Category Archives: Opportunities

10.20.09
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Make an Hour for Change

Reminder: Sunday, November 1st, set your clocks back an hour, as daylight savings time ends around the country and standard time resumes.

In case you are wondering how you can productively use that extra hour, check out Make Time for Change, a campaign that asks you to commit to devoting the extra 60 minutes to a child.

For every pledge on their website, the refrigerator company Frigidaire will donate a dollar to Save the Children’s Change program that provides healthy snacks and promotes healthy habits for U.S. kids.

Free login is required in order to pledge but you don’t have to give your phone number (you do have to share an email address they use to verify you) and you can opt out of receiving offers.

09.10.09
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Service At Home and Abroad: A Joint Peace Corps and AmeriCorps Web Chat

A live, online chat to help you sort out the differences among several service corps.

You knew that Peace Corps Volunteers serve abroad and AmeriCorps members serve in the States. But…

Did you know that Peace Corps Volunteers receive a readjustment allowance at the end of their term totalling around $6,000 — but that AmeriCorps members earn an Education Award (around $5,000) that can be used for tuition and student loans?

Did you know that some AmeriCorps VISTA terms are as brief as 8 weeks, while Peace Corps lasts around 27 months?

Did you know that AmeriCorps members can take on part-time jobs during their term, but Peace Corps Volunteers and VISTAs can’t?

Prospective participants in these programs can get the inside scoop on the differences and similarities among these service corps tomorrow. In honor of the September 11th Day of Service and Remembrance, Peace Corps and AmeriCorps are coming Continue reading →

08.20.09
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Quick Survey: Have You Volunteered Abroad?

From Flickr user Adamina via Creative Commons

From Paul Nauert, an intern in our Portland office, originally posted on the Idealist.org homepage blog.

Have you volunteered abroad? Do you have thoughts on where to find funding or how to decide between going with a program or going solo? If so, we’d love to hear from you.

Since the start of this decade, more and more people have been going abroad to volunteer, getting involved in an ever-expanding and more diverse range of places, types of work, and social and environmental causes. Lately at Idealist we’ve been delving into several projects to better understand what is going on in the burgeoning world of international volunteerism and how we can help provide more resources for folks interested in becoming part of it. Continue reading →

08.17.09
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September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance Website Launches

David Paine and Jay Winuk

David Paine and Jay Winuk

New site launches to inspire and collect stories of service and good deeds that take place during the week of September 11th.

David Paine and Jay Winuk, founders of MyGoodDeed.org, have recently launched a new website to highlight the call to serve on September 11th, which is now the National Day of Service and Remembrance.

Their mission is to inspire us all to honor the memories of the people who lost their lives during the tragedy of of September 11, 2001, with good deeds and other service every year on the Continue reading →

08.10.09
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Lutheran Volunteer Corps: Living and Serving in Community

Colleen O'Connor, Lutheran Volunteer

Colleen O'Connor, Lutheran Volunteer

An interview with Colleen O’Connor, an exiting Lutheran Volunteer in St. Paul, MN.

I wanted to get a perspective from a current service participant who is preparing to move on in life, as the term of service wraps up. And I wanted to get the perspective on a non-AmeriCorps program, since there are so many!

Tell me about your program – Lutheran Volunteer Corps (LVC). How is it different from AmeriCorps or Peace Corps? Why did you choose it?

What makes LVC different from many AmeriCorps programs is that LVC is meant to be a holistic, whole-life program. LVC isn’t just about our job; it encompasses the rest of our lives, as well. I live with other volunteers in an intentional community, participate in retreats and social events, and am asked to explore social justice, community, spirituality, and simplicity. In some ways LVC is definitely more restrictive because I can’t always do whatever I want with my out-of-work life.

I am asked to spend weekly time with my housemates, attend trainings and retreats, and not have an outside job or class for credit. But this is also why I chose LVC, because I wanted to live in community and really get everything possible out of this experience.

There are other similar programs (such as Jesuit Volunteer Corps and Mennonite Volunteer Service), but LVC is one of only two such programs in the Twin Cities, and I knew I wanted to be here. The other (the St. Continue reading →