Service News Worldwide - April 2009
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| April 2009 Issue 64 | ||
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Contents
Coming in June! Stay tuned for our upcoming June issue on Summer of Service! Want to contribute to this issue? We are looking for analysis and commentary on Summer of Service benefits, policy, and program implementation, profiles of Summer of Service programs, interviews with Summer of Service leaders, resources for Summer of Service. Email contributions to info@icicp.org
April 19-25 - National
Volunteer
Week - USA Want to add a youth service-related event to our calendar? Email events to info@icicp.org
ICP Welcomes New
Staff! Josh, our Summer of Service Fellow, is a recent graduate from Hampshire College and the former policy intern at Choice USA. He also served as the Student Conference Coordinator for the Civil Liberties and Public Policy program's annual conference "From Abortion Rights to Social Justice: Building the Movement for Reproductive Freedom." Josh will be assisting with ICP's Summer of Service program. Rob, our Development Fellow, is joining us from the Obama campaign in 2008, where he was a field organizer and former field Manager for Grassroots Campaigns Incorporated. Rob holds a B.A. in Philosophy from Brown University.
Dame Elisabeth
Hoodless Awarded Alec Dickson Servant Leader
Award
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US Trends | |
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A New American Era of Service: Recent U.S. Legislation By Veronika Schlecht, ICP Intern The recent passage of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act by the U.S. Senate and the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act by the House of Representatives marks a historic moment for the United States in setting the legislative foundation a new era of expanding opportunities for thousands of Americans to service their communties and country. About the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act reauthorizes and strengthens the programs of the Corporation for National and Community Service, and provides funding for new innovative programs that allow individuals to contribute to critical national needs, including Clean Energy Corps (CEC) and Summer of Service (SOS). In his budget request for fiscal year 2010 on February 26, 2009, President Obama strongly emphasized the need to "encourage a renewed spirit of national service for this and future generations"[ii], stated in his Address to Joint Session of Congress. The stimulus package will allocate $1.13 billion to the Corporation for National and Community Service, a remarkable increase of $241 million from the 2009 enacted level. The legislation addresses key elements of the Serve America Act, which was introduced and strongly advocated by Senator Edward M. Kennedy and Senator Orrin Hatch to expand and improve service to meet national needs.[iii] The new legislation will:
The
economic crisis, climate change, energy
related concerns, low teacher retention
rates at schools, a growing demand for
human services and a dramatically rising
unemployment rate are posing
"unprecedented challenges" for the United
States.
Nevertheless, the current situation
serves as opportunity to mobilize people
throughout the country to serve.[v]
[ii] Remarks of President Barack Obama, Address to Joint Session of Congress, February 24, 2009 http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-of-President-Barack-Obama-Address-to-Joint-Session-of-Congress/ [iii] The Serve America Act, A Legislative Initiative to Expand and Improve Domestic and International Service Opportunities for All Americans, Senator Edward M. Kennedy and Senator Orrin Hatch, January 16, 2009, http://s3.amazonaws.com/btcreal/855/Kennedy_Hatch_Serve_America_Act_Summary.pdf [iv] The text of the President's budget relating to the Corporation for National and Community Service, http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/assets/fy2010_new_era/Corporation_for_National_and_Community_Service.pdf and the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, Summary, March 30, 2009, http://edlabor.house.gov/blog/2009/03/the-edward-m-kennedy-serve-ame.shtml [v] Chairman Miller Statement at Committee Hearing On "Renewing America Through Service and Volunteerism", February 25, 2009, http://edlabor.house.gov/documents/111/pdf/statements/20090225GMHearingStatement.pdf
Read the full text of the Edward M.
Kennedy Serve America Act Read More about Clean Energy Corps The creation of an innovative Clean Energy Corps (CEC), with an interrelated approach of job creation, job training, and new service opportunities for people from various social backgrounds, will create a specified career pathway for the program participants in the emerging green economy. In this case, service will not only be used as a strategy to engage young people in conservation and increase awareness to environmental issues, but also as a concrete preparation for a career in the green economy.[vi] The CEC is included in both the GIVE Act and the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. The House included a version of the Clean Energy Corps that closely tracks the Senate version. It is one of four priority Corps in the House bill, and was unveiled in February by ICP and CEC Working Group members, including representatives of the Apollo Alliance, Center for American Progress Action Fund, and Green For All. The Corps essentially strives to link "the people who most need work with the work that most needs to be done"[vii] by combining job creation, service, and training to combat global warming.[viii] "The beauty of the Clean Energy Corps is that it doesn't just create jobs," says Green For All founder Van Jones, "but it also creates pathways out of poverty". The CEC plan consists of three interconnected parts: First, it will create thousands of "green-collar" jobs through a variety of energy programs. Second, it will broaden service opportunities related to climate change, especially those for underprivileged youth that could lead to career paths in a green economy. Third, it will provide opportunities for job seekers, especially those from disadvantaged communities, to acquire the skills to succeed in green economy jobs. These three components will be connected by state and local partnerships that will create well-defined career pathways for CEC participants.[ix] In the next five years alone, the CEC hopes to create at least "600,000 living-wage, career-track jobs in green industries, train people for them, and directly engage millions of Americans in diverse service-learning and volunteer work related to climate protection"[x].
