Service Year Alliance

Our board chair Stan McChrystal spoke about the value of national service and its ability to bridge America's divides on CBS Sunday Morning today: "Young Americans come together for a year or two and work together in efforts as varied as health care, education, conservation, the military or other community projects. ...They work alongside other young Americans, serving fellow citizens and learning about each other and themselves. So how could this work? First it exists today in the many programs like AmeriCorps, City Year, and AmeriCorps VISTA but needs to be expanded. A public-private partnership providing a central funding for stipends and other needs, creating programs and opportunities, and establishing a set of supporting policies like educational grants and job placements for national service veterans is needed. It costs money and it takes effort, but the benefits of producing better citizens who are more connected to each other is worth any amount and the time to get serious is now." We are proud to be working to expand and enhance existing #nationalservice programs to bring this inspiring vision to life and make national service part of growing up in America. https://lnkd.in/eYSe9xHC

2024 was a year to remember at Service Year Alliance. And we’re incredibly grateful for the partners, funders, and supporters allied in pursuit of a more cohesive, vibrant, and resilient service year sector. Take a look back at all that we accomplished together in this year-end reflection: https://lnkd.in/gJf-EVxA

Important news from AmeriCorps and the United States Department of Defense yesterday. The two organizations announced the re-establishment of a partnership that strengthens the pathways for young people to serve our country. Specifically, the memorandum signed will provide information and access to service opportunities in AmeriCorps NCCC for individuals not eligible or selected for military service. We applaud this agreement. It's a meaningful step to make service years both a common expectation and opportunity for all young Americans. For more on the partnership: https://lnkd.in/dATHeVVT “Service is service in all its forms,” said Shawn Skelly, about the agreement. Skelly is Performing the Duties of Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, and helped lead the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service. The Commission shared 154 recommendations in 2020, like the agreement just announced, that move us closer to a "whole of government" approach to service. Read more about the Commission's recommendations, including our reflections from the convening earlier this year about their full report, here: https://lnkd.in/d2J3DgCZ

#AmeriCorpsAlums: Catch the latest alumni news and resources in our latest edition of "The Alums Corner: The Scoop After Service": ➡ Profiles of alums who continue to rise to the challenge through disaster relief and environmental stewardship. ➡ Upcoming alumni award nomination deadlines from National Peace Corps Association, Peace Corps and AmeriCorps. ➡ Insights about translating your service year experience into a career in the green sector. Check out current and past issues on our website and subscribe for future editions: https://lnkd.in/eHpJG8xt

The future of work may involve #genAI, but, according to LinkedIn's Most In Demand Skills report, soft skills like communication, adaptability, and leadership are the most sought-after by employers right now. Great insights from Peace Corps about how the service year-to-career pipeline is as strong as ever.

This giving season, we’re thankful for how much you’ve given through service and volunteerism. Our friends at AmeriCorps and the U.S. Census Bureau recently shared just how many Americans lent their time, energy, and goodwill in service to others. Between 2022 and 2023, a staggering 75 million Americans chose to sign up through an organization or association and do their part to address challenges facing their community. In total, these volunteers served an estimated 4.99 billion hours with an economic value of $167.2 billion. Check out the full report at: https://lnkd.in/gRTzZ6SU #NationalService #ServiceYear

Last fall, we released “Advancing Pre-Apprenticeship Programming Through National Service” with Jobs for the Future (JFF) and Next100. The report shared three key reasons why national service programs should integrate a pre-apprenticeship model in their service year experience. (And, in many cases, only minor adjustments are needed for programs to make this a reality.) Read the full report at: https://lnkd.in/g_yEtzy8 #NAW2024 #ApprenticeshipWeek #WorkforceDevelopment

Service years have a long track record of launching alums into meaningful and sustaining post-service careers, and apprenticeships can be an important launchpad in this effort. But few young people know about them. Our research earlier this year with Data for Progress found that, with just a bit of context, pre-apprenticeship and registered apprenticeship programs can be an attractive avenue to early career development, including in the green sector. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/esem4k8s #NAW2024 #NationalApprenticeshipWeek

It’s National #ApprenticeshipWeek. Join Service Year Alliance this afternoon at 4PM ET for a conversation about Pathways to Clean Energy Careers: https://lnkd.in/gVfNgbia Current corps members, service year alums, clean energy employers, and industry and service year program leaders are invited to join us to learn more about: ➡ the clean energy sector ➡ the intersections between service and these high impact positions ➡ how to locate jobs within the sector #NAW2024

🏡 Did you know? The average age of an owner-occupied home in the U.S. is 40 years old. Four decades of wear-and-tear from heat, rain, wind, and cold is bound to require some need for upkeep. That’s where weatherization comes into play. It’s National Weatherization Day, and service years are an increasingly vital piece of the weatherization effort. Across the country, service year programs are partnering with industry partners and state weatherization agencies to train the next generation of green workforce professionals. This special coloring book follows Maya, an Energy Auditor, and others in their work to weatherize a family home - a great way for kids and classrooms to learn about home weatherization! Thanks to Green Workforce Connect, a collaboration from our friends at Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) and partners, for creating the coloring book. https://lnkd.in/g_DyMDQK #weatherization #serviceyears #nationalservice #greenjobs