ICP Exec Director Travels to the UK for Conference, Meets with Youth Service Groups

In February, ICP Executive Director Susan Stroud traveled to the UK to participate in a conference entitled “Democracy and the Power of the Individual”, organized by the Ditchley Foundation. The conference brought together academics and practitioners from around the globe to discuss the “relationship between democratic governments and their citizens in the age of the internet and social media.”

The conference tackled several question, but focused on the power and limits of social media. Participants questioned the use of sites such as Facebook and Twitter, asking if they are just better, faster, cheaper means of communication, or if they can change behavior, giving people more active roles in government and greater self-determination.

As the recent revolts throughout the Mideast clearly show, social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter can be used to disseminate information, gather support, and help power a revolution. The internet and social media have already helped to give the general populace a more active role in government; the question is how such sites will affect the day-to-day business of governing.

While in the UK, Susan also met with several youth service organizations, including the Commonwealth Youth Programme, VSO, British Council Active Citizens Program, and Raleigh International. These organizations have different methods and areas of focus, but all have impressive programs engaging young people in their communities.

For instance, part of the Commonwealth Secretariat, The Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP) is an international development agency that works with young people in 54 different countries. CYP focuses on three strategic program areas: Youth Enterprise and Sustainable Livelihoods, Governance, Development, and Youth Networks and Youth Education and Training. They do this by providing skills and resources for young people to create businesses, working with the government to increase the impact of young people, developing youth work as a profession and a number of other tactics. CYP just launched a new website, yourcommonwelath.org, designed to get more direct feedback from young people around the world.

The British Council Active Citizens Program promotes community involvement and improvement around the world. This includes programs such as establishing dialogue and helping to reconcile two warring villages in Kenya, engaging 4,000 young people in Pakistan and implementing skills-training programs at home in the UK. The British Council also organized the Youth in Action for Global Change symposium where Susan gave a keynote address in January, and it is planning a Youth Policy Symposium Series in May.

VSO is an international development organization that works through volunteers to fight poverty in developing countries. VSO has volunteers in placements around the world, serving in capacities as varied as an urban planning advisor in Zambia, a physiotherapy lecturer in Ethiopia and an art and design specialist in Bangladesh. In the UK, VSO has a special program for youth, called Global Xchange, which partners two young people from different countries in an immersive volunteer experience.

Raleigh International focuses on providing international volunteer projects for people taking a gap year or career break, and works with people of all ages and levels of experience. It works in Costa Rica, Borneo, Nicaragua and India and has projects concerned with the environment as well as community development. Raleigh International is also featured on ICP’s Green Youth Service Online Resource Center.

Are you familiar with other innovative youth civic participation programs in the UK? We’d love to hear about them in the comment below!

Growing Momentum for Civic Energy: ICP at the National Conference on Service and Volunteering

In late June, ICP’s Executive Director Susan Stroud and Program Associates Jean Manney and Colleen Hammelman journeyed to beautiful San Francisco to the annual National Conference on Volunteering hosted by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNS) and the Points of Light Institute.

We kept a busy schedule including hosting sessions on Summer of Service (SOS) and green service; listening to stimulating panels on topics ranging from service as a strategy for economic recovery to service-learning quality standards to social innovation to corporate social responsibility; and meeting and greeting with exciting and knowledgeable practitioners. Throughout all of this, it was electrifyingly evident that the national service movement in the US is bursting at the seams with excitement, momentum and promise for addressing our nation’s most critical needs.

Inspiring a Movement

On the first day of the conference, we listened to star-studded presentations during a Service Nation luncheon and opening ceremony. The luncheon celebrated this year’s successes while focusing on the important tasks ahead to ensure that “one day…a commonly asked question in America will be…’Where do you serve?’”

