National Service Makes National News
National service is building momentum this summer as AmeriCorps’ 20th anniversary approaches. In case you missed them, here’s a roundup of some of the stories and upcoming events spotlighted in the national news recently.
Alums Co-Executive Director, Mary Bruce, featured on Huff Post Live
Mary Bruce and Zach Maurin, the Executive Director of Service Nation, ask, “Millennials: What Can YOU Do For Your Country?” Watch as Mary and Zach make the case for why national service is an important rite of passage and how it serves as an alternative to military service for patriotic youth who still want to serve their country as a civilian.
A Nation in Service: 4 Articles Featured in Democracy: A Journal of Ideas
Leaders in national service were invited to describe ideal national service program models and make a case for why service matters to those who serve and to our country.
General Stanley McChrystal, a retired four-star general and Chair of the Leadership Council for the Aspen Institute’s Franklin 
Project, dedicated to promoting national service initiatives among American youth, asserts service is essential to developing American character in “Securing the American Character.”
Harris Wofford, a former U.S. Senator and senior adviser to the Franklin Project, cautions service must be integrated in our national character to flourish in “Can National Service Become Integral to Our Culture?“
Clive Belfield, Associate Professor of Economics, Queens College, City University of New York, and Co-Director of the Center for Benefit-Cost Studies in Education, Teachers College, Columbia University, claims service makes economic sense in “The Economics: Why National Service is Worth It.”
Shirley Sagawa, a visiting fellow at the Center for American Progress and a senior policy advisor for America Forward, explains how service can be ideally implemented in “From Idea to Reality: A National-Service Platform.”
Expansion of AmeriCorps in STEM Education Support Programs
U.S. News announced President Obama’s plans to expand AmeriCorps “to help teach STEM to 18,000 low-income students this summer, and a national STEM mentoring project in seven communities: Chicago; Philadelphia; San Francisco; Allentown, Pennsylvania; Indianapolis; the Research Triangle Park in North Carolina; and Wichita, Kansas.” Read more about how government and national service programs are collaborating to support a diverse technological talent pipeline.
Summit at Gettysburg: Our Unfinished Work, June 4-6, 2014
The Summit is sponsored by Aspen Institute’s Franklin Project, an initiative to improve citizenship by giving every young person in America the opportunity to do a service year between the ages of 18 and 28. The Summit will gather key leaders—including more than 20 AmeriCorps Alums, to work together to chart the course for the future of service in America. Learn more about the summit’s events and follow @AmeriCorpsAlums on Twitter as we update on events during the conference.
Coming Soon: AmeriCorps Alums National Survey Results Will Be Released on June 5, 2014!
On June 5, 2014, 20 alums and Mary Bruce will reveal the results of our survey on-stage with Chelsea Clinton at the summit. The survey captures the voices of 5, 200 alums from all 50 states, Washington D.C., Guam, and Puerto Rico. Stay tuned!
