[House Hearing, 110 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
RENEWING THE SPIRIT OF
NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE
=======================================================================
HEARING
before the
SUBCOMMITTEE ON HEALTHY
FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES
COMMITTEE ON
EDUCATION AND LABOR
U.S. House of Representatives
ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
HEARING HELD IN WASHINGTON, DC, APRIL 19, 2007
__________
Serial No. 110-21
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Education and Labor
Available on the Internet:
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COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND LABOR
GEORGE MILLER, California, Chairman
Dale E. Kildee, Michigan, Vice Howard P. ``Buck'' McKeon,
Chairman California,
Donald M. Payne, New Jersey Ranking Minority Member
Robert E. Andrews, New Jersey Thomas E. Petri, Wisconsin
Robert C. ``Bobby'' Scott, Virginia Peter Hoekstra, Michigan
Lynn C. Woolsey, California Michael N. Castle, Delaware
Ruben Hinojosa, Texas Mark E. Souder, Indiana
Carolyn McCarthy, New York Vernon J. Ehlers, Michigan
John F. Tierney, Massachusetts Judy Biggert, Illinois
Dennis J. Kucinich, Ohio Todd Russell Platts, Pennsylvania
David Wu, Oregon Ric Keller, Florida
Rush D. Holt, New Jersey Joe Wilson, South Carolina
Susan A. Davis, California John Kline, Minnesota
Danny K. Davis, Illinois Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Washington
Raul M. Grijalva, Arizona Kenny Marchant, Texas
Timothy H. Bishop, New York Tom Price, Georgia
Linda T. Sanchez, California Luis G. Fortuno, Puerto Rico
John P. Sarbanes, Maryland Charles W. Boustany, Jr.,
Joe Sestak, Pennsylvania Louisiana
David Loebsack, Iowa Virginia Foxx, North Carolina
Mazie Hirono, Hawaii John R. ``Randy'' Kuhl, Jr., New
Jason Altmire, Pennsylvania York
John A. Yarmuth, Kentucky Rob Bishop, Utah
Phil Hare, Illinois David Davis, Tennessee
Yvette D. Clarke, New York Timothy Walberg, Michigan
Joe Courtney, Connecticut Dean Heller, Nevada
Carol Shea-Porter, New Hampshire
Mark Zuckerman, Staff Director
Vic Klatt, Minority Staff Director
------
SUBCOMMITTEE ON HEALTHY FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES
CAROLYN McCARTHY, New York, Chairwoman
Yvette D. Clarke, New York Todd Russell Platts, Pennsylvania,
Carol Shea-Porter, New Hampshire Ranking Minority Member
Dennis J. Kucinich, Ohio Howard P. ``Buck'' McKeon,
Raul M. Grijalva, Arizona California
John P. Sarbanes, Maryland Kenny Marchant, Texas
Jason Altmire, Pennsylvania Luis G. Fortuno, Puerto Rico
John A. Yarmuth, Kentucky David Davis, Tennessee
Dean Heller, Nevada
C O N T E N T S
----------
Page
Hearing held on April 19, 2007................................... 1
Statement of Members:
Altmire, Hon. Jason, a Representative in Congress from the
State of Pennsylvania, prepared statement of............... 48
Davis, Hon. David, a Representative in Congress from the
State of Tennessee......................................... 3
Prepared statement of.................................... 3
McCarthy, Hon. Carolyn, Chairwoman, Subcommittee on Healthy
Families and Communities, Committee on Education and Labor. 1
Statement of Witnesses:
Brown, Marcia, AmeriCorps Alums and Hands On Atlanta......... 18
Prepared statement of.................................... 19
Gudonis, Paul R., president, For Inspiration and Recognition
of Science and Technology (FIRST).......................... 23
Prepared statement of.................................... 25
Appendix A: ``More Than Robots: An Evaluation of the
First Robotics Competition''........................... 31
Appendix B: ``First Lego League Evaluation--Initial
Survey Results''....................................... 36
Newman, Robert, actor and volunteer.......................... 6
Prepared statement of.................................... 7
Purifico, Robert T., president and executive director,
Destination ImagiNation, Inc............................... 12
Prepared statement of.................................... 14
Stroud, Susan, executive director, Innovations in Civic
Participation.............................................. 9
Prepared statement of.................................... 10
RENEWING THE SPIRIT OF
NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE
----------
Thursday, April 19, 2007
U.S. House of Representatives
Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities
Committee on Education and Labor
Washington, DC
----------
The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:30 a.m., in
Room 2175, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Carolyn McCarthy
[chairwoman of the subcommittee] Presiding.