In
its Green Youth Service Initiative, ICP
will undertake a series of integrated
initiatives seeking to build the
knowledge base in the field, connect people
and organizations, encourage greater
investment in green youth service and
build the organizational capacity of
green youth service programs. While the
focus of this project is on generating
opportunities for young people in green
service, ICP will also use its expertise
to encourage green service
opportunities for all people, young and
old, through service learning and
national service. Drawing on over 30
years of experience in the field of youth
voluntary service, ICP will bridge the
gap between ideas and action by
combining research, awareness campaigns,
policy development, program support
and partnership development for engaging
young people in the fight against
global climate change.
[vi] Testimony of Van Jones, House Committee on Education and Labor, Hearing on National Service, February 25, 2009, http://edlabor.house.gov/documents/111/pdf/testimony/20090225VanJonesTestimony.pdf [vii] Environment News Service, Clean Energy Corps Proposed to Create Jobs, Fight Global Warming, March 25, 2009, http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/mar2009/2009-03-02-093.asp [viii] Ibid. [ix] Clean Energy Corps, Green For All, March 25, 2009, http://www.greenforall.org/what-we-do/working-with-washington/clean-energy-corps [x] Cf. Environment News Service. Read More about Summer of Service Summer of Service (SOS) programs are an innovative approach to improving education for at-risk middle school youth. The programs provide opportunities for the youth to enter their teenage years with a positive experience that reinforces community connections, enlivens their education, and strengthens personal and civic values. These programs help close the achievement gaps by engaging students in service-learning that increases their potential for access and success in college and beyond as well as stimulate the economy by creating jobs for educators and summer program staff, while also responding to genuine community needs. ICP worked with legislative staff to draft the Summer of Service Act of 2007[i], which led to SOS being included in the GIVE Act and Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. The bill stemmed from ICP's report, Summer of Service: A New American Rite of Passage, which details the need to engage young people during the transition from middle to high school. The report also highlights existing initiatives of the type this legislation supports. The GIVE Act and Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act include $10 million in funds for SOS programs and $10 million for $500 educational award grants for students who complete 100 hours of service through SOS programs. ICP promotes SOS as a "rite of passage" from middle to high school. The GIVE Act and Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act makes SOS funding available for programs that serve students in both middle and high school, but prioritizes those programs that enroll students in grades six through nine. ICP is establishing a national clearinghouse and resource center that will identify and disseminate good practices related to summer service programs for middle school students, in particular at-risk youth. Furthermore ICP aims at supporting the expansion of SOS programming for at-risk youth, and also at attracting attention to the potential of SOS to generate support from legislators and stake-holders on the state and national level. Moreover ICP is increasing the evidence base and generating rigorous evaluations of the impact of summer service programs on youth at risk of delinquency or dropping out of school.
[i]
Draft of Summer of Service Act, 2007, http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=s110-1128
Read More about Concerns over the Act There have been concerns regarding the proposed budget and expanding AmeriCorps programs. Rick Cohen, National Correspondent for the Nonprofit Quarterly, points out that while the recovery package might stimulate certain industries, "AmeriCorps jobs, with annual stipends of around $10,000 or $11,000, are not the equivalent of good jobs". He argues that the legislation provides "volunteer responses to the need to fill nonprofit line jobs with decently-paid and trained professionals." His fear is that more low-paid AmeriCorps positions could distort the common perception of what constitutes jobs in the non-profit sector, and that the legislation could lead non-profit organizations to replace regular staff with underpaid AmeriCorps participants without offering any job benefits.[xi] For Shirley Sagawa quality not only quantity of AmeriCorps positions needs to be considered[xii] and she stresses furthermore to increase the income of adults serving in the Senior Corps programs for currently just $2.65 per hour.[xiii]
When
President Obama in his Inaugural Address
powerfully eloquent stated that "what
is required of us now is a new era of
responsibility,"[xiv]
he was aware of the tremendous challenges
the United States and the entire
world will face in the upcoming years.
