In the aftermath of september 11, words have flowed easily but actions have been limited indeed. We are at war with
terrorism, yet for all but a relatively small number of Americans on active military service, no one has been asked to sacrifice.
It is time for sacrifice. It is time for “mandatory volunteerism.” It is time for required national service.
Decades ago, in a political campaign in Virginia, the gubernatorial candidate was advised by a neighboring governor to surround himself with young people “because only young people don't know that things can't get done.” While that statement is obviously overstated, we must, as in past instances of national stress, engage our young.
Franklin Roosevelt created the National Youth Administration; John Kennedy gave us the Peace Corps; Lyndon Johnson constituted the ACTION and VISTA programs; and, most recently, George W. Bush called for the USA Freedom Corps to combine existing organizations and to “foster culture of service, citizenship, and responsibility.” Hardly unique, therefore, that the call to our young to give something back to their nation is now needed perhaps more than ever.
Such initiatives work. For instance, since AmeriCorps began in 1994, more that 250,000 members have taught and mentored millions of children, built affordable housing, and engaged in environmental cleanup efforts.
The contributions of young people, however, do not end with those umbrella organizations. At colleges across the land, students give countless hours of community service. While some of that service is part
of an internship or a course and while some involve stipends, most is voluntary. Purely voluntary. Well, almost voluntary, because at my college, we do require, as part of orientation, a day of community service to show students how easy it is to make a difference.
And make a difference students do.
From acting as Big Brothers or Big Sisters, to rebuilding homes, to tutoring poor children, to teaching kids how to use computers, to raising funds for those less fortunate, our students have been busy giving back to society.
In the meantime, many older citizens question the finances for programs like AmeriCorps, whose total budget would keep the Defense Department running for
a few hours. We need both a strong military and a strong force of committed civilians, and we need now to finalize what many of our young have already embraced.
As a father whose two sons will soon be of age, and as a college president who for
22 years has worked daily with young people, I believe that postponing college or careers for two years of national service would be an appropriate price to pay for
our democracy and that that price might well be welcomed by many. Let, therefore, our young choose between military and other forms of national service, but make them choose.
Would there be a budgeting impact to a program of national service? And would there be administrative obstacles to overcome? Of course. The real issue, though, is one of priorities. For democracy to work, citizens need to participate in the life and well-being of the nation.
Let's give our young people the opportunity to contribute. Let's have “mandatory volunteerism” in the form of required national service. Ultimately, that action would be the best tribute we can provide
to the victims of September 11.