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The Impact of AmeriCorps Service

Jun 24, 2008 Posted by Arun Inbavazhvu

AmeriCorps and other national service programs have been shown to have great positive impact on their respective issue areas (whether it be education, housing, disaster relief, etc.) but these programs also appear to have a very positive impact on their volunteers.

AmeriCorps volunteers are more engaged in their communities and perform better in entry-level positions at major corporations.  AmeriCorps experience spurs development of communication and organizational skills.  AmeriCorps also exposes volunteers to problems and issues within their own communities and encourages them to take action on their own based on this exposure.  
    One question that can be asked in terms of level of civic engagement is whether volunteers are more civically engaged because of AmeriCorps, or are they in AmeriCorps in the first place because they are more civically engaged?  The answer is most probably a mixture of the two that varies from person to person, case by case.  What is known is that AmeriCorps service and service in other similar programs definitely creates an environment of positive civic engagement to change communities for the better.  Corporations also know that when they hire an AmeriCorps alum, they are getting an individual that has seen various problems and has experience solving them.  These problem-solving skills can directly be attributed to AmeriCorps service, whether it be by coordinating volunteer programs in the inner-city or rebuilding neighborhoods in post-Katrina New Orleans.  No matter the path that AmeriCorps members choose to take, it is apparent that their service experience prepares them for the better.  

tags americorps, corporations, national service, alumni (all tags)


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