There might not be a single perfect
solution or magical cure available to
resolve the current crisis, but expanding
opportunities for people of all walks of
life to serve their communities and
address specific national needs is
definitely a step in the right direction.
[xi] Rick Cohen, Nonprofit jobs need better pay, Philanthropy Journal, February 23, 2009, http://www.philanthropyjournal.org/news/nonprofit-jobs-need-better-pay [xii] Suzanne Perry, AmeriCorps Expansion Should Consider Quality, Not Number of Participants, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, February 9, 2009, http://philanthropy.com/news/government/7079/americorps-expansion-should-consider-quality-not-number-of-participants [xiii] Cf. Testimony of Shirley Sagawa.
[xiv] Barack
Obama,
Inaugural Address, January 20, 2009, http://www.bartleby.com/124/pres68.html
Take Action! Thank your legislators for supporting this historic legislation. Read More What's Next? President Obama is expected to sign the Act into law on April 21, 2009. After signing, the bill goes to the Appropriations Committee for debate and negotiations on funding the specifics of the bill. Appropriations bills must be passed by October 1, the start of the federal fiscal year, and we expect that it will be a long, drawn-out fight over the next several months to make sure the bill is fully funded. Stay tuned for more information from ICP on the status of the bill and about what you can do to support its funding!
Key
News Articles
Resources for More
Information
ICP is creating an archive of news articles, blog post, video clips, etc. relating to U.S. service legislation and policy. The archive will go live on April 21, 2009 at www.icicp.org Featured Program The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act will, among other things, greatly expand the capacity of AmeriCorps. ICP turns the spotlight on one innovative AmeriCorps program, AmeriCorps Restoring Youth and Communities, which works with incarcerated and paroled youth to help them identify critical needs and service opportunities in their communities, connect them to local partner organizations, and take action. Read ICP Intern Sarah Tucker's profile on AmeriCorps Restoring Youth and Communities. |
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| International Trends | ||
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Nurturing Active Citizenship Among Youth in India By Jean Manney, ICP Program Associate
Innovations in
Civic Participation (ICP)
and Indian NGO Pravah
hosted a consultation on youth
active citizenship in India on March 3 - 4
in New Delhi with the goal of encouraging
further dialogue and investment for
building capacities of Indian young
people to become leaders of social change.
The consultation was supported by the
American Center in New Delhi and the
Youth and Civil Society Initiative of the
Sir Ratan Tata Trust.
Designed as a listening
space to understand different
perspectives on youth
civic engagement, the
consultation brought together key
stakeholders and engaged them in a dialogue
to explore the needs of the field and to
make recommendations for creating a more
supportive environment for youth
development and active citizenship.
Establishing the Context
South Asia is home to one
of the largest and
fastest-growing youth populations on the
planet, with 33% of India's population
between 15 and 35 years old. This
trend
is likely to increase in the coming
decades, and the challenge will be to
ensure that this huge cohort becomes a
vibrant, constructive force that can
address social issues and create a more
just, equitable and peaceful world.
Preliminary findings from a study of existing programs and policy that ICP is undertaking show that although youth civic engagement policies and programs are at different stages of development across the region, each country has a variety of available assets that can be strengthened through further investment by governments and local and international donors.
Experiences around the
world, including India, have shown that
youth active citizenship is an
effective strategy for promoting youth
development and leadership for social
change. In India, promising youth
development and active citizenship models
are in place but there are few
instances of collaborative efforts
between the different stakeholders.
Consultation in India
Over 100 participants representing different organizations from across the country and from Nepal, South Africa and the US attended the consultation. This was the first time such a big and diverse group of people met to discuss youth active citizenship in India. Participants included government officials committed to strong youth policy, leaders of youth-led organizations and high-performing youth development programs, heads of educational institutions, representatives from the private sector as well as young people working to improve their communities. The overwhelming response reiterates the need for such collaborative spaces. It also indicates that perhaps the time has come for youth and active citizenship to be put on everyone�s agenda.
The two-day consultation combined panel presentations and small group discussions to allow participants to engage on several important youth civic engagement issues. Mrs. Sindhushree Khullar, Secretary of the Ministry of Youth Affairs opened the consultation on March 3 by emphasizing the importance of the youth vote in the upcoming Indian elections and the need to view young people as the drivers of social change. Outlining the government�s investment in youth, she argued that it is not a shortage of resources but the lack of innovative programs that is the obstacle to greater youth active citizenship.
