Student Group Spotlight
A Pirate’s Guide to Service Page 2
Peer Counselors
Although the VSLC dedicates a large amount of time recognizing students who volunteer in the community, it is important not to forget those who work alongside us in the office! Currently, there are eight peer counselors who typically spend 10-15 hours per week in the Old Cafeteria Complex helping the VSLC staff with day-to-day upkeep. Most of the students are NC-ACTS! participants, meaning they have agreed to volunteer 300 hours to our office over the course of the academic year in exchange for an educational award at the end of their service. The award, a modest stipend given by AmeriCorps, provides financial relief to tuition costs or federal loans. However, their continued presence and support to the Center is not adequately reflected in a monetary amount. Our office would not be able to function as it does if it were not for these hard-working, dependable students.
East Carolina University
The VSLC peer counselors are multitaskers, to say the least. Some can be found answering the phone, filing registration forms and timesheets, giving class presentations, or advising students on volunteer opportunities. Others are leading student-run programs like FOCUS, or working on special projects such as the Soirée Society. Still, others are handling student feedback on past events (Million Meals Challenge and MLK Day) from surveys, or piecing together a scrapbook that will tell the history of the VSLC. A peer counselor does not come into the office with a concise check-list set before them, where a structured, definite piece of work will define what was finished successfully over the year. Rather, the accomplishments of the peer counselors can be seen daily in the office. From the recruitment of new volunteers, the increase in timesheets turned in, the effectiveness of the staff, or the friendly smile received walking down the hallway. Peer counselors are the backbone holding up the Center. If you would like to receive more information, or would like to apply to be a VSLC peer counselor for the 20092010 academic year, please contact Shawn Moore at mooresh@ecu.edu.
President Obama and Volunteerism
Lately the news has been covering President Obama’s plan for the economy, but what does he have in store for public service? We have seen Obama reading children’s books at grade schools and know of his past commitment to improving the living conditions in poor neighborhoods of South Side Chicago, but what does he want US to do? Listed below are some of plans Obama and Vice President Biden have for America: Expand Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) – expand AmeriCorps from 75,000 to 250,000 slots and focus this expansion on helping teachers and students in underserved schools, improving public health outreach, weatherizing homes and launching new renewable energy projects, assisting veterans, and helping communities plan, prepare and respond to emergencies. Expand Service-Learning – set a goal that all middle and high school students do 50 hours of community service a year. Develop national guidelines for service-learning and give schools better tools both to develop programs and to document student experience.
Service in College – establish a new American Opportunity Tax Credit worth $4,000 a year in exchange for 100 hours of public service a year.
The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.
College Serve-Study – ensure that at least 25% of College Work-Study funds are used to support public service opportunities instead of jobs in dining halls or libraries.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Expand Youth Programs – create an energy-focused youth jobs program to provide disadvantaged youth with service opportunities weatherizing buildings and getting practical experience. Expand the YouthBuild program to give 50,000 disadvantaged young people the chance to complete their high school education, learn valuable skills and build affordable housing in their communities.
Best Face of America – set up an America’s Voice Initiative to deploy Americans who are fluent speakers of local languages for public diplomacy. Expand opportunities for older individuals such as teachers, engineers and doctors to serve overseas. Source: www.whitehouse.gov