the deciding factor,” Levine said. “Schools, communities and government need to create more opportunities for all young people, not just the ones with a college education. Volunteering and participation in civic life is an important part of society, and no one should be excluded from an opportunity to do so.”

This activism gap between those youth attending college and non-college youth is something we've written about before here, and as you can see, it continues to exist. While colleges should be doing all they can to develop civic skills in their students, there should also be more focus on those not in college.

Some more information:

Eight in 10 young volunteers became involved by approaching the organization or being asked to become involved. Youth with college experience were more likely to have started volunteering through a pre-existing connection with that organization (33 percent) compared with 21 percent of non-college youth. Of those who started volunteering in some other way, youth without college experience were more likely to have started volunteering through a relative than college youth.

When asked for which type of organization they volunteered, “religious” organizations were the top choice for young people regardless of college experience. Most spend their time mentoring youth and teaching/tutoring, although young people with college experience were slightly more likely to provide professional or management assistance including serving on a board or committee.

Check out CIRCLE's fact sheet from the release here.

A back and forth with a commenter on my personal blog this week made me reflect on this topic over the last few days. The offending post was the "lazy journalism" piece that I wrote and published here last week. The commenter mostly took issue with the introduction of the post, in which I offered a general commentary on the Millennial generation, noting our generation's penchant for civic involvement and the necessity of a strong, independent press to get the most out of our high level of engagement. The commenter's main issue, after several back-and-forth comments, was my "lauding" of Millennials, as he sought to downplay Millennials' activism compared to the military service of the GIs and Boomers in World War II and Vietnam respectively. Such a comparison is obviously ill-conceived, and it demonstrates a hierarchical view of service, in which military service is valued over other civic opportunities, something I wrote about last summer when McCain showed signs of subscribing to this point of view.

I think it's first important to recognize that whether one is serving his/her country overseas in combat, or doing so on one's homeland, it's still service, and it's still valuable. The famous Kennedy call-to-service ("Ask not what your country can do for you...") doesn't discriminate by whether or not one is fighting overseas. It implies that service of all varieties is a universal value, and certainly an American one. Yes, incredible bravery and patriotism is required to put your life on the line for your country. But distinguished patriotism can also be seen in soup kitchens across the country. It can be seen in community organizers, in hospitals, in non-profits, in school districts, in colleges and universities, in those more fortunate paying taxes to invest in our country's future. One of the best things about America is that everyone has a gift and is able to give back to society should he/she choose to do so.

But if we are going to accept the commenter's argument asserting the importance of military service, let's dig in. Yes, the GI Generation largely fought World War II for America, staring the Nazi's down and defeating them. And young Boomers formed the crux of the American effort in Vietnam, with Elwood Carlson, in his book The Lucky Few, suggesting that Boomers lost 50,000 from their ranks while fighting.

But let's not forget the wartime military service of Millennials. As of last fall, 1.7 million Americans had fought in Afghanistan and Iraq, and Millennials made up just over 1 million of that number. Ross Cohen, the Director of Civilian-Military Partnerships at Be The Change, Inc. (an organization encouraging citizen-based activism to pursue systemic change), estimates that out of the 185,000 currently deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq, approximately 139,000, or 75 percent of those deployed, are Millennials. On top of these numbers, Millennial veterans also face numerous issues upon their return to the United States. For example, over sixty percent of employers admitted to not completely understanding how military experiences translate into relevant job qualifications. The mental health stigma attached to Iraq and Afghanistan veterans only makes job prospects worse, and that's before the current jobs environment is even considered. So while the wartime efforts of GIs and Boomers should be celebrated, Millennial military service and its undesirable consequences should also be acknowledged.

In the end, whether or not one serves as an activist, a soldier, or in some other way, the important thing is that they're serving. And that brings us back to Kennedy's proclamation made nearly 50 years ago. Kennedy's oft-quoted statement exhorting Americans to serve is well-known, but the following sentences are usually cropped from historical footage.

Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us here the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love...

In other words, America only works when the government believes in it citizens, when the citizens believe in the government, and when the citizens of the world believe in the United States. This relationship is based on a compromise: American citizens, in doing all that they can for their country (through military service and a strong sense of civic engagement), will be promised that their representatives serving them will replicate that effort in their own work, nationally and globally.

The experiment that is America spans many generations, and, as we know from Howe and Strauss, Winograd and Hais, and other generational scholars, each generation possesses distinguished talents and faces unique challenges. When I write about generations here and other places, I'm not saying that one (Millennials) is better than any other; I'm simply commenting on the skills our generation has that, in partnering with other generations' talents, can help make America better.