The opening general session was full of with inspiring speeches and conversations with national service leaders such as CNS Chair Alan Solomont, Founder and CEO of Be the Change, Inc Alan Khazei, CNS Acting CEO Nicola Goren and Points of Lights Institute CEO Michelle Nun, celebrities including Jon Bon Jovi and Matthew McConaughey as well as influential policymakers including Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, First Lady of California Maria Shriver, and, of course, First Lady of the US Michelle Obama. It seems a true testament to the momentum for national service that such a tremendous group of personalities would come together in front of over 4,500 people from the national service field to highlight the importance of their work and the promise of service.

Many indicators, including the new US administration’s policy priorities, provide compelling evidence of why the time is right to focus on youth civic engagement. President Obama has made service a cause of his presidency and both he and Mrs. Obama continue to express their commitment to engaging all Americans in service opportunities. It is an important and exciting time for exploring new opportunities for young people to participate in and fully contribute to the development of their communities while also improving their own skills.

Throughout the first day (and conference), we heard many inspiring quotes speaking to the commitment to promoting national service as a habit of citizenship. First Lady Michelle Obama said during the opening session: “We have an Administration that understands that service is key to our nation’s prosperity.” Melody Barnes, Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, also addressed the Service Nation Luncheon saying, “This is about changing communities, changing the nation, changing the world.”

ICP’s Contribution

For the next two days, business leaders, service practitioners, policymakers, teachers and others committed to national service in their communities met, discussed and collaborated on wide-ranging panels to help improve their work. ICP hosted two panels focusing on Summer of Service (SOS) and Service as a Strategy for the Green Economy.

ICP Program Associates Jean Manney

and Colleen Hammelman and Executive

Director Susan Stroud attending the Business

Funders Reception.

SOS could become a national ‘rite of passage’ with the potential to reverse negative trends for youth and increase their potential for future success, while also strengthening communities. SOS provides experiential learning opportunities through the common experience of service during the summer months. ICP’s SOS project strives to create strong service programs that engage middle-school aged youth during the summers. ICP's work on this project has included assistance with drafting the legislation, building support among stakeholders and extensive research on existing programs.

During this session, participants heard from Shirley Sagawa, Co-founder, sagawa/jospin consulting; Lisa Bardwell, CEO, Earth Force; Martin Friedman, Executive Director, Education Works; Elson Nash, Acting Director, Learn and Serve America and ICP Program Associate Jean Manney. Through panel presentations and an interactive discussion, participants learned about new developments in federal funding, ICP’s SOS Online Resource Center and the program design and evaluation toolkits we are developing. Panelists and participants discussed the need to engage middle school students in intensive, structured summer service-learning opportunities focused on civic engagement and the importance of connecting summer opportunities to year-round programs.

In addition, ICP Executive Director Susan Stroud moderated the Service as a Strategy for the Green Economy forum addressing how civic innovators are harnessing citizen service as a key strategy for tackling the problems facing our environment. The panel presented strategies from various streams of service and service-learning supporting development of a green economy, contributing to long-term economic growth and positive climate change. Leaders and innovators in the green movement such as Sally Prouty, CEO, The Corps Network; Vivian Chang, Political Director, Green For All; Lisa Bardwell, CEO, Earth Force; and Ray Rivera, Director of External and Intergovernmental Affairs, Office of the Secretary, Department of Interior, participated in an informative discussion.

In particular, the session presented green service, through conservation corps, service-learning in K-12 and higher education, national service and Senior Corps, as a positive strategy for building a green economy, providing training and credentialing in new careers and acting a first rung in pathways out of poverty. In addition, the Department of Interior’s new Office of Youth was discussed as it undertakes efforts, in collaboration with the Corps Network, to engage 100,000 young people in the environment.

Teach for America Goes Global

Namaste!

Last September Teach for America announced the launch of Teach for All, a new organization that will support entrepreneurs in other countries who are pursuing the development of the Teach For America model locally. Funded by the Clinton Global Initiative, the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, and the Amy and Larry Robins Foundation Teach for All is to be the international "franchise" of the TFA model. The basic model is for local organizations to channel the talent and energy of their countries’ top recent college graduates against educational disparities facing tens of thousands of children in their high-poverty communities. Initially Teach for All will support programs in India, South Africa, Estonia, Israel, and Germany. The program will raise $25 million over three years.

