The ServiceNation Summit in NYC Sept. 11-12 was an extraordinary gathering, and our only regret is that not everyone who loves and supports service could be there (we would have needed Yankee Stadium AND the Meadowlands!). But we have been doing our best to recreate the Summit online, and will keep working at it until everything that went on is easily accessible to anyone with a computer and an internet connection. So far, we have posted lots of videos here, and lots of photos here, and you can also browse easily on our custom photo and video players here. But just to make sure that you catch all the highlights, we will start posting some of our favorite moments here on Change/Wire. And since it is Friday, I want to have some fun and kick this feature off with the fabulous Alicia Keyes, who brought the house down with an awe-inspiring version of Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come.” Take it away, Alicia….
The financial meltdown is undoubtedly affecting the number of traditional private sector job opportunities for the college class of ‘09. But Princeton ‘07 grad Caitlin Sullivan, currently the program manager at the innovative CityBridge Foundation in Washington, DC, discourages her fellow Princetonians from moping around. Instead, in a very nice piece in the Daily Princetonian, Sullivan declares:
I write now to challenge the Class of 2009 to turn this economic constraint into professional liberation. My proposition: The Class of 2009 launches more careers in public service than any class in Princeton’s history.
I remember clearly what senior fall is like. Recruiters clamoring at FitzRandolph Gate, classmates ducking out of classes in business attire to make an inconveniently timed interview, the pressure (and, with an offer, relief!) of knowing what the future holds as soon as possible. My message today, delivered with the humility of a young alumna who is only a step removed from your position, is that pursuing a job in the public interest, a decision that may look risky, unorthodox and unpredictable, is actually quite the opposite under the Princeton umbrella.
Now that’s the kind of challenge we here at ServiceNation love to see. And Sullivan goes on to detail some of the ways that Princeton helps graduates connect with public service, and how that led to her current work at CityBridge. Princeton is a leader when it comes to encouraging its students to engage in public service, and Sullivan is a perfect example.
Caitlin Sullivan: There is life beyond Wall Street….
On Monday, I told you about a new book, The Green Collar Economy by Van Jones.
To follow-up - the book is doing fantastically!
#1 Bestseller at Powell’s
#17 Bestseller on Amazon
#88 bestseller at Barnes & Noble
That’s incredible! Every day, dozens and dozens of new books come out. For a new book to get so high after it’s just published - well, that’s very promising!
Have you donated a year to service? Are you thinking about serving for a year? It’s an attractive option for me personally (as I’m graduating in…7 months, a year ahead of schedule! more scary than exciting…), and many recent grads find themselves with the compulsion to do something. We’ll try to start putting together a solid list of resources, but for now, here’s a few programs to look into:
City Year - Give a year to work with kids in cities across the US. If you’ve ever met a City Year volunteer or alum, you’ll know it; not only do they have a distinctive uniform, they’ve got enthusiasm beyond belief.
AmeriCorps offers thousands of domestic opportunities, depending on what you want to do. There are teams all over the country, and a few different “subprograms” - VISTA, NCCC, and State/National.
The Peace Corps sends Americans abroad for two years to teach, help, and be a part of local communities. We’ve posted before about their funding difficulties this year, though - like most organizations, there are too many good-hearted, capable people for far too few slots.
Teach for America sends new teachers to needy schools for a two-year term. An extremely competitive program, TfA has made spectacular impacts.
MATCH Corps brings recent graduates to a charter public school in Boston for a year. They aren’t teachers, but tutors, and generally work for two hours a day with each of their students.
Here’s Idealist’s list of Term of Service Programs.
So now - an open call to readers and everyone. What other resources are there to help connect those who want to serve with year-long opportunities?
Brian Meshkin, of Meshkin Ventures, attended a Day of Action event in Maryland, and wrote a fantastic blog about it:
Emily Dickinson once penned, “If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain. If I can ease one life the aching, Or cool one pain, Or help one fainting robin. Unto his nest again, I shall not live in vain.” Truly, these volunteers did not live that Friday evening and Saturday morning in vain.
From this experience, I learned something important. I need to do a better job of incorporating service into everything I do.
Tomorrow, Van Jones’ (a TIME 2008 Hero for the Environment) book, The Green Collar Economy hits stores. Now, I’ve posted about books a few times, but this one is particularly exceptional and appropriate. Jones focuses on how this new sector of the economy will not only revitalize the environment, but also its potential to aid the economy. Here’s an excerpt:
When most people think of “green solutions”, they are not thinking about a massive people’s movement that can pick up the Capitol building in DC, turn it upside down and dump out all the legislators who are holding back a green economic renaissance. They are not thinking about the next best thing to a full-employment program, led by the private sector, which could put millions of Americans back to work retrofitting the country. They are certainly not thinking about incredible pioneers based in communities of color who are daily bringing hope and opportunity to people of modest means.