Present: Representatives McCarthy, Shea-Porter, Kucinich,
Sarbanes, Platts, McKeon and Davis.
Staff Present: Aaron Albright, Press Secretary; Tylease
Alli, Hearing Clerk; Alejandra Ceja, Senior Budget/
Appropriations Analyst; Denise Forte, Director of Education
Policy; Lamont Ivey, Staff Assistant, Education; Deborah
Koolbeck, Policy Advisor for Subcommittee on Healthy Families;
Ann-Frances Lambert, Administrative Assistant to Director of
Education Policy; Stephanie Moore, General Counsel; Joe
Novotny, Chief Clerk; Lisette Partelow, Staff Assistant,
Education; Rachel Racusen, Deputy Communications Director;
Kathryn Bruns, Minority Legislative Assistant; Linda Stevens,
Minority Chief Clerk/Assistant to the General Counsel; and Brad
Thomas, Minority Professional Staff Member.
Chairwoman McCarthy. I call the hearing to order. A quorum
is present. The hearing of the subcommittee will come to order.
Welcome to the second hearing of the Healthy Families and
Communities Subcommittees on national service. The purpose of
today's hearing is explore innovative programs with a focus on
opportunities for service to assist in keeping America
competitive in the global knowledge economy and help renew the
spirit of national and community services in this country.
Before we begin, I would like everyone to take a moment to
ensure that your cell phones and BlackBerrys are on silence,
which--thank you for reminding me. So please, everybody, cell
phones, BlackBerrys off or just put them on vibrate.
Pursuant to committee Rule 12(a), any member may submit an
opening statement in writing which will be made part of the
permanent record.
I now recognize myself, followed by the gentleman from
Tennessee, Congressman Davis, for an opening statement.
I am really pleased that the Healthy Families and
Communities Subcommittee is holding its second hearing on
national service during National Volunteer Week. Congress
celebrated National Volunteer Week through a resolution
introduced by my colleague, the gentlewoman from New Hampshire,
Congresswoman Shea-Porter, and passed by a floor vote
yesterday. I hope that during this week there are celebrations
of volunteering in each community across the Nation. No one can
dispute the importance of volunteering and service to the lives
of those who are the recipients of the service.
Nor can we dispute the benefits experienced by those
serving others. I would like to thank our very distinguished
panel for their testimony and for their commitment to service.
We have seen a rise of volunteering in the United States
over time, with strong growth and momentum after 9/11, in
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita; to this day, there is a strong
volunteer presence in the gulf region working on recovery. We
will hear today about the impact of volunteering in the gulf
and using one's occupation and dedication to service to raise
the level of awareness of volunteering and service in our
Nation. Last year, 61.2 million Americans volunteered in the
United States--26.7 percent of our population--serving an
estimated 8.1 billion hours. Some have put a dollar value on
the volunteers' time and estimated last year's service to be
worth $152 billion to this Nation.
We are a giving people. In fact, 5.3 million Americans
worked with their neighbors to improve their communities
without going through a formal organization and perhaps did not
even consider that they were volunteering or doing service.
They were just doing what needed to be done. It is our nature
to help each other, to work together, to keep our communities
safe, clean and inviting, and to offer service and assistance
to those in the highest need around us.
However, disturbingly, more people volunteered in 2005 than
they did in 2006. In fact, one-third of those who volunteered
in 2005 did not volunteer in 2006. It is time for us to renew
our sense of service.
Volunteering and service are quite possibly the way we
resolve some of our communities', and our Nation's, most
challenging problems.
