Category Archives: Corps & Coalitions

03.09.09
by

New Podcast: Kiff Gallagher’s Music National Service Initiative

picture-4The New Service podcast today features Kiff Gallagher, founder of Peacelabs Music and the Music National Service Initiative (MNSI).

Today’s guest is Kiff Gallagher, founder of Peacelabs Music and the Music National Service Initiative. Listen to the podcast.

In 2008, The Aspen Institute named MNSI’s MusicianCorps — a developing AmeriCorps-type program that will enable musicians to serve in low-income schools — one of the top ten public policy proposals that would strengthen the United States.

Before turning his attention back to music, Kiff served on the legislative team that developed AmeriCorps during the early Clinton Administration, and went on to work at the Corporation for National and Community Service.

He’s also worked in the field of corporate social responsibility and sustainability as an advisor at Odwalla, and president of the Social Venture Network. More recently he’s served on President Obama’s National Arts Policy Committee and as an advisor on Obama’s Transition Team.

The program has a public event coming up at the Kennedy Center on April 22, co-hosted by Music National Service and Center for American Progress.

I talked with Kiff Gallagher about the need for music and arts education in the schools, about his role in developing the national service legislation that shaped AmeriCorps in 1993, and the future of the Music National Service Initiative.

The podcast features the music of flamenco guitarist Mark Ferguson, from his debut album Quemando Chante, available on iTunes.

Here’s a link to our podcast; also check out this story about Kiff Gallagher on NPR.

add to del.icio.us :: Add to Blinkslist :: add to furl :: Digg it :: add to ma.gnolia :: Stumble It! :: add to simpy :: seed the vine :: :: :: TailRank :: post to facebook

03.05.09
by

High Schoolers Find a New Way to Serve through Global Citizen Year

A program that offers a nine-month, international service opportunity for recent high school grads is now accepting applications for its inaugural term.

Global Citizen Year aims to give gap-year kids the experience of their life time that will shape their college ambitions, career, and capacity for doing good in an increasingly global world.

Most people I know who traveled or lived abroad as kids have become citizens of the world in adulthood, speaking languages beyond English, reading between the lines of news stories set on foreign shores, and exhibiting a wanderlust and curiosity satisfied only through international travel and making friends from all backgrounds. Service abroad can also have a profound impact on the host communities—check out this video about GCY and what high schoolers can do, given a chance:

If you wish the same  for yourself or your kid, read more about GCY and the application process.

02.20.09
by

Rolling out stimulus AmeriCorps members

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 be an exception). Stimulus members will address mostly these areas (though everything is still up in the air) :

1. Winterizing homes, housing access, keeping people in homes
2. Access to health care and providing health care
3. Nonprofit capacity building
4. Youth corps/development

Keep in mind, this is still separate from the Kennedy-Hatch “Serve America Act.”

Here’s the link to the page that will document the changes to national service through the Recovery Act. At the web site, you call a toll-free number to listen to a recording of the call.

02.19.09
by

Service symposium

This blog goes out to reader all over the country (and way beyond borders) so I don’t usually post items that are local. But I would like to take a moment to showcase a contest and event coming up in Portland, OR this May. It’s open to national service participants from Oregon and Washington although it draws interest nationally.

It’s called the Northwest National Service Symposium, and the idea is to encourage service participants to reflect on their experiences and create literary, visual, and/or performing arts from them. Projects are first submitted in a contest setting, and then gathered and shared at the event in May. First-year national service alums are also encouraged to participate.

This year, more that ever, we are diving into Web 2.0 resources to get the word out. These include:

  • A symposium blog
  • A Youtube channel
  • A Facebook group
  • And of course, an official page with contest rules

    • Amy wrote one of the winning papers a few years back, and I submitted a project to the first symposium back in 1996 and have been on the coordinating team since 2002.

    If you have any questions or thoughts on the symposium, drop me a line. There are any number of ways to reach me, including through The New Service blog, but you can always try servicesymposium at gmail dot com.

    add to del.icio.us :: Add to Blinkslist :: add to furl :: Digg it :: add to ma.gnolia :: Stumble It! :: add to simpy :: seed the vine :: :: :: :: post to facebook

    02.19.09
    by

    Tracking upcoming national service moves

    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 a keen interest in this, CNCS is hosting an open conference call on Friday, February 20. Anyone who misses the call will be able to hear a reply by dialing a toll-free number. All the details are on the web page.