The Dell Foundation provided $2.5 million to support the initiative in India. According to Michael Dell, “India, with its 400 million children, stands to benefit greatly from the development and training of top leaders who can present the wonders and advantages education has to offer. We are pleased to support the international expansion of Teach For America, as its proven approach to placing effective teachers on the ground will ensure that more children in India are given the educational opportunities they deserve.” In addition to the support of these foundations, Teach for All is heavility supported by pro bono consulting from McKinsey & Company.

And the results of this effort are already being felt. Teach for India, in cooperation with the Times of India, is preparing a major roll-out this fall. According to the new Teach India website,

"Teach India is a nation-building initiative (or social initiative) from the Times of India that brings together children in need of education and people who can contribute a little time towards teaching them. It is based on one simple principle: If you have the desire to teach, we will put you in touch with underprivileged children who are willing to learn. With over sixty of India’s committed NGOs, corporates, schools and social organizations already supporting our cause, we now look for selfless individuals to come forward and help change the future of a child forever, by giving just a few hours a week to Teach India"

So far the program is proving to be wildly popular. A variety of companies have signed on as sponsors. The initiative is receiving virtually daily coverage in the Time of India. According to a report on July 31st, Teach India had over 55,000 volunteer applications--way above the 10,000 that were anticipated. So great has been the interest that Teach India has had to expand the program, seek new partners, and find new opportunities to involve volunteers.

Teach for All is an amazing initiative that ICP wholeheartedly embraces and supports. We have long known and seen the benefits of youth civic engagement and are happy that others in the field are taking an increasingly international approach. The time is right to invest in youth civic engagement in South Asia. That's why ICP is following Teach for All's example and launched our own South Asia program. Look for details in a future post!

IANYS Conference Plans Progress During Susan's visit to Paris

Last week, ICP’s Executive Director, Susan Stroud, spent a day in Paris meeting with our partners at Unis-Cite and AVSO to work out some details of the planning process for the 8^th Global Conference on National Youth Service.

The conference will be held at the Fondation des Etats Unis at the Cite Universitaire in Paris from 19-22 November 2008. Last spring, ICP became the secretariat for the International Association for National Youth Service (IANYS), a global network of practitioners, researchers, and policymakers working in the field of national youth service, service-learning, and youth development. IANYS hosts a global conference every two years, and as the new secretariat for the network, ICP is responsible for hosting the 8^th Global Conference. We have partnered with IANYS Global Council Members at Unis-Cite and AVSO to host the conference in Paris, and received the venue as a generous in-kind donation from the US Embassy in Paris.

Plans for the conference are progressing very well. Conference sponsors include the University of Minnesota, UN Volunteers, the European Commission, and the Benoit Foundation…and more are coming in each day. We also have secured Kumi Naidoo, Secretary General of CIVICUS, to be a keynote speaker at the conference.

Check out www.icicp.org/ianys for more news as plans for the conference progress.

Photos: IANYS Conference Planning Committee in Paris from Left to Right:
Elise Depecker, Susan Stroud, Magalie Schickele, Agnes Uhereczky, Marie Trellu and Universite de Paris, Cite Universitaire

National Service and the Presumptive Republican and Democratic Nominees for President

After June 3rd, the US Presidential race is down to two major-party candidates, John McCain of the Republican Party and Barack Obama of the Democratic Party. McCain and Obama have both shown a willingness to discuss the expansion of AmeriCorps and new ideas for national and community service in the US. Here at ICP, we have paid close attention to their platforms, as the future of National Service both in the US and abroad is contingent upon the policies of the two candidates.

Both candidates have called for young men and women to serve their country in some capacity—in the armed forces, AmeriCorps, or the Peace Corps. Along with this call, the candidates have proposed implementing specific new program initiatives and policy changes in order to achieve the goal of increased civic engagement, though Obama’s platform is more comprehensive than McCain’s.

