I just spent
two years in graduate school studying conflict—indicators to predict it,
factors that influence it, ways to resolve it. Almost all conflict literature points to a common crucial
factor: unemployment, and more specifically, youth unemployment. Sure,
unemployment in the United States is nowhere near that of Sudan or the Ivory
Coast. But our 9.8% unemployment
rate is nothing to laugh at and neither is our youth unemployment rate measured
at 19% last July. What would my
student essays have offered as a potential remedy? The obvious answer is
programs that generate jobs, particularly those that provide training to young
people. This is why I was shocked
to hear that the House of Representatives voted last week to eliminate the
AmeriCorps program.
In 2005, I
was an idealistic young graduate looking for work and I wanted to find a job
that served some greater good. I joined
AmeriCorps and worked at a fledgling community center, tutoring kids and
teaching English to new immigrants.
I gained teaching experience and management skills and went on to work
as a full-time salaried staff member there for almost three years after my
AmeriCorps service year was over.
Thanks to the institution of AmeriCorps, providing the center with
energetic free staff members, it grew exponentially and was able to serve a
wider community.
AmeriCorps
is no free ride. As an AmeriCorps
“volunteer”, I earned a living stipend of just $10,500/year, but was provided
healthcare and an education award.
My AmeriCorps training cohort was diverse: We were recent high school
and college graduates, current part-time students, mothers looking to rejoin
the work force and career changers seeking experience. What we had in common:
each of us needed employment and wanted to contribute to American society. We truly embodied the AmeriCorps pledge,
particularly, “I will bring Americans together to strengthen our communities.”
The programs
AmeriCorps members staff provide afterschool activities and safe spaces for
teens, and they tutor children who would otherwise fall through the proverbial
cracks in our system. They provide
job training and placement for adults and build houses for Katrina
victims. They run food banks, set
up health clinics and counsel survivors of domestic violence. These are programs that strengthen the
fabric of our society. I would
suggest an AmeriCorps-like program as a conflict prevention mechanism for any
of the “fragile states” I studied last year. Is this really an institution we want to remove from our
country?
In January
2011, national unemployment was at 9.8%, according to the Bureau of Labor
Statistics. Some states have been hit much harder, with my home state of
Michigan precariously perched at 11.7%, only recently down from 13%. Factoring in the number of people not
included in these statistics because they are no longer looking for work, and
the many underemployed people getting by on part-time jobs, the numbers are
much higher. Only six months ago,
the Joint Economic Committee reported a 19.6% unemployment rate for young
people ages 16-24. It’s important to again emphasize that this only includes
youth actively seeking employment. This is a dangerous number for a nation
worried about crime and security.
Enter this
new plan to cut all funding to
AmeriCorps.
President Obama
signed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act on April 21, 2009, renewing
and expanding the national service program that houses AmeriCorps. Among other
things, the Act approved gradually expanding the 75,000 AmerCorps members then
serving to 250,000. This is
250,000 people who, like me, will find employment strengthening our country’s
underserved communities. Or this is
250,000 additional jobs that could be lost and countless people who will not
benefit from the programs these members would have staffed.
I know many
will argue, “But we have to make spending cuts somewhere.” Yes, there
will be cuts, but cutting one of the major American innovations that provides jobs
at present and supports organizations to grow and generate future jobs is not
the answer. It’s simply faulty reasoning. The positive cycle of growth will be
stopped in its tracks if AmeriCorps is taken out of the equation.
At the end
of 2009, the House voted to continue funding AmeriCorps at $1,149,721,000 per
year. This cost amounts to just 0.03%
of the total federal budget for 2010. In Michigan alone, there are 1,824
AmeriCorps members serving (excluding the many involved in sister programs like
the Senior Corps) and the total cost is only $12,551,137. In terms of “bang for your buck”, this
is a clear success.
As the
Senate prepares to vote on this issue, let us support institutions that further
what we Americans pride ourselves on—The American Dream. AmeriCorps members pledge, “I am an
AmeriCorps member, and I will get things done.” Senate, let’s get things done.
