National Service: Marrying Human Capital and Civic Action to Amplify the Investment of Government

Last week, Barack Obama joined the call for national service with a major policy address and a pledge to make national service an important cause of his presidency. His December 5th proposal would expand AmeriCorps from 75,000 to 250,000 participants and focus it on the classroom, health care, clean energy, veterans, and homeland security. It would take YouthBuild to 50,000 slots from 8,000, promote school- and college-based service, and create a national online network, modeled on Craigslist, to connect volunteers to service and donation opportunities. This comprehensive proposal also includes doubling the Peace Corps, a Tax Credit to pay for $4,000 of education for Americans who complete 100 hours of public service, and proposals for senior service and an America’s Voice initiative.

We have high hopes that other candidates will follow suit, particularly Mitt Romney, who as Governor of Massachusetts served on City Year’s national board of directors, John McCain, who co-authored a universal national service bill in the Senate, and Hillary Clinton, who has long been a behind-the-scenes champion of AmeriCorps as well as a sponsor of the Public Service Academy modeled on West Point.

We have heard some promising noises and useful first steps. Thanks to the work of social entrepreneurs Aaron Marquez and Zach Maurin, both City Year alums, all the Democrats plus Republican Mike Huckabee have signed a pledge to increase AmeriCorps by at least 100,000 slots. In addition, Hillary Clinton has proposed to double the AmeriCorps education award and give returning veterans vouchers to join AmeriCorps or work for other nonprofits. And Bill Richardson has proposed loan forgiveness for graduates who complete a year of national service.

Senators Dodd and Obama have set a high bar. We hope we’ll hear more from all the candidates. We get it that “more national service” is not in itself a high national need according to polls. But national service is needed—as a strategy to achieve those goals that are important to voters and the country, from health care and education to poverty and economic opportunity. National service marries human capital and civic action that amplifies the investment of government. We’ve had decades of experience, which have generated effective models that achieve real impact for communities and participants alike. These programs are turning away tens of thousands of young people each year. All evidence points to strong interest in serving by both young adults and retiring Baby Boomers who are volunteering in record numbers. We hope more candidates will take advantage of this opportunity for powerful leverage.