• Boston Globe: Obama's change message still resonates with youth.
• Winograd and Hais wonder in the LA Times whether the Millennials are taking on the role of their grandparents.
• Allison Fine reports on the Case Foundation's Giving Challenge.
• United We Serve, the White House summer of service, kicked of Monday.
• YouTube and All For Good team up to connect video makers and nonprofits.
• Google + Data.gov + Gapminder Visualizations: Is this a game changer?
• Liberty University has decided that maybe their Young Democrats policy WAS a bit unfair.
• A profile of a few young campaign staffers from the Obama campaign and what they're planning to do in the future.

Via the Stimulist, I just learned about the launch of All For Good, a "CraigsList for service." I've been hearing that term thrown around for at least a year now, and the results so far are reasonably impressive. Here's a search of what's happening my my local neighborhood right now:

The site is only an Alpha release at the moment, so it seems they are taking an iterative approach to building it out. This should be interesting to follow.

Coming right on the heels the the Obama Administraiton's launch of a summer of service, the timing of All for Good couldn't be better:

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, in a video message, President Obama unveiled United We Serve, an extended call to service challenging all Americans to help lay a new foundation for growth in this country by engaging in sustained, meaningful community service. The initiative will be led by the Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal agency dedicated to fostering service in communities across the country. Since his Inauguration, the President has called on all Americans to serve their communities and be a part of building a better future for our country.

The United We Serve summer initiative begins on June 22nd and runs through the National Day of Service and Remembrance on September 11th. The National Day of Service and Remembrance was created by the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, which President Obama signed in April to help encourage and facilitate community service across the country. During this summer, the President is renewing his call to all Americans to identify needs in their communities, engage in meaningful service to create change – and stay engaged with those projects long after September. The President’s call focuses on four key areas where everyone can have a continuing impact in their community: education, health, energy and the environment and community renewal. To create new service projects, to find service projects in their communities and to share stories about projects that are making a difference, Americans can visit the Corporation’s website, www.serve.gov .

I wrote a post the weekend following the election that referenced "thick democracy." During the campaign, President Obama had signaled a paradigm shift in the relationship citizens would have with their government should he be elected. Citizens were not going to merely be spectators, shut out from the government's work. Instead, the new president would ask everyone to pitch in and problem-solve using whatever backgrounds they had to benefit the country. Democracy would be thickened by the infusion of substance. Voting would not serve as the only way to embrace civic engagement; things like serving others, being involved (campaigning, canvassing, etc.) in local politics, pursuing the highest degree attainable, and staying abreast of current affairs also are ways to strengthen citizenship and our country.

We're seeing much of this campaign enthusiasm translate into fulfilled promises and even more enthusiasm. For instance, the Serve America Act has tripled the size of AmeriCorps and increased the education award to over $5,000 per year. The number of applicants for programs like City Year and Teach for America, which was already on the rise before the election, has surged even higher. The increase in number and popularity of service opportunities is a great sign for the future.

But to continue progressing, we need to examine ways to improve opportunities for engagement, especially as these opportunities continue to surge in popularity among young folks. Jo Fullmer at Beyond Bread is correct: we need to continue building the service infrastructure in order to ensure its permanence over the long haul. Fullmer describes her experience in the Lutheran Volunteer Corps, an organization that's not officially related to AmeriCorps, but whose volunteers can receive education awards. Fullmer believes she was fortunate to have an experience that was so engaging and supportive, as many others' do not.

My own service was conducted through the Lutheran Volunteer Corps (which is not technically part of AmeriCorps, though we can receive AmeriCorps education awards). LVC also provides participants with additional financial support, a programmatic structure, and living accommodations within an intentional community. Through this community, I’ve found the support and inspiration to sustain a year of low pay and difficult work. And with the LVC’s support, Bread for the City has provided me the space and trust to try my hand at the work of social justice. As a result, I consider this year of service to have been a privilege.

And yet, that privilege itself is not as widely available and readily exercised by young Americans as it could be. Debt prevents so many from participating, and those who try anyway must struggle to attain loan relief. Even if a year or more of service can be financially feasible, many are daunted without a proper social network or access to a feasible living situation. Opportunities to serve are taken to best advantage when there is sufficient support inside the program.

Supportive living conditions; sustained and sustaining financial support; social engagement – these are the critical components of my successful service. Through improvements designed to foster these conditions, AmeriCorps could become an even more powerful engine of volunteerism and civic participation.

With Jo’s account, we are reminded that not every direct service opportunity within AmeriCorps might be beneficial for Americans wishing to serve, and that some change in that program might be a positive development. I wonder if it is forgetting the political element of service in its work. Service and politics are undeniably related. Common sense says that those participating in direct service to treat small-scale problems (community cleanups, working at a soup kitchen, etc.) care enough about the larger parent issue (the Green Movement, hunger and homelessness, etc.) to support larger, more proactive measures aimed at destroying them. But, to my knowledge (and please comment and correct me if I am incorrect), the majority of those working with/benefited by AmeriCorps have little to do with any larger political approach to solving problems.

