By Justin Yeater, Organizing Fellow
September 2013 marked the 20th anniversary of AmeriCorps, the United States’ national service program designed to allow young people to serve their country in schools, non-profits, and community organizations. These one to two-year commitments not only provide valuable professional experience to recent grads and help with student loan payments, but the program puts passionate individuals to the task of solving some of the nation’s toughest problems.
I am a product of one of these programs. As a senior in college, I had no idea what I wanted to do after graduation. I did well in school, liked science and conventional wisdom told me to go to medical school. I decided to join Teach For America instead.
My experience in a Denver, Colorado classroom was tough. Teaching physics to 15 year olds is difficult even without the special challenges that my students faced every day. Being the leader of my classroom forced me to be adaptable, organized, and resilient; skills I now take with me wherever I go. And as a young professional, I know I have a unique perspective after my service term, a perspective I have in common with the City Year corps members that also worked at my school.
Even though I’m no longer in the classroom, my students and the northwest Denver community continue to see the benefits of AmeriCorps programs. Teachers that advise clubs and student organizations, City Year volunteers that stay after school every day to mentor and tutor, and Denver Public School AmeriCorps volunteers that help students stay on track with attendance and grades.
AmeriCorps programs such as Teach For America, City Year, the National College Advising Corps, and others are in high demand. In 2011, AmeriCorps received over 580,000 applications. Unfortunately there is only enough funding for 80,000 positions. This means that each year, half a million young people who want to make a difference and serve their communities get turned away.
Although there were a few days I questioned my decision to join the corps, I view my experience as incredibly powerful and transformative. It gave me the confidence to pack up and move to Washington, DC and take with me a more comprehensive lens through which I see the world. After twenty years of AmeriCorps experiences, we should work to expand that same opportunity to all young people who want to make a difference.
Source: Americorps