The past decade has seen an explosion in volunteerism, by young and old alike. In 2002, over 70% of Americans said they were committed to expanding national service opportunities. Young people are proudly putting themselves to work on weekends and vacations for the causes they know to be just. It’s time for the government to catch up to the people and create the infrastructure for national service programs we’ve been demanding.

Both major presidential candidates have expressed their commitment to expanding national service. This is, after all, one of the few issues that enjoys broad, non-partisan support because of its intuitive appeal to almost everyone. We all want to be able to help those we live alongside – and those whose pain we feel as we watch their struggles on the nightly news. It’s time to take those people off the television screens and directly into our lives. It’s time to raise the standards for all Americans, and give us all the opportunities to build a stronger union that we’ve been calling for for years.

The idea of helping thy neighbor has never been a partisan one. In fact, it sounds like it might just be one of those miracles causes that everyday Americans are actually willing to chip in more to pay for. If the exponential increase in the amount of volunteerism since the 1990s is any sign, it is that we’re all ready and willing to do our part. Considering communities can save millions of dollars in the long-run and young people who volunteer early and often tend to become successful leaders down the road, its little surprise that so many people have so much energy thrown behind this issue.

Over 500,000 people have graduated from AmeriCorps programs in just over a decade and have gone on to form the next generation of leadership in America. For millions more, it is simply a question of, “how do I get involved?” It’s time to answer that question, and answer the challenges issued to us by our Founding Fathers for a strong republic made of committed citizens who care for themselves and each other.

AmeriCorps, ServeNext.org, National Guard (all tags)

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Youth, Education & National Service

Road Trip With a Mission: Expanding National Service. AmeriCorps alumni and ServeNext.org members, are traveling the country by bus for the National Service Express Tour, hitting 30 cities in 60 days.

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