This Memorial Day Weekend, Stories of Service hosted four different school and organizations for their annual Memorial Day National Call to Service events! This was the first year that HTMMA students could participate in the digital bootcamp, wreath laying, banquet, and parade march led by the Stories of Service organization! It was a fun-filled, memorable experience of honoring our veterans of all wars. The fanfare and the D.C. welcome assured us that our place in serving our country was truly recognized! We had many adventures, but mostly, sharing the stories of our veterans and our own journey to represent them made the weekend full of emotion and celebration! This slideshow chronicles our trip in Washington, D.C.

Stories of Service kids get the spotlight on the 4 o'clock news

Reporter Jeanne Rawdin came to HTMMA to spotlight the Stories of SErvice kids in their first television news interview!

Thanks to Political Editor, Hoa Quach, at the San Diego News Network, our kids get to talk on camera and share their experiences with San Diegans!

Here’s a link to our story:

http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-05-12/news/local-students-to-walk-annual-memorial-day-parade

Local 8th Graders Produce Documentaries About Veterans for Largest Memorial Day Parade in Nation’s Capitol
Youngest invitees in the Nation and only reps from San Diego to attend Stories of Service Call to Service National Rally

SAN DIEGO, CA-May 6, 2009

This Memorial Day, when you turn on the television to watch the National Parade held in our nation’s Capitol, you might want to look closely for eight marching 8th grade students from High Tech Middle Media Arts, a public charter school in Point Loma’s Liberty Station, holding the large-format portraits of veterans they interviewed and produced documentaries about for a national service learning project called, Stories of Service.  They are the youngest kids invited to Washington, D.C. to participate in a digital filmmaking bootcamp and to have the honor to answer personally the President’s National Call to Service.

Five months ago, the students who signed up to participate had no idea of the enormity of the experience they would have by getting involved with Stories of Service, a service learning project that brings together students and veterans to document the life and wartime experiences of the men and women who served our country using the power of digital technology.   The program started in California’s Silicon Valley in 1998 by the Digital Clubhouse Network, a nonprofit created by NASA, that was one of the founding partners of the Veterans Oral History Project of the Library of Congress, and which has received three medals from the Smithsonian for its “visionary use of information technology to improve society.”  Warren Hegg, founder of the Stories of Service organization, relates that from the veteran’s perspective, “they don’t die, they just go digital.”  Five months later, Stories of Service is inviting the youngest participants in the nation to answer the call to service, and they will be flying out of San Diego on Memorial Day weekend to share the pride they have in the opportunity to represent a war hero at this year’s festivities.

After two successful screenings to more than 200 guests at the Veteran’s Museum in Balboa Park, where 12 videos were screened since March in honor of veterans from WWII to present-day Iraq, the students are on their way to gain more training to tell the stories of these fascinating and decorated men and women who have sacrificed so much for our country.
Seeing veterans walk through the doors of HTMMA to record a voiceover, or have a filmed interview has become part of the community vibe, as kids buzz for instance about the Pearl Harbor Survivor walking down their hallways.  Their multimedia teacher, Zoe Randall, has seen a great leap in the interest students have in history as a result of their meetings with soldiers and sailors from WWII.  “In today’s world, it’s not about teaching from textbooks, but about gaining a connection to the past through personal relationships and first-person accounts.  To see a young girl learn about the Battle of Iwo Jima from a man who lived through those terrible days brought more meaning than any textbook lesson or dramatization in a movie.  If we can bring history into the classroom through  a real world connection, students will be more engaged and veterans also will feel like their service meant something to our younger generations. It’s the perfect model for a multimedia project that bridges history, technology, and today.”

As they get ready to leave for Washington, D.C. to make history and San Diego proud, these 8th grade students realize the great weight of their responsibility.  Having been through the weeks it takes to produce quality storytelling, they too have served their time to make the memories of their veterans everlasting gifts for their families and friends.  The students have shown their commitment to serve and give back to their community, but also know that these experiences and encounters can be life-changing.  As one student remarked after telling the story of her neighbor who served during WWII, “At first Bill was just my neighbor down the street, but now he’s Bill, a hero from WWII.  He’s my hero.”

We’ll be bringing back many more stories once we return from Washington, D.C., but I hope that this inspires many of you become a part of the story by making your own at the Stories of Service website , and make history come alive in your own community!  And, help HTMMA keep the legacy of service going by contributing to make sure that our story shows others what is possible!

