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| Teach For America certainly isn’t the first organization to recruit young people and charge them with a serious commitment to change the world. Robert Collins, a modern U.S. history professor at MU, says these endeavors of nobility most likely spring from a history of missionary work, army organization techniques and an American sense of volunteerism.
Civilian Conservation Corps Conception: The Civilian Conservation Corps was established in 1933 as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal. It was intended to combat both the vast numbers of unemployed youth and the country’s wasted national resources. It was disbanded in 1942, though remnants of the CCC still exist at the state level and in elements of AmeriCorps. Monetary benefits: Each worker received $1 per day. Number of volunteers: The CCC mobilized 250,000 young men for the first summer and more than 3 million men during its nine-year life span.
Conception: President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961. The Peace Corps’ Web site dates the program’s conception to Oct. 14, 1960, when Kennedy gave a speech to students on the steps of the University of Michigan. In September1961, the Peace Corps Act was passed, making the organization a federal agency. Mission statement: The Peace Corps’ three goals are: Monetary benefits: Peace Corps volunteers are not paid per se, but they do receive a living allowance so they can live similarly to the people they work with. They receive medical and dental care as well. The Peace Corps funds transportation to and from the service location and provides a stipend to help the transition when members return home. Student loans may be deferred and, in some cases, canceled. 2008 budget: $330.8 million Commitment: 27 months (two years of service, three months of training) Current number of volunteers: 8,079
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1990s: AmeriCorps Conception: President Bill Clinton initiated AmeriCorps in 1993 as part of the National and Community Service Trust Act. AmeriCorps combined the Volunteers in Service to America program with the National Civilian Community Corps. AmeriCorps volunteers meet domestic needs in areas such as education, public safety, health and the environment. Mission statement: The AmeriCorps Pledge: I will get things done for America —/to make our people safer,/smarter, and healthier./I will bring Americans together/to strengthen our communities./Faced with apathy,/I will take action. Faced with conflict,/I will seek common ground./Faced with adversity,/I will persevere./I will carry this commitment/ with me this year and beyond./I am an AmeriCorps member,/and I will get things done. 2008 budget: Total for Corporation for National and Community Service: $828.6 million
Conception: Wendy Kopp developed Teach For America as her undergraduate thesis at Princeton University. In October 1989, TFA moved into its first office. Mission statement: Teach For America is “working, with a great sense of urgency, to build the movement to eliminate educational inequity by enlisting our nation’s most promising future leaders in the effort.” Monetary benefits: TFA corps members are hired by the school district where they’re placed. They receive a starting teacher's wage and benefits. In some cases, corps members also receive the AmeriCorps education award to put toward their master’s degree or to pay off school loans. 2008 budget: $110 million operating budget Commitment: Two years Number of total volunteers: 25,000
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