But what if it did? How might that take shape? My girlfriend (who's been involved with and has some knowledge of the organization) and I quickly thought of a few changes that might strengthen the civic engagement involved in working with AmeriCorps. While this is by no means a closed list with no opportunity for feedback, I thought I would post what we thought of here.

The expansion of the AmeriCorps appointment from its current two year term to an extra year could improve a variety of problems. Jo discussed the absence of a supportive network in many positions; perhaps a longer term might help this a bit, opening the possibility of longer working relationships between the agency, the AmeriCorps member, and those. Also, another year of eligibility could allow for longer deferment periods on student loans. Finally, the lengthened term could lead to additional changes for the better, listed below.

With an expanded term, AmeriCorps members could be given the space to confront larger, more systemic issues and do so with more than just direct service. Instead of maintaining a static term in which the AmeriCorps member performs direct service each year of his or her eligibility, the term could be tiered: while the first year of service might be direct, AmeriCorps could then create a series of "Issue Advocate" positions for second and third year members of the program. Issue Advocates would become civic experts in their policy area, learning and teaching the ropes of government and non-profits, identifying and leveraging support for certain policies that reinforce the direct service work already being performed.

As it turns out, there's an excellent model for this kind of experience already in place. At the Congressional Hunger Center, the Bill Emerson National Fellows Program links the direct service with the additional issue advocacy needed to solve the massive hunger problem in this country. A description of the program's structure from the website:

Twenty Fellows begin the program in Washington, D.C. for a 10-day orientation and training session, and are then placed for six months with community-based organizations involved in direct anti-hunger and anti-poverty efforts, such as food banks, local advocacy organizations, community organizing groups and economic development agencies. Each host organization identifies specific goals and objectives for the Fellows and provides the supervision and resources necessary to accomplish them. In mid-February, the Fellows move to Washington, D.C. and regroup for another week-long training session before starting their policy placements. Policy placements are with national organizations involved in the anti-hunger and poverty movement. These placements give the Fellows insight into the process that shapes policy on the national level. The program ends in early August.

Someone who I consulted when writing this pointed out that such a holistic experience would be akin to receiving a master's degree in that policy area by the end of that person's direct service and advocacy work. Not only would our problem-solving efforts in various policy arenas be fortified with an expanded version of the Fellows program, but the nation's local communities could gain a considerable number of skilled civic experts.

In order to build the programmatic elements of AmeriCorps though, Jo's call for more infrastructural support should be heeded. Providing a separate housing stipend for participants would provide the additional support Jo called for. The increased stipends in the Serve America legislation was a great start, but starting a separate housing stipend would institutionalize housing support for AmeriCorps members, broadening their compensation package. Those working for AmeriCorps could then focus more on the work they do as opposed to finding an affordable place to live.

In the end, the thinking here is to ensure that we continue to move forward in building a progressive youth movement, which must, at its core, include a vision for expanding programs like AmeriCorps. When expanding AmeriCorps and other programs, we should be concentrating on moving past the direct service and embracing the other civic opportunities inherent in these initiatives. The ideas discussed above are just a few ways to thicken our service infrastructure as we move further into the 21st Century.

Change.org recently announced its new Jobs for Change initiative, linking those wishing to pursue careers in change-making with available positions in organizations serving the common good.

Over the past few months President Obama has inspired a renewed interest in public service, providing a historic opportunity to mobilize a new generation of Americans to address the major social and environmental problems we face.

Yet there are few resources connecting people interested in social change with careers in service, threatening to limit the potential impact of this new civic spirit. We aim to change that.

We are currently building the largest database of nonprofit, government, and social enterprise jobs on the web and have just hired a team of career advisors to provide daily advice and guidance to help people of all backgrounds find and develop a career in social change. We have also partnered with more than a dozen leading organizations that will give Jobs for Change reach to millions of people interested in deeper civic engagement.

While those observing the trend toward public sector jobs among youth usually focus on the success of programs like Teach for America and City Year, this initiative will fill a large hole enabling one-stop career shopping for youth already involved in creating positive change. Many more organizations will now be in the spotlight thanks to this tool, and as a result, the millennial mobilization will be strengthened.

What I especially like about this site is the extra stuff. Along with the job postings, Jobs for Change offers "Career Advisors," who are assigned to various areas/aspects of the job search process, such as college students and AmeriCorps. In addition, young job-seekers are able to ask questions to their peers regarding change-making careers. Finally, content offering tips for young job-seekers is regularly published on the site.