Also, please get in contact with Zoe Randall if you’d like to help or get involved!

8th Grade High Tech Students Invited to Nation’s Capitol

This Memorial Day, 8th grade students from High Tech Middle Media Arts will represent San Diego in the nation’s largest Memorial Day Parade as invited guests of the Stories of Service service-learning project. The students answered the President’s Call to Service at the West Coast Rally held at the USS Midway on January 19th and will complete their journey in Washington, D.C. this May. They are the youngest people in the nation to attend the Stories of Service digital filmmaking bootcamp and wreath laying ceremonies, and will have a chance to share the stories of our veterans community of San Diego as they walk with their veteran’s image in the national parade.

Stories of Service is a non-profit organization who’s mission is to mobilize youth to connect with veterans and to learn about history by capturing their stories of sacrifice and service in student-produced videos. Normally a project pursued by high schools around the nation, High Tech Middle Media Arts 8th grade students rose to the challenge with the help of their multimedia teacher, Zoe Randall to tell these stories of the people who fought for our country, especially those from the World War II generation which are fading at a rate of one every 90 seconds. Warren Hegg, founder of Stories of Service and their umbrella organization, Digital Clubhouse Network, phrased the importance of this project as a way of “saving these people’s lives forever.” He references a veteran who proclaimed, “they don’t die, they just go digital.”

When teacher, Zoe Randall, heard about this project from a colleague, she figured she’d pursue it and find more information about how to offer it at High Tech Middle Media Arts, a charter school in Point Loma which specializes in project-based learning. Two months later, the 8th grade students produced their first digital stories about local heroes and hosted a screening in their honor at the Veteran’s Museum in Balboa Park to an audience of more than 100 people. The Veteran’s Museum has now hosted two screenings and has been a pivotal partner in helping students find veterans stories.

As a teacher, she’s seen dramatic growth in her students and a joy in them to learn more about history. When a group of girls found a veteran from WWII, they met with him at school and conducted interviews to learn about his life and service in the Pacific and European theaters, which made them engaged in a subject that before their meeting was not very interesting to them. “Seeing the kids learn about their country’s history through the personal stories of the people who lived before them opens their eyes to the past, when in today’s world they live so technologically-focused on the future. The connections they make on both ends is one of the most valuable educational experiences I’ve witnessed, for it relates the generations and gives way to a safe venue for these people to share their most haunting, intimate stories that are in some cases the first time they’ve ever been able to tell them. As a media teacher, this project not only teaches kids how to produce quality videos but shows them how media can be used to change lives and make a difference.”

In a tough economy, the students are furiously trying to fundraise so they can pay their fare in Washington, D.C. throught bake sales and raffles, and are looking for support from the community in their efforts to give back. If anyone can help them get to this historic event and be there for San Diego, please make your donations to: HTMMA and send them to 2230 Truxtun Rd, San Diego, CA 92106.

In a time when news headlines are bleak and negative, it’s reassuring to have a bright hope in the students of today, our leaders of tomorrow. Thank you for reading our story of service!

Veteran's Museum, Balboa Park 3.20.09

The very first screening of the HTMMA Stories of Service Project was held at the Veteran’s Museum, in Balboa Park, March 20th. The students projected their documentaries about local war veterans from WWII to present day Iraq. They spent two months working on these stories which included interviews with the veterans at school and on location. After recording voice-overs and scanning original images from their veterans they edited a lifetime of history into a five-minute feature of their lives.

Our first reception at the Veteran’s museum was a hit! We welcomed an audience of amazing guests, including Edith Shain. The Stories of Service organization founders and volunteers came to support us, as well as family and friends.

Our next screening is tomorrow night, at the Veteran Museum from 6:30pm-7:30pm. We’re very fortunate to all of our supporters and look forward to telling more stories soon!

As many of you know, this coming Monday is Martin Luther King Day.  As part of a national effort and a major push from the Obama transition team, this is a day of service.  We encourage everyone to find service events in their neighborhood and join with their neighbors to improve schools and parks, community centers and shelters.  We hope everyone will chip-in to make this a “day on, not a day off.”

You can click here to find events near you by entering your zip code.  There are thousands of events around the country in which to participate.  Yes, it’s an early start when it could be a day to sleep in!  But it’s very rewarding to help out a community and meet new people.  It’s a small sacrifice that feels good by the end of the day.

