The Realist Idealist

Getting people engaged in their communities is something I’ve been working on for quite a while - or at least it seems like quite a while to me. From using alternative spring breaks as a catalyst to Active Citizenship with college students to working with company networks to increase corporate volunteerism to doubling the number of US volunteers going abroad each year, a lot of my time is devoted to these issues.

With that lens, I can say that Barack Obama’s plan for Universal Voluntary Citizen Service is the most extraordinary proposal I’ve seen. It’s bold, it’s ambitious, and it’s one of the few things any official or leader has put forward in recent memory that could actually work in addressing climate change, extending health care, improving our schools, and “strengthening America overseas by showing the world the best of our nation.”

More specifically, Obama’s is a comprehensive approach to supporting, strengthening, and promoting public service in the United States with efforts that encompass everything from doubling the size of the Peace Corps to more fully integrating service-learning programs into our schools and universities to expanding Senior Corps.

Of particular interest to me is Obama’s plan to invest in strengthening the nonprofit sector and increase incentive for social entrepreneurs. I’ve seen proposals on almost every other initiative (i.e. service-learning to “Boomer” generation engagement) in the last couple years, but I’ve seen nothing as far-reaching and ambitious as his plans for nonprofit support and spurring innovation in the social sector.

You can see the whole plan here:

http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/NationalServicePlanFactSheet.pdf