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BARACk OBAMA'S PLAN FOR UNIvERSAL
vOLUNTARY PUBLIC SERvICE
AT A GLANCE
Ask All Americans to Work Together to Meet Our Common Challenges
Obama will expand AmeriCorps to 250,000 slots and double the Peace Corps and dedicate these positions
to addressing America's common challenges. He also will provide new service opportunities for working
Americans and retirees.
Expand Service Learning
Obama will integrate service-learning into our schools to enable students to graduate college with as many as
17 weeks of service experience.
Bolster the Nonprofit Sector
By leveraging federal dollars, Obama will foster the use of best practices of the private sector to nurture
innovation in the nonprofit sector.
THE PROBLEM
Americans Not Asked to Serve After 9/11
President Bush squandered an opportunity to mobilize the American people following 9/11 when asked
Americans only to go shopping.
Insufficient Federal Support for Service
While more than 500,000 people have served in AmeriCorps, the program turns away tens of thousands of
applicants a year because of limited funding.
Need for More R&D in Nonprofit Sector
Research and development in the nonprofit sector is limited and there is a disconnect between charitable
foundations that can fund innovation and the organizations on the ground that can test new concepts and
bring them to scale.
SERvICE