And here’s Jones on the Colbert Report:
Learn more here, and check out the book tomorrow!
The HandsOn Gulf Coast blog has written several posts about their Day of Action efforts!
On September 27, HandsOn Gulf Coast held a panel on disaster relief, and here’s the transcript:
What do volunteers bring to a community?
Dorothy: Volunteers sacrifice a lot to come here; they are away from their jobs, their homes, and even their families. Sometimes they get treated like outsiders, and they shouldn’t be. They should be valued for what they’ve given up.
And here’s some local news coverage on the event.
Remeber - you can find a ton (we’re still sorting through them) of Day of Action info here, and check out pictures on our Flickr!
In response to a misleading op-ed, ServiceNation staff Ethan & Kent, along with Harvard student Mark, write back in the Harvard Crimson:
Robinson suggests that we already have enough volunteering available in America. How then can you explain the fact that there are more than 3 applicants for every available AmeriCorps slot, or that Teach For America had 24,718 applicants for 3,700 positions? You can bet the residents of the Gulf Coast, Davenport, Iowa and other regions hit by national disaster wish there were more AmeriCorps members to fill the gaps left by the private sector, and FEMA, in response to natural disasters.
However, the crux of Robinson’s argument seems to be that the purpose of “nationalistic” programs is “not service for its own sake, but service as a way to strengthen people’s ties to their government.” This is an unfortunate misconception of the entire service movement. The point of voluntary service—paid or unpaid—is to free citizens from reliance on government programs and solutions, provide ways for Americans to dedicate their time to helping others, and unleash citizen energy on pressing, persistent problems in education, our environment, and disaster relief. The growth of the service movement, in fact, is a reflection of the reality that big government bureaucracies haven’t always been very successful or efficient. Community and national service is not just about painting over graffiti or picking up litter, but about creating pathways for citizens to help address big social challenges.
Read it all here.
We always try and clear up any major misconceptions when we’re aware of them by discussing what ServiceNation actually supports, rather than what some individuals say we support. We’ve never supported mandatory service, or anything like that. What we do support, and always have, is the power of ordinary citizens volunteering to make an impact in their community, their country, and their world.
In the ServiceNation offices of Be the Change, we’ve been lucky enough to receive all of your event reports. People have been working on spectacular projects all over the country (check out the Summary page; I’m updating that all day today and working through all the reports), and the power of service is breath-taking.
About a month ago, the Larry Dillon Service Project caught someone’s attention, and since then, many of us have been watching it unfold. It’s one of those truly selfless projects that hits you in the chest and says, “This is what service can do. It can help individuals and bring communities together.” I’ll let Mike’s event report take it from here:
Thirty-six licensed contractors, workers, and food servers from Northern Michigan converged on the home of Larry and Lynda Dillon in Manton yesterday, to take part in the National Day of Action. AmeriCorps member Mike Henry began the Larry Dillon Service Project to recognize the service of a volunteer in his Mentor Michigan program at Forest Area Community Schools in Fife Lake and to help strengthen the communities around Forest Area.
Larry Dillon had been disabled for four years and was attending online courses when Henry enlisted him as a mentor for an afterschool theatre arts mentoring program in early 2008. Dillon served as a sound/tech man for the program’s spring play and, because of his love for youth, went on to apply as a substitute teacher for Manton Schools. Henry recognized in Dillon a kindred spirit — the kind of sacrificial heart that embodied what he was all about. Dillon volunteered often to run the sound at civic events and to help low income families fix things around the house. His involvement in Henry’s mentoring program was only a part of what he chose as a lifestyle of service. Dillon has often been heard saying, “The only thing I can’t fix is a broken heart, but I can sure care for one” – a slogan that won over Larry’s wife, Lynda, more than 11 years ago.
This summer, though, Larry was diagnosed with terminal cancer after a brain tumor proved to be malignant – the one other thing Larry could not fix. The prognosis: He had less than a year.
Henry began showing his appreciation for Larry’s service by sitting with him as his wife went back to work. But as he talked with Larry, he felt the urgency to do more than sit. He helped him write letters to elected officials and government agencies to get assistance for medical costs – assistance pushed to the forefront by Rep. Darwin Booher (R). When Henry heard about the National Day of Action and Home Depot’s offer to provide some of the funds for grassroots events, he decided to spend his last month as an AmeriCorps member making Larry’s dying wish come true: finish renovations on his home.
Larry & Lynda Dillon arrive home to renovations on the Day of Action
Don works on framing in the house
Volunteers work on landscaping
View all the pictures from the Larry Dillon Service Project here.
Check out news coverage on the Project from 9&10 News.
Read the rest of the report after the jump.
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