In the past, a person who wanted to serve their country could join ‘the Service’ — or the armed forces. Today in addition to military service, people have a wide array of citizen service corps to choose from — opportunities like AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, and Teach For America — enabling them to serve their country and their community through a term of full-time service (usually lasting three to 27 months).
We aim to connect you to “the new Service,” and educate you about transitioning to a social-impact career when your term ends.
The New Service blog aims to catalyze citizen service by:
- introducing you to service programs,
- offering advice to propel you forward in your social-impact career and graduate education,
- keeping you up to date on service world news and trends, and
- letting you know about blogs, books, and other resources relevant for citizen service proponents.
The blog is dedicated to current or former service program participants, including AmeriCorps, AmeriCorps VISTA, Peace Corps, City Year, fellowships, faith-based programs, and many, many others. (See more Corps and Coalitions in the right-hand side bar of the blog.) We aim to offer resources useful to career counselors, service corps program staff, and future Corps members as well.
My grandfather Col. Herman F. Allen, a WWII flyer and internee, inspired my career when he thanked me for my service in Peace Corps (China, 1998-2000).
The New Service 
For a blog article about citizen service and volunteerism to help in America’s economic recovery, see the April 10, 2009 post to SharedEmergency.wordpress.com.
Thank you for hosting this blog. It’s such a wonderful idea. I volunteered for the St. Bernard Project for nine months, and was so inspired by long-term service.
This whole program is very inspiring, and of course very valuable for all of us. Thanks for posting about The New Service and I hope to see more of you on twitter and facebook. Thanks again!
Amy – This is a great resource and one that I will definitely recommend to Lafayette students and alumni.
Thank you, Linda!! Please let me know as questions arise.
Please advise of your blog readership for a DRC report — thank you.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR VOLUNTEER WORK IN KENYA
INTRODUCTION:
Our Voluntary Service in Kenya Programme is run by Education Supplements International which is a registered non-governmental (NGO) based in Nakuru, Kenya. It comprises both short and long-term volunteering.
This is a volunteer programme that aims to give opportunities to people who love and desire to live, work and contribute away from their home country environment, contribute to the progress of humanity and participate in inter-cultural richness among people of various age, gender, race, academic and economic levels.
Many volunteers have also played a significant role in poverty reduction and relief projects.
OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE:
1. Teachers
Short and long-term teaching in baby-class,nursery,primary and secondary school levels.These schools are located in Dundori Division of Nakuru North District.There are seventeen (17) schools where we attach our volunteers (Details of these schools are available on request).
2.Medical Personnel and Interns
Opportunities available at Dundori Health Centre at Dundori Centre and the Provincial General Hospital in Nakuru town.
3.Engineers
They volunteer their technical knowledge in public and community utilities/facilities and projects like schools, womens groups, water projects, the construction of the Nakuru-Dundori road, village paths among others.
4.Hand-work
Womens groups are involved in the making of African baskets, necklaces, bangles, clothing artwork for sale to generate income and improve their economic well-being of the rural women and youth.
5.Children’s Counsellors
Our organization runs the Dundori Orphans Project in Githioro Centre where a child-feeding programme is going on. Children’s counsellors have an opportunity to talk, comfort and guide orphans who are under the care of aged grandparents without much economic and academic means to assist these children.
Please visit website http://www.dundoriorphans.com for details of these project.
6.HIV/AIDS Social Workers
They work among men and women who are HIV/AIDS positive in this region with a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS.
7.Disability Helpers
There are several registered disability groups in Dundori region who welcome the presence of disability social workers for encouragement and involvement in their economic projects.
8.Community Project Consultants
Men, women and the youth in the villages of Menengai Hill, Wanyororo, Tabuga, Gakoe, Cura, Githioro, Umoja, Nyonjoro and Kiamunyeki are involved in community projects to enhance their social-economic status and reduce poverty. Community project consultants have a big opportunity to offer their knowledge and technical expertise in this sector.
9.Conservationists
The conservation and revival of Dundori Forest is a very active endeavour in Dundori Division. Tree planting by organized community groups present an opportunity for conservationists eager to preserve our earth.
10.Sports Coaches and Teachers
The youth have a very organized sports development and competition programme in both Dundori Division and Nakuru Town in soccer, athletes, basketball, netball, swimming, etc. Sports coaches have the opportunity to give their sporting talents to these young people who would otherwise be involved in anti-social activities like alcoholism, drug-addiction and crime.
11.Relief and Development
Distribution of food, clothing, mosquito nets and medicines in Dundori Division, slums and streets of Nakuru town and other needy areas, like in refugee camps in the arid areas of the North (like Turkana and Samburu Districts) and North-Eastern Kenya(like Dadaab Refugee Camp which is currently the largest refugee camp in the world), orphanages and Kibera slum (which is Africa’s largest urban slum) is an ever-present opportunity to individuals and groups.
We also organize medical clinics by medical personnel from overseas in these areas.
COMMUNICATION AND TRANSPORT
Transport to Nakuru town (which is the fourth largest town in Kenya and rated to be the fastest growing urban area in East and Central Africa) is easily available through public transport (called Matatu in Kenya, which are mainly Nissan/Toyota fourteen-seater vans) and is at most a thirty-minute drive from Dundori (15 kms. away).
Phones and Cyber/Internet facilities are available only a kilometre from the place of accommodation.
Visitors take a taxi from Jomo Kenyatta Airport in Nairobi and stay in a hotel or guest house for overnight, rest before taking a matatu at the Mololine Station at Cross Road in Nairobi for a journey to Nakuru which is 156 km (two-hour drive) from Nairobi.
ACCOMMODATION
We offer a host-family accommodation at “CAMP DAVID” Guest House & Camping Resort where clean water, electricity, food and bed-rooms are available in a secure rural setting in Dundori.
The volunteer contributes US$400.00 per month (4 weeks) or US$ 14 per day per person for food, water, electricity and general accommodation.There is also a one-time payment of US$ 150 for picking the visitor from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi on arrival in Kenya.
SOCIAL INTER-ACTION
We encourage our visiting volunteers to be eager to learn simple Kiswahili (which is the national language in Kenya and spoken throughout East African countries) words for greetings and social meetings like Jambo!(Hi), Habari Yako? (how are you?), wewe unaitwa nani? (what is your name?), unatoka wapi? (where do you come from?), etc.
VISA
Visas are required to visit Kenya by nationals of most countries in the world. We assist in the processing of a visa by writing a letter of invitation to the Kenyan Embassy or High Commission in the country where the volunteer comes from.
To all our future volunteers and partners,we say:
KARIBU KENYA!
(WELCOME TO KENYA!)
Looking forward to working with you.
Kindest regards,
Nicholas Ng’ang’a
Executive Director
Education Supplements International
P.O. Box 3305
Nakuru
KENYA
Email: edsupintl@yahoo.com
Phone: 020 362 8347
0703 905 770
0739 879 260
I am sad to see this blog seems to be defunct. Is there a way to access the podcast archive? The link on the site seems to be broken.
Hi there,
Idealist stopped supporting the podcast feed it used to sponsor. I will work on upload .mp3s where I still have them. Thank you for reading.