United We Serve

by Chris Golden & Nick Troiano
co-Founders, myImpact.org

Last month, First Lady Michelle Obama formally kicked off United We Serve, a 12-week summer service initiative focused on key areas of the Administration’s economic recovery agenda and aimed both at engaging Americans in service and increasing the capacity of community organizations. This week, the focus of the initiative turns to education, a sector critical to the future of our country.

Americans give back to support our students and schools every day. Whether it is the parent donating classroom supplies because of reduced school district budgets, those who volunteer time to read at their local library or community center or the young college graduate who serves as part of national programs like AmeriCorps, City Year or Teach for America. Applications for these positions are at all-time highs; with Teach for America admitting 4,100 recruits this year out from over 35,000 applications.

Within our schools, the Learn and Serve America program, administered nationally by the Corporation for National & Community Service, utilizes a service-learning curriculum designed to encourage young people to identify and address immediate community needs while strengthening the capacity of their communities to address long-term challenges. During this summer of service, it is imperative that Congress realizes the need to fully fund the recently passed Serve America Act, which will allow programs like Learn & Serve to be scaled to reach even more young people.

We believe in the power of service, the timeless American tradition of giving back to our communities and country, as the basis for sustained solutions to the most pressing crises we face, including education and the rising high school dropout rate. (A student drops out of a public high school, on average, every 26 seconds. More than 1.2 million dropped out last year).

Further, we believe that the Millennial Generation, those younger than age 28, are uniquely positioned to utilize new technological tools to enhance and extend traditional service. As an emerging Millennial-led organization dedicated to expanding the reach of service to all Americans, we know the power and potential that social media and social networking can have to increasing citizen participation and civic engagement.

Through the online community we established at united.myImpact.org, organizations and individuals who are answering the call to serve are sharing their stories. The purpose of the community is not just for personal fulfillment, it is meant to inspire more Americans to give back.

A recent study showed that reading to a young person at least three times a week made that person twice as likely to score in the top 25% on standardized reading tests. Yet, the challenges go beyond finding the time to serve because another report recently found that in low-income neighborhoods there is an average one book for every 300 children.

A commitment to service and engagement will not end with the United We Serve initiative but this summer, and this week, is a reminder that despite the challenging times we live in, each person can do their part to give back and truly make a difference. We invite you to join this effort and then share your story with us—maybe it will inspire someone else and, together, we can all unite in service.

Chris Golden and Nick Troiano are the co-founders of myImpact.org, an emerging online platform for young Americans in full and part time national and community service programs.

To join the Online Community of United We Serve, visit united.myImpact.org.

By Chris Golden and Nick Troiano
Co-Founders, myImpact.org

President Obama and the First Lady launched “United We Serve” last month, a 12-week summer of service initiative whose goal is to engage all Americans in service projects, so that we may all be a part of the solution to our country’s most pressing challenges.

This week, the issues of hunger, homelessness and poverty are themes during an emphasis on “Community Renewal.” In the midst of a prolonged economic recession that began with a foreclosure and credit crisis and as local governments make difficult choices as a result of tightening municipal budgets; the need for renewing our communities could never be clearer. At the same time, there is a resounding belief that government cannot fix these problems alone and that citizens must come together, to take ownership of our communities again, working together to improve and renew them.

We believe that the Millennial Generation, those younger than age 28, wants to give back to our communities and to our country and that, with new technology and social networking, are in a unique position to do so. Giving back through service has always been an American tradition but today, with non-profit organizations struggling with an increased demand as their own budgets stay stagnant or in some cases are cut, volunteers are needed more than ever.

United We Serve is a prime opportunity to highlight the good works taking place in our communities and, by sharing their stories, to engage more Americans in service. Through the online community that we launched at united.myImpact.org, organizations and individuals from around the country are sharing how they are making an impact. They include Aramark workers in East Baltimore, Md. who this week will join in a day of service to build a new Community Resource Center and renovate an existing Community School and the Lion’s Club of America who continue their longstanding tradition of giving back.

We believe that the power of online social media, including technology that is still evolving, can make it even easier to serve and, moreover, can enhance and extend the service experience. We are founding myImpact.org as an online home of the service movement, where stories can be told, best practices exchanged and needs addressed. Building off of the tremendous energy following the passage this year of the Serve America Act and the success of this summer’s United We Serve initiative, we are well on our way to demonstrating the power that service can have to change our communities.

We are inspired by this moment in our country’s history and the tremendous opportunity that it presents to solve problems, both at the community and national levels. Service is key to our generation’s and our country’s future and we are proud to be enhancing the vision of Martin Luther King, Jr. when he said “everybody can be great because anybody can serve.”

Chris Golden and Nick Troiano are co-founders of myImpact.org, an emerging online platform for young people in full and part time national and community service programs.

To sign up for the online community of United We Serve, visit www.united.myImpact.org.