Archive for the ‘ Recession ’09 ’ Category
New short-term AmeriCorps programs, funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, are getting off the ground. President Obama signed his stimulus bill, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, into law on February 17th, 2009. It included additional $201 million in funding for the Corporation for National and Community Service for AmeriCorps State and National, and AmeriCorps VISTA programs. One example of a new stimulus-funded AmeriCorps program is the Oregon Community Action Corps — now accepting applications for 24 full-time AmeriCorps positions serving throughout the state of Oregon[ READ MORE ]
Kevin Johnson, former Phoenix Suns point guard and AmeriCorps program director, has settled with the Feds, clearing the way for Sacramento to receive stimulus funding. Last fall, I wrote about Kevin Johnson's missteps as head of an AmeriCorps program in Sacramento. The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) accused him of wasting its money and directing corps members to do things clearly outside the bounds of AmeriCorps service[ READ MORE ]
How branding national service as an opportunity only for young people does more harm to the movement than good. Christian Witkin for TIME Magazine Christian Witkin for TIME Magazine While many service corps do have upper age limits — City Year, AmeriCorps*NCCC, Public Allies, and many other team-based programs — most programs do not have an upper age limit. In fact, several programs specifically recruit professionals — Atlas Corps, CUSO-VSO (the Canadian VSO), Volunteers for Prosperity, and United Nations Volunteers just to name a few. Others like Peace Corps and AmeriCorps*VISTA recruit almost entirely college graduates because of the skill required in carrying out service. And yet when people speak of service they almost always describe it as an opportunity for young people to give back, receive scholarship money, develop leadership skills, and go an an adventure before settling down with a real job. What difference does it make if most people think of national or international service as a pursuit for the young? Here are some reasons[ READ MORE ]
I listened to an open conference call hosted by Corporation for National and Community Service Chief of Program Operations Kristin McSwain. I am not going to post the more technical aspects of the call, but here are a few points I found interesting. “Stimulus” members will serve alongside traditional members in existing programs (VISTA might [ READ MORE ]
CNCS has a established an official page dedicated to how the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 will affect national service. The plans are still a bit vague, but the dollars roll out quickly. I imagine existing programs will see an influx of members serving in economy-related areas pretty soon here. For anyone with [ READ MORE ]
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