For example, to remain competitive in the global knowledge
economy, we must re-ignite the enthusiasm for science and
technology and its importance to our daily lives among our
entire citizenship. But most importantly, it is in our
students. One indicator of this is, NASA is concerned that in
the future it will be unable to hire enough scientists,
engineers and technicians to fill the positions held by the
soon retiring baby boomers. Education is clearly part of the
solution. But we cannot place all of this on the teachers.
We must look to those baby boomers and their peers to start
volunteering now and in after-school programs, Saturday
programs and summer programs that will engage youth in math,
science and technology and, yes, service.
I think if these scientists and engineers heard the call to
civic duty and had the clear sense they were directly affecting
students' lives and the future of our Nation, they would
compete with each other for any service or volunteer placement
offered. Today we will hear of programs that do just give
scientists, engineers, technicians and mathematicians the
chance to serve and remain in service to our youth and
therefore our Nation.
Service must be meaningful, create positive change in our
communities and completed with a well managed program with
necessary training and recognition for the service completed.
We must give volunteers and those who serve a reason to
return and serve again. Today we will hear of being work being
done in Atlanta Georgia to engage AmeriCorps alumni after their
year of service has ended to continue to live by the AmeriCorps
commitment to service. I hope from that testimony we will apply
ideas to as many service programs as possible.
I am looking forward to learning from this and other
hearings we will hold on this issue, how we mobilize more
volunteers to ensure a brighter future for all of our American
youth, engage students in communities and harness the
experience of our seniors. With that, now I yield to the
distinguished member, Mr. Davis, for an opening statement.
Mr. Davis. Good morning. I would like to welcome you to a
hearing on renewing the spirit of National and community
service. Before I begin I would like to express my heartfelt
condolences to the Virginia Tech community. Blacksburg is just
up the road from my northeast Tennessee district. And all of
our thoughts and prayers go to the Hokie family.
This hearing is a second in a series addressing community
service and volunteerism. Today we will focus on organizations
that are expanding community services through innovative
methods. We will have the opportunity to hear from individuals
who energize citizens to volunteer at both the local and
national levels.
Through the efforts of individuals like these, the
organization that represent and the volunteers that make these
organizations strong, we are reminded that community service
takes place through efforts both large and small throughout
this country.
Every day, countless individuals of all backgrounds and
ages inspire others through their efforts to address the common
concerns of our neighborhoods, communities, Nation and world.
Our community has seen inspiring examples of our citizens'
willingness to serve in the wake of tragedy.
Volunteerism isn't just about responding to disaster. It is
also about lifting a hand to help a neighbor, teaching a child
to read, restoring a neglected park and numerous other acts of
good will that reaffirm our community's humanity.
I look forward to hearing the testimony regarding
innovative ways which service programs are using volunteers to
provide assistance to children and their families.
It is important this subcommittee take the experiences
related to this panel into consideration when crafting
legislation to reauthorize the Federal community service
programs.
Finally, I would like to thank our distinguished panel for
joining us today and providing us with their insight and
firsthand experiences with community service programs. With
that, I yield back to chairwoman McCarthy. Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Davis follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. David Davis, a Representative in Congress
From the State of Tennessee
Good morning. I would like to welcome you to our hearing on
``Renewing the Spirit of National and Community Service.'' Before I
begin, I would like to express my heartfelt condolences to the Virginia
Tech community. Blacksburg is just up the road from my northeast
Tennessee district, and all of our thoughts and prayers go out to the
Hokie family.
This hearing is the second in a series of hearings addressing
community service and volunteerism. Today we will focus on
organizations that are expanding community service through innovative
methods. We will have the opportunity to hear from individuals who
energize citizens to volunteer at both the local and national levels.
Through the efforts of individuals like these, the organizations
they represent, and the volunteers that make those organizations work,
we are reminded that community service takes place through efforts both
large and small throughout this country. Every day, countless
individuals of all backgrounds and ages inspire others through their
efforts to address the common concerns of our neighborhoods,
communities, nation, and world.
Our country has seen the inspiring example of our citizens'
willingness to serve in the wake of tragedy. But volunteerism isn't
just about responding to disaster. It is also about lifting a hand to
help a neighbor, teaching a child to read, restoring a neglected park,
and numerous other acts of goodwill that reaffirm our common humanity.