This is the best way to honor the legacy of Dr. King who lived his life in service to others.  I will be serving at Simon Baker Elementary school in Washington, DC and will report back about my experience on the blog.  If you would like to do the same, feel free to email me (zach at servenext.org) and we’ll post the story so we can hear about different experiences around the country.  It’s particularly inspiring to know that all over the country hundreds of thousands (hopefully millions!) will be serving simultaneously to improve hundreds of schools and neighborhoods.  Let us honor Dr. King’s legacy and heed Barack Obama’s call to service for this Monday.  

For those of you  focusing your Individual and History NHD project on a veteran, you may want to check out Stories of Service: http://www.digiclub.org/sofs/index.php?page_id=4

This is an organization/project that could go hand in hand with your NHD project as you interview veterans (and especially if you’re planning on creating a documentary).

In short, Stories of Service wants to document (using “mini-movies”) the stories of America’s veterans to be shared with schools, libraries and museums.

The group is a partner of NHD and has developed an online digital tool kit to help produce a NHD documentary.  (It’s worth using as a resource for anyone planning a docuementary)  http://www.digiclub.org/sofs/index.php?page_id=32

If you’re not planning on creating a project based on veteran interviews…well keep Stories of Service in mind over the holidays.  It’s the perfect time to interview grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles and capture their stories.

Please Don’t Stop the Music!
The Huffington Post reports that MusicianCorps—piloted by the Music National Service Initiative (MNSi)—dedicated to public schools and underserved communities will sharpen critical skills a child needs to succeed in the creative economy and “solve our greatest future challenges.”

With a “musical Peace Corps,” children will have a greater chance at becoming more innovative while having fun. Studies have shown that music education increase concentration abilities and intuitive and conceptual thinking. Moreover, kids love music and “nothing engages young people in this process of learning better than music and the arts.”

Big Enough to Matter
Just how big…is big? The growth of various social media worldwide is big. Social Citizens have listed a few factual tidbits from the report Wave.3, which chronicles the growth of social media. Some are noteworthy, like the fact that 83% of people are watching online videos, an increase from 62% at the time of the last study in June 2007. In addition, 78% of people are reading blogs, an increase from 66% in the previous study. More than half of internet users are members of social networks like Facebook and MySpace.

Coming Together to Reduce Abuse
The new report, “Strategies to Reduce Child and Family Poverty” from the National Governor’s Association highlights the main causes of poverty and offers various ways of reducing this longstanding issue. The report encourages state leaders to pursue several policy and program options, such as: expand safety-net opportunities for families in crisis, increase the returns on work, improve access to work supports and invest in young children, to name a few. The report can be viewed in PDF format in its entirety at the Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America.

Baby Boomers aka Graying Do-Gooders
It isn’t even close to being over for the Boomers. Many blogs, including America Forward, have reported on a large number of Baby Boomers who are considering taking up “encore careers” in the social sector, instead of retiring. Although service is still an ever-growing passion of the young, older Americans want to serve and bring along with them their experience, wisdom and expertise. Nicholas Kristof, an Op-Ed columnist for the New York Times, says, “The best things that graying do-gooders bring to philanthropy is their management experience and Rolodexes.”

McCain for “A Nation of Service”
On September 11, 2008, presidential hopeful, John McCain, will speak at a national forum held by ServiceNation—a coalition of various service groups, including AARP and United way of America—reports the Associated Press. He will highlight the importance of remembrance for those who have served as well as focus on how to “inspire others to serve causes greater than their own self-interest through national and community service.”

The survey found that, “At least 6 percent of Americans between the ages of 44 and 70, or 5.3 million people, are working in second careers with charities, governments, schools, or other institutions that benefit society.”  This percentage will surely continue to grow.

A reader who left a comment at the bottom of the article on the Chronicle’s website asked an interesting question: Are they [boomers entering the non-profit work force] taking jobs away from millenials?

Interesting question.  Is this a valid concern?

Read the whole article here.

The piece says, “They are too modest to make any such claim themselves, but this hamlet’s epic battle against the surging Mississippi River would almost certainly not be going as well as it is were it not for Henning, 25, Rooney, 23, and a handful of their AmeriCorps teammates.”

