EducationWorks and its programs are about rekindling the spirit of community by engaging citizens to attend to unmet needs in our society. While our nation has a rich tradition of community service and volunteerism we have also suffered a diminution of ‘civitas' - a commitment to the civic good. We have not placed value on the responsibility of citizens to each other with the same zeal with which we have encouraged the pursuit of self-interest. By rekindling the spirit of community, uniting citizens in the common cause to address the challenges and create opportunities for children and youth, we can bridge the gaps, reinforce the values of education and civic responsibility, and foster mutual respect between people of different backgrounds.
We believe that through proactive service, all participants (including staff, AmeriCorps members, students, and community adults) develop and practice the leadership skills needed for productive citizenship. They also develop personal and social responsibility through their community service projects and service learning.
EW's first program, the National School and Community Corps, was started as a model demonstration national service program in 1992 under the National and Community Service Act of 1990. That law was amended in 1993, creating AmeriCorps, which has served as the federal program providing funding, structure, recognition, and a network of supportive programs.
EW takes pride in embodying the AmeriCorps ethic and being part of its network.
AmeriCorps
"We recognize the value of national service as a tool in meeting important needs in our states. We have seen national service at work in our states. We do not want to lose this force for good in our communities, states and country."
A letter to Congress from the nation's Governors, 2003
AmeriCorps calls on all Americans to play an active role in building a smarter, safer and healthier future. It encourages us to celebrate our diversity and strengthen our spirit of community. AmeriCorps follows in the great service traditions of the Civilian Conservation Corps, GI Bill, Peace Corps, and VISTA.
Each year, more than 1.5 million people serve in national service programs in all 50 states, tribes, and U.S. territories. AmeriCorps programs are designed and driven locally. Local communities know their problems best and are most capable of inventing innovative and entrepreneurial solutions. The national service network offers opportunities to replicate good ideas and to expand programs that work.
There are four components of the AmeriCorps ethic:
Getting Things Done
Helping communities meet their education, public safety, human, and environmental needs through service
Strengthening Communities
Uniting individuals from different backgrounds - and institutions of all kinds - in the common effort to improve our communities
Encouraging Responsibility
Acting on duty to self, family, community, and country
Expanding Opportunity
Helping those who help America with funds for post-secondary education, training, work experience, and life skills
USA Freedom Corps
During his 2002 State of the Union address, President George W. Bush called upon every American to get involved in strengthening America's communities and sharing America's compassion around the world. He called on each of us to dedicate at least two years over the course of our lives to the service of others. He included all Americans because everyone can do something, and he created the USA Freedom Corps (USAFC) to help all Americans to answer his call.
National and community service programs are one way to answer the President's call. Senior Corps taps the skills, talents, and experience of older Americans, while AmeriCorps gives citizens the opportunity to perform intensive service over an uninterrupted period. Learn and Serve America, which links classroom studies with service in the community, is an important and effective way of instilling the habits of good citizenship and fostering a lifelong ethic of service among young Americans.
USA Freedom Corps (USAFC) brings together the resources of the federal government with the nonprofit, business, educational, faith-based, and other sectors. As a coordinating council housed at the White House and chaired by President Bush, USA Freedom Corps has:
• built a comprehensive network where individuals can find service opportunities that match their interests and talents in their hometowns, across the country, or around the world;
• worked to expand and strengthen federal service programs like the Peace Corps (link), Citizen Corps (link), AmeriCorps (link), and Senior Corps (link), and to raise awareness of and break down barriers to service opportunities with all federal government agencies; and
• begun the process of working with educators and others to help increase civic awareness and participation in communities across the country.
Over the past four years, USAFC has helped Americans answer that call, and the American people are responding. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 65.4 million Americans volunteered in 2005.