A variety of organizations have teamed up with change.org to provide our progressive youth movement with an excellent resource. Kudos to everyone involved.

A good mix today -- some technology, service, and policy for you. Enjoy!

• Gavin Newsom, Mayor of San Francisco, uses technology to announce his campaign for California's governorship, with his campaign focusing on generational change as a message.
• Steve Schmidt and David Plouffe took the time to sit down and talk about the 2008 election at the University of Delaware Thursday night. Plouffe talked about the importance of young voters to the campaign and the point in time when the Obama campaign sensed the momentum changing.
• Youth Service America's Global Youth and Service Day events are being held this weekend. From a press release: "During GYSD, the largest service event in the world and an initiative of Youth Service America (YSA), young people will participate in and facilitate projects with families, schools, community and faith-based organizations, and businesses; they focus on serious issues such as climate change, education, poverty, health, hunger and homelessness." Over 1,800 projects were planned around the world for this event -- double the number of projects held last year.
• techPresident covers the signing of the Serve America Act, specifically the development of serve.gov, a Web 2.0 clearinghouse for service opportunities run by the government.
• Google and Personal Democracy Forum are launching a fellowship program for those interested in developing new ways of using technology to make change and influence government and policy:
  

  Google and Personal Democracy Forum are teaming up to offer registration fellowships that cover the full forum registration costs and a meal with Googlers for twenty well-qualified, creative political entrepreneurs to attend this year's conference on June 29-30 at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City.

  Fellows will be chosen based on evidence of how you've turned ideas into action and into new applications of technology in the political or civic arena.

  Go to the link and apply by May 8th if interested.

• The House Financial Services Committee passed the Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights (H.R. 627) on Wednesday. The House passed similar legislation last year, but it stalled in the Senate.
• Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) is a bit upset that he won't be able to reap the benefits of serving as a hero to the private student loan industry. Obama and the House and Senate negotiators in the budget process have agreed to use budget reconciliation for student lending legislation, effectively diminishing Nelson's influence. Ezra Klein reports.
• Speaking of Ezra Klein, someone got a new gig at the Washington Post. Klein's post on this can be found here. Klein starts May 18.
• An alternative view of Ashton Kutcher's Twitter quest at AdAge.

The Boston Globe published a piece this weekend covering the spike in the number of college graduates going on to start their careers in public service.

Instead of going straight into a 100-hour-a-week job at an investment bank, they are pursuing less lucrative but potentially more satisfying opportunities in public service, enrolling in record numbers in the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, and Teach for America. Other students seeking refuge from the recession are flocking to graduate schools, increasing competition for admission.

At elite universities such as Harvard, where about half the graduating class would enter finance and consulting in years past, many students say they feel liberated to consider alternative career paths, crediting not only the tanking economy but also President Obama's call for public service.

What's very alarming is the severe decrease of available jobs to college graduates upon leaving undergraduate institutions. Graduates in Spring '09 will see 21.6% fewer available jobs than the Spring '08 class.

As we see the economy struggle to move forward and the importance of active citizenship increases in society, it's fairly easy to see how Millennials might live out their potential as the next great civic generation.

The Serve America Act has been reintroduced in the Senate this session by Senators Ted Kennedy and Orrin Hatch (S.277) and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

The New York Times highlighted it in an editorial last Monday, arguing that, at a cost of $5 billion, the bill would be a thrifty, yet apt partner to the $825 billion stimulus package that the Congress is looking to pass. The Times also points out that Serve America matches the call for a "spirit of service" that Obama sounded in his inaugural address.

Kennedy and Hatch want to increase the number of full- and part-time volunteers national service volunteers to 250,000 from its current number of 75,000. The editorial goes on to describe the other contents of the bill.

The new positions would be devoted to meeting challenges in a handful of targeted areas: tackling the dropout crisis, strengthening schools, improving health care and economic opportunity in low-income communities, cleaning up parks, aiding efforts to boost energy efficiency, and responding to disasters and emergencies.

The Serve America Act is structured to invite participation by people of all income levels and ages, including retirees. It would offer tax incentives for employers who allow employees to take paid leave for full-time service, and permit older individuals to transfer their education awards to a child or grandchild. A new Volunteer Generation Fund would help nonprofit groups recruit and manage an expanding pool of volunteers.

This legislation dovetails with Obama's emphasis on responsibility and shared sacrifice. It would create additional jobs and continually improve our infrastructure and way of life. This is a fantastic opportunity for the government to invest in the citizenry, especially given the rise of the volunteer-heavy Millennial Generation and the popularity of President Obama's message.

Further reading:

Press release from Senator Kennedy's office

Summary of the bill