I look forward to hearing testimony regarding innovative ways which
service programs are using volunteers to provide assistance to children
and their families. It is important that this Subcommittee take the
experiences relayed by this panel into consideration when crafting
legislation to reauthorize the federal community service programs.
Finally, I would like to thank our distinguished panel for joining
us today and providing us with their insight and first hand experiences
with community service programs. With that, I yield back to Chairwoman
McCarthy.
______
Chairwoman McCarthy. Thank you, Mr. Davis. I notice that
our ranking member, Mr. Howard McKeon from California has
joined us and also, my colleague from New Hampshire, Ms. Carol
Shea-Porter. Thank you for joining us.
Today we will be hearing from a panel of witnesses. Your
testimonies will proceed in the order that I introduce you. I
would like to introduce our first witness, Robert Newman, cast
member of the CBS day time drama Guiding Light. In January,
Robert led the entire cast and crew of Guiding Light on a week
long trip to Biloxi, Mississippi, as part of their 70th
Anniversary Find Your Light celebration. After 1 week of
service, they handed the new residents the keys to a fully
furnished house. In addition, throughout 2007, Guiding Light is
encouraging fans to volunteer with their actors from the show
in a different city each month through a partnership with
hands-on network. I look forward to hearing on the impact of
you, your fans and national service in the endeavor.
We will next hear from Susan Stroud. Ms. Stroud is the
executive director of Innovations in Civic Preparation, an
organization which supports the development of program and
policy innovations in National and community service with a
focus on youth service.
Ms. Stroud will speak to us about the importance and the
benefit of engaging middle school youth in service and programs
such a Summer of Service program. Because I am such a supporter
of engaging youth and creating meaningful opportunities for
youth to grow and explore opportunities in life, I look forward
to hearing from your testimony.
We will then hear from Robert Purifico--am I saying that
correctly, or am I near it?
Mr. Purifico. Yes, you are.
Chairwoman McCarthy. Thank you. He is a former teacher and
the current President of Destination Imagination, an
organization which seeks to inspire its participants of its
diverse programs to learn the skills necessary to success in
the 21st century.
In the global knowledge economy, including critical
thinking, problem solving, communication, teamwork, leadership
and social skills. In particular, I hope to hear of the
opportunity you have for youth to do community problem solving
and service learning environment.
Our next witness is Marcia Brown from Atlanta, Georgia. Ms.
Brown works with hands on Atlanta where she manages a school-
based AmeriCorps program. However, we will hear how she works
to keep AmeriCorps alumni involved in service after completing
their term of service.
Perhaps she holds the answer to how we can keep the one-
third of volunteers from leaving service after 1 year, and then
we can apply that to possibly teaching as well.
Now I would like to yield to my colleague, Congresswoman
Shea-Porter, to introduce our next witness.
Ms. Shea-Porter. Thank you. It would be my honor to
introduce Paul Gudonis, who is the President of FIRST, based in
New Hampshire, and that is For Inspiration and Recognition of
Science and Technology. And he is sitting in for Mr. Dean
Kamen, who has been very, very active, who is the founder of
FIRST in 1992. Mr. Gudonis has 25 years of leadership
experience in the information technology and communication
industries. And he has been a consistent advocate for improving
the impact of technology and education in our society.
FIRST had a very humble beginning in a high school gym in
Manchester, and it now reaches over 100,000 students and holds
competitions in the Georgia Dome, has over 60,000 volunteers.
FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs that build not
only science and technology skills and interest but also self-
confidence, leadership and life skills.
It also reaches out to students in elementary schools
through high school, and I am proud to say that this is now an
activity for people, for students who for many years did not
have their outlet. They saw the sports teams, and they saw
other teams, but they did not have their outlet. And it is
true, a lot of people who didn't even know they had the talent.
So they are creating tomorrow's leaders, and I thank him.
Chairwoman McCarthy. I thank you. I also would like to
recognize that Mr. Sarbanes from Maryland has joined us.
Before we all begin, let me explain our lighting system.
