I can't believe the end of the Bush presidency has finally come. Just eight short years ago, when he was first elected, I was a senior in college voting in my first presidential election. Today he's ex-president Bush, and with his departure our country ushers in a period of great hope and renewal.
Reports from inside the Obama camp promise a new task force dedicated to promoting national service for young people. It was just seven years ago that I began my first AmeriCorps assignment, and just six years ago that I began my second. Needless to say, national service (military service included) is something I believe to be beneficial to everyone involved, but particularly the young person who serves.
During my second year of service, I worked for the International Rescue Committee, a refugee relief and resettlement organization. It was during that time -- while working to help resettle displaced people from war-torn regions the world over -- that the Iraq war began. It was also around that time that Bush created the Corporation for National and Community Service, the umbrella organization for AmeriCorps, AmeriCorps*VISTA, AmeriCorps NCCC, and Senior Corps.
After 9/11, when Bush formed this new organization, which bonded service-based programs founded by Presidents Kennedy and Clinton, among others, it was a time of great hope that a service movement might be born in the U.S. Shortly thereafter, Congress cut that organization's funding. Where volunteers used to enjoy the option to forbear their student loans during their year of service and receive an almost $5000 "education award" toward paying off those loans, the Corporation's coffers were now dry.
AmeriCorps alums would now receive only a $1200 stipend at the end of their service, to help them get back on their feet and perhaps reassign themselves to a job in the private sector. I was lucky enough to be the beneficiary of the former program, and since I was also fortunate not to carry any debt from undergrad, I was able to apply some of my two education awards toward both taking prerequisite courses before school, and to paying for some of my books and expenses at The Johnson School.
With the election of Barack Obama, the Corporation for National and Community Service enjoys new life. According to barackobama.com, the president will increase the number of AmeriCorps positions from 75,000 to 250,000, allowing more young people to serve their country, especially during tough times when employment is scarce and social services and the non-profit sector need a boost.
According to barackobama.com, the new administration "will focus this expansion on addressing the great challenges facing the nation. They will establish a Classroom Corps to help teachers and students, with a priority placed on underserved schools; a Health Corps to improve public health outreach; a Clean Energy Corps to conduct weatherization and renewable energy projects; a Veterans Corps to assist veterans at hospitals, nursing homes and homeless shelters; and a Homeland Security Corps to help communities plan, prepare for and respond to emergencies."
I feel lucky and privileged to have been given the chance to serve during such a time of economic distress (from 2001-2003, which was the heart of the dot-com bubble). I believe that it helped me build my compassion toward others, that it encouraged me to participate more fully in the life of my community, and it gave me the work experience I needed to jumpstart my career. On this historic day, I am filled with gladness that more people will be granted the same chance I had.
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