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Civic Engagement in an Older America E-Newsletter August, 2008 CONTENTS Article Classifies Civic Engagement as a Retirement Role New Website Highlights Volunteering in America Is Mandatory Community Service Really Volunteering? Experience Corps Seeks New CEO ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Over a year ago, we introduced our readers to "The Civic Enterprise"-a visual representation of the growing network of organizations in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors that are working with the business, media, and philanthropic communities to define a new vision of aging that focuses on the older adult population as an untapped asset. The diagram was an instant hit (averaging about 200 unique views a month). In response to your feedback, we have added many new organizations which were brought to our attention. The new, updated version is available here. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Article Classifies Civic Engagement as a Retirement Role
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ New Website Highlights Volunteering in America
The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) has launched
a new website
which showcases six years of data on volunteering, rankings of states
and cities, and volunteer trends and demographic information for
every state and 162 large and mid-sized cities. This interactive
website is a rich resource of information which allows nonprofit
leaders, policy makers, and others an opportunity to retrieve data
and assemble unique customized reports which include both volunteering
and national service data for their cities and states. The site
also provides tools, tips, effective practices, and webinars to
help nonprofits, communities, and civic leaders strengthen their
volunteer recruitment strategies, and deepen their volunteers' commitment
to service. In addition, the website features new research briefs
from CNCS, including one
that sheds light on the differences between volunteers and non-volunteers
in how they spend their time: in a typical week, volunteers spend
approximately 15 hours watching television, compared to 23 hours
for non-volunteers. A second
report provides a first look at the emerging phenomenon of "voluntourism":
in 2007, more than 3.7 million Americans volunteered more than 120
miles from their home. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Findings from a new MetLife
Foundation/Civic Ventures survey reveal 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. And half of the people
in that age group who aren't already involved in so-called "encore
careers" say they would like to find such employment. However,
more than one-third of people considering encore careers were worried
about the need to learn new technologies and skills or go back to
school for certifications, and 41 percent of people in encore careers
said this was in fact an issue. Additionally, one-third of respondents
interested in encore careers expressed concern about the loss of
seniority or status that comes with a new career, and about the
same percentage of people in encore careers say they are coping
with that issue. In response, the survey report includes recommendations
on changes in workplace practices and public policies that could
increase the number of people able to pursue and obtain encore careers. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Retirement Living TV (RLTV) has won a regional Emmy Award for its lifestyle makeover show for middle age-"What's Next?" Hosted by Sherry Parrish, the series shares inspirational stories of men and women who want to make the most of their freedom years. Guided by the help of a team of experts, each guest pinpoints trouble spots, and explores activities recommended by the team to overcome these obstacles. Episode clips and a program schedule are available here. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Is Mandatory Community Service Really Volunteering?
Volunteer Canada addressed this thought-provoking question in a study titled "Volunteering and Mandatory Community Service: Choice, Incentive, Coercion, Obligation" that explores how mandatory community service may transform how citizens connect and how they build and sustain community. The report cites data from the 2000 National Survey on Giving, Volunteering, and Participating that finds that 8 percent of Canadian volunteers said that they were required to do so by their school, their employer, or as part of the terms of a community service order. The authors express concerns that the propensity to use the term "volunteering" in connection with varieties of mandatory community service (e.g., court-mandated service, stipended service, workfare programs) may alter how people choose to interpret, understand, and react to requests for "volunteer" assistance. The Discussion Paper is available here. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Experience Corps Seeks New CEO
Experience Corps is looking for an exceptional leader
to move the program forward into a new era. For more than a decade,
Experience Corps has been the signature project of Civic Ventures,
mobilizing the time, talent and experience of older Americans across
the country to revitalize their communities. After thoughtful and
careful consideration to Experience Corps' future direction, Civic
Ventures believes that now is an opportune time to launch Experience
Corps as an independent nonprofit organization, capitalizing on
its proven model, strong network, and public-private funding support.
The new CEO will spearhead Experience Corps' operational transformation;
serve as the public spokesperson for the new organization with partners,
affiliates, supporters, donors, policy experts, and the media; and
lead Experience Corps' highly effective national office staff. Most
importantly, the new CEO will capitalize on a proven record of service
while pursuing future innovations to maximize the positive impact
of the boomer population in the United States. The ideal candidate
will be a passionate advocate of service; a seasoned and sophisticated
leader equipped to transition Experience Corps from its history
as a successful demonstration project into a truly national program;
and a savvy networker with the ability to leverage networks of affiliates,
stakeholders, funders and policymakers. This Washington DC based
position is a unique opportunity for a gifted strategic thinker
and organizational leader. Click here
to view the full position description. More information about Experience
Corps can be found here. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The CE-Newsletter is the E-Newsletter of GSA’s Civic Engagement
in an Older America Project. The "Civic Engagement in an Older
America" project is supported If you have been forwarded this by a colleague and would like
to subscribe, please click
here and type “Subscribe” in the subject line. If
you would like to unsubscribe to this newsletter, please click
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