The Secretary�s national perspective was followed by the personal experiences of young participants, who spoke eloquently about their journey as active citizens, the influences that motivated them and the impact of their work on themselves as well as their communities. This was followed by a panel discussion highlighting the need and ways to invest in youth as active citizens throughout differing sectors. Panelists included representatives from the US Embassy, the Times of India Foundation, the Sir Ratan Tata Trust, Pravah and Oxfam India.
In addition, a variety of innovative approaches for building youth active citizenship in India were presented by representatives from different organizations, including as Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS; the national youth service program), PUKAR (Mumbai), Drishti (Ahmedabad), the Bosco Institute (Assam), CYDA (Pune), Pravah, Project Citizen and the green schools program of Centre for Science and Environment in New Delhi. These approaches all see the potential for youth to be social change agents and give young people the tools to initiate change and influence others.
In addition to Indian approaches, international experiences of youth active citizenship were presented through case studies of AmeriCorps (US), groundBREAKERS (South Africa) and Youth Initiative (Nepal). The closing session featured Mr. Eboo Patel, Executive Director and Founder of the Interfaith Youth Core (US). Mr. Patel engaged young consultation participants in a discussion on the role of young people as active citizens.
The
second day of the
consultation engaged participants in
animated small group discussions
addressing the challenges, opportunities
and needs of the field. Participants
addressed the barriers to youth active
citizenship, building capacity of young
people to be leaders, good indicators for
assessing programs and ensuring the
sustainability of youth initiatives. This
led to a discussion of
recommendations and next steps for
nurturing the field of youth active
citizenship in India and South
Asia.
The two days of animated discussions and debates resulted in a list of needs and recommendations which will be disseminated to all the stakeholders in the field of youth active citizenship including the Ministry of Youth Affairs. Some of the needs that emerged include:
The recommendations included a youth minister who is under 45 years and the creation of a national youth commission, comprising of young people to take responsibility for looking after youth interests and reviewing programs and policies across all sectors from the youth perspective. A working group of varying stakeholders will be established by Pravah and ICP to take forward these recommendations. The consultation was successful in bringing together a diverse group of people representing different stakeholder groups and building ownership for an agenda for action. It is the first critical step for deeper engagement and collaboration contributing to a more supportive environment for young people who are active citizens. Please check back on ICP's website for additional consultation information, including the final consultation report, and updates on ICP and Pravah's efforts to implement the consultation recommendations.
Building a Knowledge Base
on Youth Active Citizenship in South
Asia
Read ICP's working paper
Youth
Development through Civic Engagement: Mapping
Assets in South Asia
Are you a pratitioner,
policymaker, or researcher working in the youth
development and active citizenship field in
South Asia?
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We encourage you to visit our site and explore the new IANYS resources that we have available at www.icicp.org/ianys. If you have any articles or youth service news that you would like us to include, please send it to Veronika Schlecht. |
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The eight winning programs will be announced on April 13, 2009. If you are interested in attending the ceremony, please contact Elizabeth Babcock. |
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Watch for these exciting events in April on Green and Youth Service! Earth Day Earth Day 2009, on April 22nd, will be a day of action and civic participation in support of the Green Generation's core principles of a carbon-free future based on renewable energy, individual commitment to responsible & sustainable consumption, and the creation of a new green economy that lifts people out of poverty by creating millions of quality green jobs. Thousands of events are currently being planned in schools, communities, villages, towns and cities around the world. As in 2008, Earth Day Network will celebrate Earth Day on the National Mall in Washington, DC, plus in large-scale volunteer events in New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, Denver, Austin, and Atlanta. Visit www.earthday.net for more information and the latest updates! Global Youth Service Day
Watch for ICP's "Green Service" newsletter in May! |
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Innovations in Civic
Participation 1776 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Suite 201 · Washington, D.C. 20036 USA Tele: +1 (202) 775-0290 · Fax: +1 (202) 355-9317 info@icicp.org · www.icicp.org |
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IANYS seeks to
facilitate continued networking and
information sharing among members and
interested participants, and we have
updated our website to make information
from the IANYS conference more
accessible, and to promote discussion and
interaction between IANYS members
between conferences. If you visit our
website now, you will find:
Global
Youth Service Day (GYSD), April 24
through 26, is an annual global event that
highlights and celebrates
the contributions of young people to
their communities through volunteer
service. During Global Youth Service Day,
millions of young people participate
in and lead service projects, working
with their families, schools, community
organizations, faith-based communities,
and businesses to improve their
communities by addressing critical issues
such as global climate change,
education & illiteracy, poverty,
health, hunger, and homelessness. GYSD is
organized by Youth Service America with
the National Youth Leadership Council,
the Global Youth Action Network, and
thousands of other partners in the U.S.
and across the world, and is celebrated
in more than 100 countries in every
region of the world. Visit