And props to the writer, Mike Stuckey of MSNBC, for saying this: “The next time you feel like kvetching about how the federal government wastes your tax dollars, think about Kyle Henning and Katie Rooney. For health insurance, a few hundred bucks a month, a small educational grant and all the ready-to-eat meals they can stomach, they just might save your town.”

And for my favorite line comes from one of the featured AmeriCorps members: “Others are worried about getting started in the work world and “don’t realize the career advantages” of experiences like AmeriCorps, she adds.”

Read the whole article at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25200476/page/2/

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Ending where and how it began, former U.S. Senator John Edwards (D-NC) will serve in New Orleans’ lower 9th ward immediately after withdrawing from the 2008 race for President of the United States.  Edwards announced his White House bid nearly 13 months ago and then rolled up his sleeves, volunteering alongside residents to refurbish a hurricane-ravished part of the Crescent City.  

Edwards planned to announce his campaign was ending with his wife and three children at his side. Then he planned to work with Habitat for Humanity at the volunteer-fueled rebuilding project Musicians’ Village, the adviser said.

With that, Edwards’ campaign will end the way it began 13 months ago – with the candidate pitching in to rebuild lives in a city still ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. Edwards embraced New Orleans as a glaring symbol of what he described as a Washington that didn’t hear the cries of the downtrodden.

In October, Edwards signed the ServeNext Pledge to expand AmeriCorps by 100,000 members and told Granite State voters that he would announce a comprehensive National Service plan “before the New Hampshire Primary.“  Sadly, the plan never saw the light of day.

President George W. Bush (R) marked last week’s Martin Luther King Jr. King holiday by volunteering and calling on Americans to honor his legacy by showing compassion on the holiday and throughout the year.  The President and First Lady Laura Bush joined dozens of volunteers at the Martin Luther King Jr. library as they repaired and shelved books and taught lessons about King’s life to children. More than a half million Americans served at over 5,000 King Day of Service projects across the country.

“They say Martin Luther King Day is not a day off, it should be a day on,” said the President. “But a day on should be not just one day. It really ought to be every day. And our fellow citizens have got to understand that by loving a neighbor like you’d like to be loved yourself, by reaching out to someone who hurts, by just simply living a life of kindness and compassion, you can make America a better place and fulfill the dream of Martin Luther King.”

One week later, President Bush’s 2002 State of the Union volunteerism initiative was described as ”sputtering” in a New York Times article.  The President asked Americans to devote at least two year - 4,000 hours – of their lives to public service, promised to expand AmeriCorps, double the size of the Peace Corps, and created the USA Freedom Corps to help facilitate the process of connecting citizens with volunteer opportunities. 

The initiative has had some success. Early on, John Bridgeland (a top Bush aide) helped set up the Citizens Corps, a national network of doctors, firefighters and others who volunteer in an emergency, and today there are 2,300 Citizens Corps councils across the country. The White House says that since 2000 it has recruited more than one million Americans, far more than the 200,000 new recruits Mr. Bush promised.

But the initiative has also fallen short of some goals. The Peace Corps, which had 6,663 volunteers in 2002, today has 8,049 — more than at any time in the past 30 years, but hardly the doubling the president promised.

And though the president also pledged to increase the ranks of AmeriCorps to 75,000 from 50,000, critics said he did so through creative accounting, because fewer than half the 75,000 slots are full time.

“There are a whole lot of shell games they engaged in, in order to try to not back away from the president’s announced target,” said Bob Putnam, a professor of public policy at Harvard who was consulted by the administration. “I thought Bush got it, and that’s why I worked with him. He talked a good game, the president, but I’m actually pretty cynical of it now.”

In what one might have guessed was in response to the article’s criticism, President Bush recognized citizen service in his final State of the Union address last night.

In communities across our land, we must trust in the good heart of the American people and empower them to serve their neighbors in need. Over the past seven years, more of our fellow citizens have discovered that the pursuit of happiness leads to the path of service. Americans have volunteered in record numbers.

But that’s wasn’t the end of it…

Following the address, U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ), who immediately after 9/11 suggested expanding AmeriCorps’ membership to 250,000 and then in 2003 introduced a bill to expand the program to 175,000 members, told MSNBC’s Chris Matthews that the President has missed an opportunity to call Americans into service.  He cited his encounters on the Presidential campaign trail with volunteers from organizations including “AmeriCorps, City Year, and the ONE Campaign.”   

