Hillary Clinton Calls for New National Service Reserve
This story originally was published on Money.com.
Hillary Clinton wants you to serve your country. The Democratic presidential candidate proposed a new program on Friday aimed at expanding national service volunteer opportunities-for young Americans in particular.
Clinton's National Service Reserve would allow Americans pitch in with ongoing service projects addressing the addiction epidemic or helping the homeless, or perhaps to help provide emergency relief in national disasters and situations such as the water crisis in Flint, Mich. Clinton plans to work with corporations and universities to ensure "reservists" get paid time off to volunteer or, in the case of students, college credit.
"The Reserve will provide a vehicle for the sense of civic ownership and responsibility that Clinton has felt throughout her life, bringing Americans from all backgrounds together in common cause to make a difference where they live," the Clinton campaign said in a statement.
Clinton is aiming to enroll 5 million people in the program, with a special focus on millennials, as studies show those age 18 to 30 are particularly interested in volunteerism. In fact, existing national volunteer organization AmeriCorps has received five times more applications than it has spots to fill, and the Peace Corps has seen a 32% increase in applications.
In addition to the new program, Clinton wants to expand AmeriCorps from 75,000 to 250,000 members annually and double the number of college scholarship given to members for their service.
See original article on Fortune.com
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