The Corporation for National and Community Service just announced that it received a record-breaking 582,000 applications to serve in AmeriCorps this past year. That's a lot of young people raising their hands to serve -- 50,000 more applications than last year.
Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority -- 86 percent -- are being turned away. Nearly one million AmeriCorps applications have been denied in the past two years alone.
The reason: lack of federal funding to put this tremendous resource of American idealism to work. In fact, while young people are stepping forward in record numbers to serve, federal AmeriCorps funding has been cut two years in a row.
Thankfully, the Obama administration and members of the Senate have protected AmeriCorps from even more drastic cuts -- including its outright elimination -- proposed by the House of Representatives.
This rollback comes on the heels of the 2009 bipartisan passage of the Serve America Act, which called for growing the number of AmeriCorps members each year until it reached 250,000 members strong. If federal funding for the Serve America Act was on track today, there would be 140,000 AmeriCorps members this fall. Instead there will be just 82,000.
Saying "no" to so many young Americans who want to serve is short-sighted.
AmeriCorps taps the energy and idealism of America's youth -- and at the same time it's a solution to pressing needs in education, energy efficiency, disaster relief, and public health. It is a low-cost, high-yield federal investment in our communities and in the civic character and job readiness of America's young people.
While meeting pressing needs right now, AmeriCorps trains young people to become leaders and accelerates their careers by making them stronger candidates for future employment.
Every City Year corps member is an AmeriCorps member. Every dollar AmeriCorps invests in our corps is matched three to one by local sources.
The demand for the service provided by AmeriCorps members is also surging. For example, school district leaders around the country are calling for more City Year AmeriCorps members to serve in more high-need schools to address the nation's dropout crisis and to serve as an integral component of their innovative school improvement and turnaround initiatives.
Here's what New York City's Chancellor of Education, Dennis Walcott, said about the work of City Year AmeriCorps members in New York's public schools:
As Chancellor, the ability to have [City Year] in our schools is so important to us and for our students. The value that [City Year] brings to those schools is tremendous, just tremendous. I am a big believer in City Year, I am a big believer in what City Year represents. I believe that City Year should be in every one of our schools, because if we had folks like you in all of our schools, our schools will be a better place. But most importantly our students will be in a better place. And this is all about our students and how we make sure our students are graduating, and not just graduating, but graduating college and career ready.
National service is not secondary to achieving national priorities. It's essential.
It's time to expand AmeriCorps. It's time to say "yes" to the idealism of America's young people.
To learn how you can help, visit www.voicesforservice.org.
Follow Voices for National Service on Twitter for updates.
Clarification: This post speaks of the number of applications to AmeriCorps. Since the Corporation for National and Community Service accounts only for the number of applications it receives, and one applicant can apply for more than one AmeriCorps program, there is no way to determine exactly how many people were actually denied entry altogether.
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the problems are huge in the program:
Slave wages for work that other people (especially bureaucrats) should be doing but won't
Not allowed to have a 2nd job (isn't the idea of poverty that you're working so much that you dont' have time for yourself???)
And the 'volunteers' get caught in bureaucracy 90% of the time. Unclear objectives, turf wars, etc.
If this were actual labor or development etc it would be different, not keeping unsustainable govt. entities and nonprofits alive.
So to the people out there who are hating on my generation for being coddled, here is what we are about. We went to college and were told there will be jobs, and there aren't. We work hard, we want to pay off our debts, and we want to be strong citizens. Sure there are people out there living off the system and being lazy. But that lifestyle isn't tied to a generation. So stop the stereotyping because the only way our country will survive is to work together.
Remember, nothing is impossible to the person who doesn't have to do it.
I've known several people who were in Americorps. They DO pay you - so it's not technically volunteer work. However, for those of you who are upset about "all that money" - what they pay you is next to nothing - seriously - it's not even enough to be worth being upset over (like you would still be considered way below the poverty line).
Those in AmeriCorps would not be able to support anyone but themselves (barely) with what they earn - AND they work in organizations that are trying to help people (the Red Cross, for one).
Taking those 2 facts into consideration, is anyone still really upset about this???
Everyone I have met in this program so far are amazing individuals with a desire to serve and help those living in poverty in our country. It is not about the money (because, trust me, there is barely any), but about helping others and rebuilding our country.
Go here for a history of Americorps - http://www.americorps.gov/about/ac/history.asp
Further, AmeriCorps members do NOT receive loan forgiveness. Their loans are in forebearance while they serve and most do receive an education award to put towards tuition or loans upon successful completion of the term of service.
You might have a political objection to the program, but don't diminish the sacrifice these members make to serve their communty. Anyone who signed up to serve with AmeriCorps for the financial reward would face a sad reality.
Something that actually pretty much pay's for itself and he want's to cut it down to nothing. I swear, I do not understand either his logic or whomever is advising him, their logic.
Something we are only paying 1/4 of it's overall cost and it's being cut, rather then cutting some of this other crap we really should not be paying for. Instead of cutting BS earmark's to help some Congressman's beach home sell or improve it's market value.
I don't understand this administration logic in 99% of it's choice's.
With gas topping $4 a gallon, President Barack Obama on Saturday announced new plans to speed up domestic drilling for oil.
In his weekly address to the nation, the president outlined his plans for what he calls "safe and responsible" oil production.
The Obama administration will speed up the leasing process for the Alaska National Petroleum Reserve, give oil companies better financial incentives to use their leases and extend all drilling leases in the Gulf of Mexico so oil companies have more time to implement safety measures after the devastating BP oil spill.