OURTIME.org in partnership with ServeNext. OUR TIME is a national non-profit with over 300,000 members that promote economic and political empowerment for young Americans. ServeNext is a grassroots advocacy organization working to make national service a political and national priority.

National service jobs allow young Americans to address critical social issues in education, health, housing, economic development, the environment, and disaster relief. These jobs enable qualified Americans to serve the country for up to two years through organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Teach for America, City Year, and many others, while providing young Americans with valuable professional skills and leadership experience.

National service jobs will allow young Americans to address critical social issues in six priority areas: education, economic development, the environment, disaster relief, health, and veterans’ services. Examples include:

• Education: Teaching in classrooms through Teach for America and tutoring students in public schools through organizations like City Year
• Economic Development: Assisting communities in a variety of social programs aimed at increasing economic opportunities for individuals. Examples include running financial literacy programs for adults and youth and building houses with Habitat for Humanity
• Environment: Promote environmental stewardship through activities such as clearing and maintaining trails and promoting green jobs for the future in organizations such as The Corps Network
  Disaster Relief: Work to clean-up and rebuild communities after national disasters. Examples include working with the Red Cross and FEMA.
• Health: Working to promote good community health practices. Examples include building a garden at local public schools or teaching families about healthy foods in their communities through organizations such as the Community Health Corps.
• Veterans’ Services: Working to provide services for veterans and their families; Examples include helping to connect recently returned veterans with jobs, housing, and health care in organizations such as the American Legion Auxiliary.

• One, because National service jobs address urgent challenges facing the country while putting young Americans to work
• Two, these jobs are in high demand. In 2010 and 2011 alone, nearly one million AmeriCorps applications were rejected.
• Three, national service programs have a demonstrated history of success providing professional development for young Americans, as well as for the communities being served.
• And four, national service has a legacy of bipartisan support. It is something that both parties can rally behind and make a national priority right now.

Because presenting Barack Obama and Mitt Romney with one million signatures will be a statement that is impossible to ignore. These one million signatures, along with campaign mobilization, will illustrate how committed we are to success.

A CNN editorial by Michael Brown and David Gergen said it best: “The millennial generation is staring into the abyss of a decade lost, dreams shattered. Experts say the negative effects of long-term joblessness, low earnings, and rusted skills could haunt this generation for the rest of their lives.” With the stakes so high, we need bold action. We need one million new jobs.

A full-time national service position, based on AmeriCorps data, costs the government $18,500 per year. $13,000 is for the position itself, and the remaining $5,500 is for an academic scholarship.

These positions are funded with both public and private dollars. For example in 2010-2011, AmeriCorps received $475 million in federal support and leveraged an additional $480 million from other sources.

Yes. We want to see both parties come together to address youth unemployment by increasing opportunities for young Americans to serve the country. National service has a history of bipartisan support, and we believe that both parties can unite behind a campaign for service jobs.

AmeriCorps is our nation’s biggest national service program. Since its inception, AmeriCorps has enabled more than 775,000 Americans to serve through a national network of thousands of nonprofit organizations, including City Year, Habitat for Humanity, Teach for America, and many others. AmeriCorps members address critical needs in communities through the country in education, health, housing, economic development, the environment, and disaster response.

Yes. Upon completing a full-time year of service with AmeriCorps, you receive a scholarship of $5,500 for loan repayment or additional schooling. AmeriCorps employees are also eligible for loan forbearance and for two education awards.

President Obama, with strong bipartisan support, signed the Serve America Act in 2009. It authorized historic expansion of national service programs, including AmeriCorps, through 2017. However, each year Congress votes on funding levels and, sadly, has decided to cut into service program funding. This campaign aims to reenergize political support for national service and get it growing again.

Click on the “How Can You Help Tab” and fill out our Volunteer submission form. Once you send us your information, we will be in touch to get you started!

You may email us at info@ourtime.org or call us at 240-347-7484.