The American Way to Change How National Service and Volunteers Are Transforming America

by Sagawa, Shirley

• ISBN13: 9780470565575
• ISBN10: 0470565578
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-05-03
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass

Summary

This book will outline a compelling vision of national service at scale and show what this means for our country. By profiling real people who have served, the impact they have made and the nonprofits they worked with, this book will tell a powerful story of change and teach readers (both nonprofits and engaged citizens) how they too can change their own communities through service. For example: Washington DC Public School Chancellor Michelle Rhee began her career as a Teach For America corps member, teaching in an inner city school in Baltimore. She went on to found the New Teacher Project, which has placed 23,000 teachers in hard to fill jobs and sparked important reforms in teacher hiring. Now she is a nationally recognized school system leader, pursuing reforms once thought impossible in a large city district.The author will paint a picture of successes like these, demonstrating their impact in individual communities and how this was done. It will show how America would look if programs like these operated at scale across the country -- not just in one or two neighborhoods, but wherever they were needed. It will describe how we can achieve this goal, through action at the community and organizational level. It will help nonprofits create successful service programs to tackle different issues by offering examples and key lessons. Finally, it will speak to ordinary Americans about what they can do to make a difference -- by advocating, joining AmeriCorps or volunteering in their own communities.

Author Biography

Shirley Sagawa is a fellow at the Washington think tank Center for American Progress. She has been called a "founding mother of the modern service movement" in the United States and has served as head of the Obama transition team for the Corporation for National and Community Service. She continues to advise the administration and congress regarding national service policy. Shirley also consults and advises numerous nonprofits on volunteering and service and served as a staff member of the White House during the Clinton Administration.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. ix
Prologue	p. xiii
Preface	p. xv
Acknowledgments	p. xxix
About the Author	p. xxxi
Introduction	p. 1
About This Book	p. 5
Changing lives: Impacts on Those Who Serve	p. 9
Powering Life Transitions	p. 11
Transition to the Teen Years	p. 14
Transition to Productive Adulthood	p. 20
Transition from College to Career	p. 26
Transition from Career to Retirement	p. 29
Transition from Crisis to Coping	p. 31
Potential for Transformation	p. 34
Strengthening Civic Engagement	p. 37
Service and Civic Engagement	p. 39
How Service Helps	p. 42
Political Activism	p. 46
Potential for Transformation	p. 48
Tackling Tough Problems: Impacts on Others	p. 51
Advancing Education	p. 57
Early Childhood Development	p. 57
Elementary and Secondary Education	p. 61
Potential for Transformation	p. 72
Improving Health and Well-Being	p. 73
Health	p. 73
Aging	p. 81
Potential for Transformation	p. 86
Helping People and Communities in Distress	p. 87
Poverty	p. 87
Disaster	p. 98
Potential for Transformation	p. 107
Protecting the Environment	p. 109
Conserving Energy	p. 109
Protecting the Environment	p. 113
Potential for Transformation	p. 117
Inspiring and Sustaining Innovative Solutions	p. 119
Service and Social Innovation	p. 120
Today's Innovators	p. 128
Service Alumni Entrepreneurs	p. 130
Potential for Transformation	p. 131
What You Can Do	p. 133
Individuals	p. 134
Groups	p. 139
Nonprofit Organizations	p. 141
Educators	p. 146
Business	p. 150
Media and Entertainment	p. 152
Philanthropy	p. 153
Locally Elected Officials	p. 155
State Policymakers	p. 157
Federal Policymakers	p. 159
Potential for Transformation	p. 162
Conclusion	p. 163
Appendix: High-Impact Service Programs	p. 169
Notes	p. 187
Index	p. 209
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