Earlier this afternoon, the White House released a statement from President Bush commemorating the 6th anniversary of the USA Freedom Corps.

People across this great Nation have heard the universal call to love a neighbor and are using their time and talents to make a difference in the lives of others. On the sixth anniversary of the USA Freedom Corps, we celebrate the spirit of service in America and honor the volunteers whose good work represents the generous character of our country.

After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, I created the USA Freedom Corps to build on the countless acts of service, sacrifice, and generosity undertaken by our citizens. The USA Freedom Corps is dedicated to expanding volunteer service and extending the goodwill of the American people across our country and around the globe. By connecting individuals with volunteer opportunities, the USA Freedom Corps has helped ensure that millions of people have a chance to make a difference in the lives of those in need. The USA Freedom Corps also helps strengthen the non-profit sector and supports other national service programs and initiatives such as the Peace Corps, Citizen Corps, AmeriCorps, and Senior Corps. These efforts can help us build a more hopeful country and create a chain of compassion for generations to come.

Volunteers demonstrate kindness and touch lives. With hard work and dedication, volunteers help the less fortunate, respond to crises, mentor children, assist the elderly, and strengthen our communities. I urge all Americans to serve others and to learn more about service opportunities by visiting the USA Freedom Corps website. By providing help and hope to others, Americans can lead the world toward a more caring and compassionate tomorrow.

What will President Bush’s legacy be when it comes to National Service in America?

More importantly, what role with the next President play in expanding National Service programs?   

Republican candidate for U.S. Congress (NH-2), Mr. Jim Steiner visited City Year New Hampshire headquarters to receive the education briefing on the scope of City Year programs in New Hampshire. Said Steiner, “the benefits conferred by the members within Nashua and other communities is why I will advocate for increasing our AmeriCorps programs, including City Year, as a member of Congress.”

Steiner lists increasing national public service opportunities for young people as an issue he would promote as a Congressman from New Hampshire’s 2nd district. “I observed the same comraderie and espirit de corps with the City Year members as I learned as an infantry officer and Green Beret,” said Steiner.

Noting that too few young adults have opportunities to serve their country, in either the armed forces, or the “unarmed” forces, as Steiner describes the AmeriCorps and Peace Corps programs, he notes “young people from New Hampshire get involved in the program, and learn and grow by working in another part of the country. Similarly, young people, and I spoke with a few today who arrived from Indiana, California and New York, come to New Hampshire and participate in educational support roles in our schools. Though their stipend proves to be less than minimum wage, they work more than full time, grow as citizens, the schools they support are improved, and they have an impact felt far beyond the walls of the schools themselves.”

Steiner believes more opportunities, not less, for young adults to serve their country is vital for the country, the economy and the sense of citizenship that comes from public service. “What I learned as a young officer, in working with soldiers from all across the United States, is something these young people get the opportunity to experience as members of our armed forces, or as members of City Year.”

Jim Steiner continues to travel across the 2nd district, meeting with republican groups, business groups and supporters in their homes to allow voters a chance to question him. “This is New Hampshire. Voters want to kick the tires and interact with you. I appreciate their candor and I appreciate that they welcome me to address issues with them. I am also appreciating a growing momentum as people turn to me now that they have been able to compare my background as a veteran and in making laws in New Hampshire the last twenty years, with the backgrounds of the other candidates or possible candidates.”

Steiner is a former Army Green Beret who has been a Concord attorney for the last two decades. He may be reached through his website.

As young voter turnout – unseen since 1968 – continues to play an important role in the complex plot that is Election ’08, New Hampshire Primary winners U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) join Iowa Caucus winners Governor Mike Huckabee (R-AR) and U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) as the four candidates (arguably) best poised to not only secure their party’s nomination and become the next President of the United States, but also expand National Service before the end of their first term.

According to the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (CIRCLE), 37% of eligible New Hampshire citizens under the age of 30 participated in yesterday’s New Hampshire Primary. The youth turnout rate rose sharply to 43% in 2008 compared to 18% in 2004 (with a contested race only for Democrats) and 28% in 2000 (with contested races for both Democrats and Republicans). An estimated 18% of total Democrat Primary voters and 14% of total Republican Primary voters were between the ages of 18-29, making them an important group of voters that must be taken seriously by both parties’ campaigns.