John McCain voted against the AmeriCorps bill in 1993, but later became an advocate for the expansion of AmeriCorps. In 2003, he cosponsored the “Call to Service” bill with Senator Evan Bayh, which would have vastly increased the size of AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps and provided monetary compensation for the work.

However, more recently his support has waned as he has admittedly focused more on security issues. In 2005, he called for US citizens, even those who oppose the war, to contribute 2 years of service to the United States as an act of patriotism. In an Op-Ed in the Dallas Morning News, McCain wrote:

“There are few greater ways of infusing your life with meaning than by spending two or more years in the service of your nation. The military obviously forms an exceptional way to serve America and our ideals, but it is not the only route. The Peace Corps and AmeriCorps also provide excellent and fulfilling ways to serve.”

At present, the Republican candidate’s major policy initiative related to civic service is his support of “Troops-to-Teachers,” which creates incentives for returning military service people to transition into careers in teaching. In a March 15th, 2008 speech in Columbus, Ohio, McCain spoke about his vision for National Service and the US educational system in 2013:

“Public education in the United States is much improved thanks to the competition provided by charter and private schools; the increase of quality teachers through incentives like merit pay and terrific programs that attract to the classroom enthusiastic and innovative teachers from many disciplines, like Teach for America and Troops to Teachers.”

Although vocally supportive of AmeriCorps and Teach for America (an AmeriCorps program), McCain has failed to present a dynamic and thorough policy for expanding and funding these programs. When asked by ServeNext (an organization dedicated to advocating for increasing the visibility of National Service programs as well as funding them) to sign their “Presidential Pledge to Expand National Service¹,” McCain declined, saying, “I stand on my record, not on pledges.”

On the other side of the aisle, Barack Obama not only signed the ServeNext Pledge, but has also developed a more comprehensive proposal to address the need for national youth service and civic engagement. On his website, Obama has a page dedicated to service under his “Issues” section. Here, Obama details his plan for improving support and funding for National Youth Service Programs.

One of his major initiatives would include expanding AmeriCorps from 75,000 slots annually to 250,000, as well as doubling the size of the Peace Corps. Obama also provides for changing American culture to be more receptive to national service by stimulating service learning in middle and high schools and by offering a $4,000 tax credit to college students willing to contribute 100 hours of public service a year.

Obama has made several speeches, including his December 5, 2007 speech, “A Call to Serve” at Cornell College in which he laid out the national service platform for his campaign and his May 25, 2008 commencement address at Wesleyan University, which outlines the vision he has for youth service in the context of the future of the United States. In the speech at Wesleyan, he said,

“As President, I intend to grow the Foreign Service, double the Peace Corps over the next few years, and engage the young people of other nations in similar programs, so that we work side by side to take on the common challenges that confront all humanity… …You know, Ted Kennedy often tells a story about the fifth anniversary celebration of the Peace Corps. He was there, and he asked one of the young Americans why he had chosen to volunteer. And the man replied, “Because it was the first time someone asked me to do something for my country.” I don’t know how many of you have been asked that question, but after today, you have no excuses.”

This speech went beyond a simple endorsement of the AmeriCorps program—it was a call to young men and women to serve their country in any way possible. In his speech at Wesleyan, Obama made clear that his support for national service derives in part from his own experience as a community organizer on the south side of Chicago – a connection that links national service to a progressive view of national service as a vehicle for social change and justice

In a world where civic engagement has become increasingly popular and where young men and women have increasingly attempted to donate their time and skills to help create change, support for programs like the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps from the highest levels of government has never been more important.

(For more current information with regards to Presidential Candidate Obama's position, also see this speech at CU-Colorado Springs.)

1. ServeNext does not have the Presidential Pledge uploaded to their website; however, they do have the Congressional Pledge, which is the exact same pledge, only that it instead asks the congressperson to join the Congressional Caucus for National Service.