Comments on: Are We Ready to Step Up and Serve Under Obama?

By: Jay

Jay — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 18:08:28 +0000

I wish we did live in a country where everyone was required to serve.

By: worklessplaymore

worklessplaymore — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 17:55:29 +0000

I would love nothing more than to volunteer (especially abroad) for an extended period of time. The problem is, I can't afford to quit my job... an action required if I'm to commit to any stint longer than the standard lousy 2 wks vacation I get a year. Take a look at www.timeday.org. It's a movement to increase our mandatory vacation time here in the USA. If I had 4 wks vaca, and was allowed to take it all at once, I'd hop on a plane tomorrow to volunteer abroad.

By: Greg

Greg — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 23:35:35 +0000

Uh oh…I feel a soapbox moment coming on….run! James Glass makes me throw up in my mouth. Sure, not everyone is expected to serve or fight – thank goodness we don't live in a country where military service is mandatory – but if you do make that personal decision and go through the long and arduous process of signing all the enlistment contracts, its made pretty clear over and over again what you are getting yourself into. Even the average 8 year old would understand the risks of joining the ARMY – even if it is the National Guard. If James had researched his history he would have seen the the National Guard has been deployed in WW2, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf – all that on top of filling sandbags and doing community service at home. Basically, he wanted his free stuff (tuition) then ran to Canada when someone expected him to pay up.

By: Bryant Knight

Bryant Knight — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 00:45:11 +0000

I disagree with the very foundation of Obama's argument on this issue, and Jacob's closely follows Obama's. Why does Obama seem to imply that "community service" inherently means participation in government programs? Can young people not serve their community by taking jobs in the private market? He doesn't even clearly discuss the option of doing volunteer work with private groups like churches or the Salvation Army. Much like Bush, Obama is more concerned with promoting massive extra-Constitutional federal intervention, but he cites other motives (like serving the community, or in Bush's case it would be promoting democracy or fighting terrorism) to mask and justify the larger goal. Beyond that, Jacob's article is very interesting, but he overlooks this entire side of the argument. Community service does not necessarily mean that one must participate in an un-Constitutional (and therefore illegal), often bureaucratic, federally organized program.

By: olivebeard

olivebeard — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 11:29:32 +0000

Perhaps that's another societal component to this–a rampant free-market that deprives our youth of the freedom to be…well, youthful. I've certainly been there, though–the whole experience-needed-to-get-the-job-but-need-a-job-to-get-experience Catch-22. I will say this, though: after almost 7 years of working my ass off (lots of low-pay/free labor), I discovered that I didn't really want the money as bad as I wanted to the freedom. As of September, my status as a Cisco Certified Networking Associate (CCNA) is expired (after I worked my ass off to get it) and I honestly couldn't care less. I feel as if I wasted a lot of my time trying to create a "good" life, when the definition of "good" had less to do with money and more to do with karma.

By: Olivebeard

Olivebeard — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 11:17:21 +0000

A fantastic point, Michael. I would contend that those same chats w/ Peace Corps volunteers are the kind of "straight talk" that our next wave of High School Grads needs–talks that confirm to them that the inner journey is that much more powerful that the external impact of their service.

By: Alicia

Alicia — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 02:32:54 +0000

I agree with Michael_Melton, but I also have seen first-hand that there exists another component. The intense competition for top-tier university acceptance, internships, and jobs puts young people's time at a premium. If what you're doing isn't directly related to your career of choice, then you're not building valuable résumé experience and are at a disadvantage in the job hunt. Volunteer opportunities in, for example, tech (IT, computer science, computer engineering) are fewer, less publicized, and tend to be on a local level–so they often vary widely in scope, commitment, organization, funding. To use some of the examples from the article… spending two years in the Peace Corps, volunteer firefighting, building houses, packaging and handing out food, and other volunteer positions predominantly consist of physical labor or simple/repetitive tasks. Those services are necessary, worthwhile, and rewarding for those involved, but unless it ties in to your field, employers favor candidates who spent that time in the industry. Taking significant time away from one's profession is very risky when the markets are tight and job listings require 3+ years of experience in a technology that's barely existed that long. And it's not just tech; research sciences, finance, business, etc, are the same way. A job is required to get experience, but experience is required to get the job. The youth of today do seek opportunities (paid and volunteer) that will give them perspective in life, help the world, and change their own lives. But it too often comes down to a choice between two years in the Peace Corps then coming home jobless, or spending those two years building work experience and developing skills/experience in their career to have a better life. In countries like England where taking a gap year for travel or volunteer work is expected, employers look more favorably upon that time spent away from their careers.

By: Michael_Melton

Michael_Melton — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 21:07:23 +0000

I think it has less to do with youth losing interest in the programs, and more to do with outdated programs not speaking to the youth. Most volunteer programs try to stress how you can change the world, but kids are smart enough to realize they can't change that much in the confines of a federal program. Instead, they should be stressing how the programs change the lives of the people volunteering. I've chatted with many people who have participated in Peace Corps, and the common belief seems to be that they didn't change the world that much…rather, it was the world that changed them. The youth of today are too smart to tempt with merely monetary gains…they can get that working at Starbucks. Instead, they need to be convinced that their service will not only help the world, but give them some perspective in life.

By: Eva

Eva — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 16:29:51 +0000

Great stuff, Jacob. The data on "episodic" volunteering is fascinating – really gets to the heart of the debate, in the travel world, over "voluntourism" and how beneficial it is, how much better it could be, and how much of it is about the feelings of the person volunteering.

By: Julie

Julie — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 16:22:54 +0000

Jacob- This article was an astute analysis of the concept of public service. It's a word we throw around easily, but you just cut through the rhetoric and got to the heart of the matter. Thanks.