A New Age for Individual Service

Almost 50 years ago, President John Kennedy challenged Americans to ask what they can do for their country. The Baby Boom and Silent Generations answered that call to service, volunteering to build better lives for others at home and overseas through programs like VISTA and the Peace Corps.

Today, our country is grappling with uncertainty about the economy, the environment and global security. For the first time in history, older Americans believe they will leave the world in worse shape than they found it.

Fortunately, there are signs of hope that we are entering a new age of volunteerism, once again focusing the talents and commitment of individual Americans to address major problems at home and overseas.

Members of the Baby Boom and Silent Generations are increasingly postponing retirement to start public service-oriented careers -- combining a desire to do good with a need to do well. Tens of millions of boomers currently volunteer through their churches or organizations like Meals on Wheels, and more than half of all boomers plan to increase their volunteering in the next five years.

Younger Americans in the Millennial Generation, many of whom went to schools that required service to graduate, are better prepared for civic engagement than any other generation in our history. Just this month, more than 6,000 young women and men are beginning the school year as new educators with Teach for America. Others will don their work boots and khakis for a ten month tour with City Year.

Meanwhile, the constant stream of technological innovation offers new tools, most notably online, that help people of all ages maximize their impact. With just a few clicks, people can find volunteering opportunities in their neighborhood or around the world. Fast-growing social networks have the potential to rapidly mobilize and organize thousands of people, whether to vote or to clean up after a disaster.

So how do we take advantage of this momentum? How can we inspire more to serve, and how can we best harness their time and talents? That's a job for all of us.

AARP was founded with a service mission, and we have been mobilizing, training and engaging volunteers for the last fifty years. AARP volunteers have helped their neighbors and communities in a variety of ways -- from helping the disadvantaged fill out their tax returns to rebuilding the Gulf Coast.

The New Look Foundation has been energizing and empowering our country's youth for almost a decade. Whether helping communities to rebuild after natural disasters or giving disadvantaged youth the opportunity to earn their way into New Look programs through volunteerism, the Foundation is building two of the most important assets in our nation's youth -- leadership, and the sense of empowerment that comes from knowing that their voices count.

But we have much more to do. Last week, both AARP and the New Look Foundation are joining the Carnegie Endowment, Target and TIME Magazine, as well as an impressive array of leaders from the public, private and non-profit sectors to launch a new national call to action in New York City.

ServiceNation is a first-of-its-kind campaign to restore the tradition of American service through a national grassroots movement. The historic ServiceNation Summit represents the first time that major leaders from the full spectrum of American society put aside our partisan, ideological, and even generational differences to develop new opportunities and resources for volunteers. We are united in our belief in -- and passionate commitment to -- national service.

Problems that impact everyone require solutions that involve everyone -- from younger Americans who are just starting to shape the world, to boomers and older Americans who need to know it's not too late. Together, we can and will make a difference.

Comments

[All in All]

The Schools that I went too were like War Zones (No-Offence to the Service-People) !

In Middle School I saw Students & Teachers get beat down in many different ways, and a few Teachers, Security Guards, plus Students even got shoot.

Then in High School it was more or less of the same depending on the day, and how many Guards & Cops were on duty!

However as a Guy in those situations I adapted as best I could during those times, and got a G.E.D at least.

Going too those type of Schools and Living in areas that are full of Crime, plus little Job opportunities accept the one's working with immigrants, I've learned to see Issues-People & Etc from many different perspectives. That may also be due to the fact that eventually I did move further & further away from some of the old places that I grew up in over the Years, and the further I moved the more different (but the same) things seemed.

________________Continued in the Reply__________Continued in the Reply_______________

[Rumplestiltskin]

"Younger Americans in the Millennial Generation, many of whom went to schools that required service to graduate, are better prepared for civic engagement than any other generation in our history."

Hopefully they are prepared for fierce competition in engineering and science.

[All in All]

I hope that someone working at the Huffinton-Post searches in the HP-Archive and finds then Post-attach the rest of My original Post from 09/16/2008 too the first/other part of My original post that has/is Posted already on/in this topic/board.

If not...Oh-Well, I kind of understand, (I'm sometimes long-winded) and stray off topic, Smile.

School is Very Important for every Child/Person in these Times!!

[Sparty1]

My daughter just entered high school. She's already researching the colleges she'd like to attend and found that on many applications she'd need to have documented volunteering. She was pretty happy about that b/c she said that she already helps in her community and this knowledge could make her friends want to get out and volunteer with her.

[All in All]

Very Good, and True Indeed.

That's the right way for Her to be & do, It's always best to take the lead.