- the temporarily unemployed using their extra time to tutor kids
- the small-town values of "neighbors helping neighbors"
These types of activities can prevent a national depression from influencing Americans into mental depressions. It would pain me to learn years from now that the extra hours of the unemployed are being spent alone in front of the television.
So I am excited by the below passage in the NYT. I hadn't ever heard of Prof. Goldsmith until 5 minutes ago, but he expresses just what I had been thinking. This NYT post assembled experts to find faults with the $900 billion stimulus package. The package has been passed by the House and looks on track for Senate confirmation and the president's signature before President's Day. Then, hopefully, we can follow the implementation on recovery.org.
Anyways, Prof. Goldsmith has the below to say on "Service Stimulus".
"The stimulus package seeks to address the current economic crisis of our country, but we must not overlook the need for a “service stimulus.” Indeed, the bill should explicitly address how to support and leverage the spirit of volunteerism that exists in America.
For volunteers to be effective, they need support services from community organizations. If we are going to add jobs for the purpose of economic stimulus, we should do it in a way that produces broad support for Americans in difficult circumstances by neighbors helping neighbors. Therefore, the stimulus bill should provide for significant increases in AmeriCorps members who can rapidly deploy to community organizations and support volunteerism.
More Americans are struggling this year, yet millions are reaching out in record numbers to offer food, care and compassion. As this stimulus package recognizes, there are many areas of need across our communities. But these can be drastically improved by collaboration. Tutors and mentors can help school children succeed, volunteers can support displaced families as they move from shelters to more permanent housing and community assistance centers can assist by providing volunteers to aid those encountering substance abuse and depression.
We must renew our dedication to service and leverage the true strength of America through citizen action. The limiting factor is not American goodwill but rather the process by which we engage, recruit, train and deploy willing volunteers. By actively engaging in our communities and mobilizing efforts to aid those in need, we can rebuild society."
2 comments:
I agree with you on this. A few points...
1. Alot of good stuff is all ready out there, but mostly in religon based organizations.
2. I think we need to start to equate service as strong form of patriotism, like being in the military. People should start to think it's their duty to participate in some type of community serice.
3. I think the Obama admin should do a few things in terms of this:
a) strengthen and improve the americorps, and add more structered volunteer program, for example one for just the summer. I know many college students that would be willing to participate in this summer program if it became organized and well known and run.
b) For High School Grads: have some type of monetary support package like the GI bill for committed long term volunteers (1-2 years) that want to go to school afterwards.
c) For College Grads: have some type of loans forgiveness program for those in the long term (1-2 years) volunteer program.
I'm picturing volunteer programs like Teach for America expanding with this. This program would be a lot more successful with some type of moderate loan forgiveness
progam.
I think there a lot of good people out there, they just need a little more incentive and motivation to do these things. I think having a former community organizer as president, will help make this happen.
Good ideas!
Yeah, it would take time to change perceptions, but why does service to country necessarily equal service in armed conflict?
Summer-long volunteer programs are a great idea. For domestic programs and even abroad. As it stands, the Peace Corps is a year-long wait and then a 2-3 year commitment. If we could get more eager beavers overseas, it could do wonders for America's perception abroad.
Loan forgiveness would be a great incentive. I will keep thinking of further incentives.
As it stands, I've heard of people being turned away from TFA, so I know that we've got plenty of eager beavers to go around. And that's just young'uns. Don't put it past the old folk to do their part!
Post a Comment