National Service is still in the headlines and getting lots of coverage, which is great. Time magazine’s cover story is “How Service Can Save Us” and just a couple of days ago Michael Gerson, opinion writer for the WSJ, published this piece ,”National service can heal a divided nation”.

The Times piece highlights a great organization called Mission Continues that offers service fellowships to returned veterans to work on service projects. Service can actually help returning veterans who suffer from ptsd, depression or are struggling with adjustments from amputations or other wounds.  Studies have shown that service positively impacts heath and psychology, lowers depression and gives people a sense of purpose.

Michael Gerson in his opinion piece speaks to the divided political climate the country is currently facing. Gerson writes,

“How then does a democracy cultivate civic responsibility and shared identity? …A rite of passage in which young people — rich and poor, liberal and conservative, of every racial background — work side by side to address public problems would create, at least, a vivid, lifelong memory of shared national purpose.”

It is exciting to see so many people rally behind the idea of national service. There is certainly the demand with Peace Corps, Americorps, Teach for America, all receiving record number of applicants. Realistically, it is an uphill battle to legislate anything on the scale of universal service but it is a great idea, one that would benefit the participants and the country.

Yesterday, General Stanley McChrystal, former commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, wrote in the Wall Street Journal about the lack of civic engagement among Americans.

“the duties of citizenship have fallen from the national agenda. Talk of service is largely confined to buoyant commencement ceremonies. And too often it is just that: talk.”

He reflected on Lincoln’s call durring the Gettysburg Address for citizens to carry forth the work on the country and called for universal national service. A national service that would be at least a year, non-military and though socially but not legally mandatory.

I think his idea is intriguing and I am curious if other countries have tried universal national service and how was it paid for and enforced.

Interesting, the call for universal national service is coming at a time when there are talks of cutting the Corporation for National Service, despite the strong demand for such programs.

“More than most Americans realize, the demand to serve already exists. In 2011, there were nearly 600,000 applications to AmeriCorps—a program with only 80,000 positions, only half of which are full time. The Peace Corps received 150,000 requests for applications but has funding for only 4,000 new positions each year. This gap represents democratic energy wasted and a generation of patriotism needlessly squandered.”

So what would it take for such a program to work? Political will, money, social support, buy-in from the private sector and Universities? Despite the challenges that would inevitably come with trying to institute a universal mandatory program, I am glad to see coverage highlighting the importance of service.

“It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.”

You may have seen this Ted Talk going around on social media and thought it was worth re-posting.

After studying and working in the nonprofit I think a lot of what Dan Pallotta has to say is spot on. Overhead is a dirty word and it shouldn’t be. Nonprofits need to be transparent but frugality doesn’t equate morality.

Dreaming oftraveling abroad? Take part in an exciting volunteer abroad program and work with communities across the globe.  The volunteer programs combine the overall experience of travelling abroad with volunteering and making a difference. The benefits range from learning new language skills to career advancements, see the list below.

• A Sense of Giving Back: volunteering abroad can have a truly meaningful impact on you as an individual, and on the community in eed. The projects you will work on and the citizens you will meet and work with will remind you of the value of altruism. Volunteering abroad is a way of giving back, with the understanding that you, and the community are working towards a common goal.

• Gain New Skills: while volunteering abroad, you will often be faced with challenges you had never faced before, and you must tackle them head-on. In this process, you will gradually learn new skills – learning from the community members as well as your own project experience. While working on the project and after it has been completed, you will realize a transformation in yourself – one that will continue to resonate with you for the remainder of your lifetime.

• Improve Language Skills: while volunteering abroad, you will have the opportunity to speak to locals in a foreign language – and the best part – you will come to appreciate their native tongue. You will constantly be challenged to speak the foreign language to the best of your ability, while learning new words and cultural expressions.

• Cultural Experience: as we all know, only through living as part of a community, will you be able to truly experience the culture and its value to the locals. While volunteering abroad, you will live and socialize in the community. Whether it’s a rural community in Europe or an urban community in Africa – you will get acquainted with the customs, food and activities of the community that will make your experience a rich cultural experience.

In a recent post in the Huffington Post, Billy Beltz, an executive at “Volunteer Forever,” documents his recent volunteer abroad experience in Greece, and then delves into the hurdles he faced when fundraising for his trip.

Billy Beltz by noting the wide-ranging positive benefits of volunteering abroad, noting:

• International volunteerism effects positive change in communities that need it most
• Returning volunteers always assert that their experience extends far beyond direct assist to their host community
• International volunteerism promotes the exchange of ideas and improved cultural understandings
• International volunteerism creates global citizens and has, at times, lasting personal transformations

All of these lasting, positive benefits have been documented numerous times by returning volunteers, experts and the impacted community. So, why not increase the number of individuals volunteering abroad? The hurdle lays in the cost of volunteer programs – which are often justifiable because of the work done by these non-profits to allow for a safe, informative and valuable experience.

Thus, Bill Beltz and Steven Weddle, sought to make volunteering abroad more economically feasible – so, they created “Volunteer Forever.” This allows students interested in volunteering abroad to “select overseas placements [after reading] authentic reviews and raise money effectively so they could make their trip a reality.” The overall goal of the online platform is allow individuals to tell their story and interest in volunteering abroad, in order to collect donations for their trips.