This morning on Democracy Now!, host Amy Goodman dug deeper on the Democratic race with University of New Hampshire professor Dante Scala and Granite State media maven Arnie Arnesen.

AMY GOODMAN: Last night when she gave her acceptance speech, she wasn’t standing next to Madeleine Albright, the former secretary of state under her husband, President Bill Clinton, and on the other side, Bill Clinton himself, sort of the old guard; she was standing against a backdrop of kids. What about the significance of this? And how important was that young vote for both Barack Obama and for Hillary Clinton? Talk about how it broke down around the state. Didn’t Barack Obama end up speaking near—was it Dartmouth?

DANTE SCALA: Well, I think what we saw last night was—again, kind of along gender lines—is that a lot of young women in New Hampshire see Hillary Clinton as a role model. Their moms probably see Hillary Clinton as a role model.

…

ARNIE ARNESEN: And the other thing is, Dante, that the reason why she was surrounded by all these young people is she now looked at where Obama thought he had his asset, and she is saying to Obama, “I’m going right after that youth. That’s not yours. Don’t assume you own it. Don’t assume you’re the only one that can invite it in.” And she—I mean, this—it’s a brilliant strategy.

…

ARNIE ARNESEN: Then she goes after that youth vote. Who owned that youth vote? Barack Obama. Now Hillary Clinton, with that montage behind her of young people, she is now attempting to own that. This is a brilliant political strategy.

On the Republican side, Senator McCain spoke of his passion for public service in his victory speech:

Tonight, we have taken a step, but only the first step toward repairing the broken politics of the past and restoring the trust of the American people in their government. The people of New Hampshire have told us again that they do not send us to Washington to serve our self-interest, but to serve theirs.

They don’t send us to fight each other for our own political ambitions, but to fight together our real enemies. They don’t send us to Washington to stroke our egos, to keep this beautiful, bountiful, blessed country safe, prosperous and proud. They don’t send us to Washington to take more of their money and waste it on things that add not an ounce to America’s strength and prosperity. They don’t help a single family realize the dreams we all dream for our children, that don’t help a single displaced worker find a new job, and the security and dignity it assures them, that won’t keep the promise we make to young workers that the retirement they have begun to invest in will be there for them when they need it.

They don’t send us to Washington to do their job, but to do ours. My friends, I didn’t go to Washington to go along to get along or to play it safe to serve my own interests. I went there to serve my country. And that, my friends, is just what I intend to do if I am so privileged to be elected your president.

…

I salute the supporters of all the candidates who worked so hard to achieve a success tonight and who believe so passionately in the promise of their candidate. And I want to assure them that though I did not have their support, and though we may disagree from time to time on how to best advance America’s interests and ideals, they have my genuine respect, for they have worked for a cause they believe, is good for the country we all love, a cause greater than their self-interest.

My friends, I learned long ago that serving only one’s self is a petty and unsatisfying ambition. But serve a cause greater than self- interest and you will know a happiness far more sublime than the fleeting pleasure of fame and fortune. For me, that greater cause has always been my country, which I have served imperfectly for many years, but have loved without any reservation every day of my life.

Senator McCain introduced legislation after 9/11 to expand AmeriCorps from 70k to 250k members. He often speaks to the importance of National Service on the campaign trail as part of his stump speech, though he has yet to clearly outline a comprehensive plan.

Senator Clinton announced at Plymouth State University her support for increasing Eli Segal Education Award from $4,725 to $10,000 for each year of National Service, expanding AmeriCorps by 100k members, and making it easier for military veterans to serve upon their return from active duty overseas.

Governor Huckabee has pledged to expand AmeriCorps to 170k members by the end of his first term as President. He is also a big supporter of arts in the schools, suggesting that the Music National Service initiative might prove to be one of the bold, new ideas for his campaign embrace.

Senator Obama is the only one of the four winners yet to release a comprehensive plan or give a major policy address on National Service, which he gave before the Iowa Caucus. He calls for doubling the Peace Corps and expanding AmeriCorps to 250k members.

One thing is for certain… young people are voting and candidates will need to respond if they want to stay competitive. Those who have proven themselves in these early nominating contests – on both sides of the aisle – have embraced National Service. Who will step up their campaign platforms on the issue and who else will be the next to come on board as a way to unite the 18-29 year old demographic?