What's ahead for 2009?
The Obama Effect
The United States is about to inaugurate a new president who represents the hopes of many for a brighter future. Barack Obama won the election in large part because of his unprecedented ability to mobilize volunteers at the local level – many of whom had never gotten engaged in political action before. He had special appeal to young voters, with whom his campaign connected mainly by Internet technology.
Here are several ways that the Obama Administration may impact volunteering in the United States, along with some of my own editorial comments.
Obama campaign leaders are working hard to maintain the momentum and engagement of their election volunteers in ways that 1) truly give people a way to serve their communities, and 2) are not cynically seen as a ruse to keep the corps intact for the 2012 campaign. They are making a very interesting start with their “Change is Coming” house meetings, in which volunteers are being asked to suggest priorities for the new Administration and develop ideas for grassroots action on real needs.
Already there have been e-mails from both Barack and Michelle Obama urging volunteer action of various sorts. Michelle’s holiday message on December 23rd started with:
This holiday season, the grassroots movement you helped build can make a big difference for those in need. I hope you will join me in supporting your favorite charity or contributing to causes that are especially meaningful to me and my family.
She specifically recommended donating to a local food bank or giving to Operation USO Care, and provided links directly to such sites. Perhaps in the future this Administration will talk about ending hunger and war rather than palliating the effects, but it’s a nice start.
Candidate Obama made campaign promises about enlarging stipended service programs such as the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps. Many also believe that he will favor the proposed U.S. Public Service Academy. So we may see legislation and appropriations that fund these efforts.
President Obama will be appointing the next director of the Corporation for National and Community Service, which will set the tone for that agency’s work in the coming years. From the volunteer management perspective, we’ll be watching whether the new person understands that stipended service is only a small part of “service” and will seek ways to strengthen volunteering infrastructure. Still on the table is the idea of training AmeriCorps members to be volunteer coordinators at the local level (something successfully done by VISTAs in the 1980s) – will this happen and how?
There is also the question of whether someone new will break down the silos that have encased AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and Learn & Serve projects. It’s time that the Corporation presses all these “streams of service” to find their commonalities on the ground.
From http://www.energizeinc.com/hot/2009/09jan.html
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