You see the little boxes in front of you. We have a 5-minute
rule. Everyone, including members, is limited to 5 minutes of
presentation or questioning. The green light is illuminated
when you begin to speak. And when you see the yellow light, it
means you have 1 minute remaining. When you see the red light,
it means your time is expired and you need to conclude your
testimony. Please be certain as you testify to turn on and
speak into the microphones in front of you.
We will now hear from our first witness Mr. Newman.
STATEMENT OF ROBERT NEWMAN, ACTOR, THE GUIDING LIGHT
Mr. Newman. Thank you very much, Congresswoman McCarthy,
and thank you to this committee for allowing me the opportunity
to be here today.
Guiding Light is the longest running show in the history of
broadcast. We celebrated our 70th year in 2007. We began on
radio in January of 1937, went to television in the mid-1950s.
While other shows are celebrating their 100th episode, we--
well, I can tell you that tomorrow I am shooting episode
15,137.
The question that came upon us last year was what to do,
how to celebrate something like that. Our executive producer, a
woman by the name of Ellen Wheeler, where most producers are
probably coming up with an idea of a big party in Manhattan,
she came up with an idea of a year of service, of volunteerism,
of giving back to the community that has supported Guiding
Light so wonderfully over the years. We already had a
relationship with Hands On New York. She spoke with them. And
she--and they in turn sent her over to Hands On Network.
And we have developed a partnership with that group, the
idea being that we would put together 12 events, one a month,
that would be all about service and volunteerism. In January,
we did something that most programs would not even think of
doing. We shut down for a week. We took the entire cast and
most of the crew down to Biloxi, Mississippi, to work with
Hands On Gulf Coast. We built three houses while we were there
during that week, three houses in different stages of
development.
It was an extraordinary experience for us. We also brought
with us camera crews and shot a documentary style piece that we
showed during one of our regular air times on Valentine's day
in February.
What was clear during this time in the gulf coast, first of
all, as I am sure you are all aware, there is still such an
extraordinary need down there. People are living in trailers.
Their houses are not being fixed. Their houses are not being
rebuilt. Without organizations like Hands On Network, for
instance, the three houses that we worked on would not have
work done on them now. The one house that I worked on, the
drywall house, a woman by the name of Gerta, in her 80s, a
German woman, has been living in her FEMA trailer for a year
and a half. This month she will be moving into that house.
Without Hands On Network, I don't think she would be doing
that. In fact, I am quite certain she wouldn't be doing that.
The other part of our program now has been 11 more events
that will occur on a little bit of a smaller basis in the sense
that not all of our actors will be going down. Only three or
four will be going down. But, in this case, fans can go to our
Web site, findyourlight.net, and volunteer to work alongside of
our actors in these events. We have about 100 fans that can
work--that we are allowing to work for each event. We will also
have a waiting list throughout the entire year of 100 to 150
people beyond that. So what started as a small idea from our
executive producer, 80 people went down in January. Hundreds of
people have gone down since then. We have already done two
events, one in Atlanta and one in Virginia. And we have
hundreds of more people that are signed up to go out throughout
the rest of the year, literally thousands of people.
And many of those people have already--I have talked to
many of those people already, and many of them are volunteering
for other events. It is very clear to me that people want to do
something. The world is a crazy place right now. We watch our
television sets. We feel like there is not a whole lot that we
can do. But people do want to do something. They want to do
something in a very physical way where they are helping out in
some sense.
Our program, in some crazy way, has now become a year-long
commercial for volunteerism. In fact, back when we started in
radio in 1937, the program would begin with that crazy soap
opera music that we all know, da da da and then you would hear
the voice of Arthur Peterson, who played the character of
Reverend Rutledge in those early years. And he would say these
words: There is a destiny that makes us brothers. None goes his
way alone. All that we send into the lives of others comes back
into our own.
We have now incorporated those words, it is a poem by Edwin
Markham, into our opening again. If you go to our show now and
watch our opening, you will see a montage of hands coming
together and holding on to each other. You will hear those
words. And at the at the end of every show, we also have a
small piece that guides viewers to the hands on the Web site
and to our findyourlight.net Web site.
Again, a small idea has now touched thousands of people who
are touching thousands of other people.
[The statement of Mr. Newman follows:]
Prepared Statement of Robert Newman, Actor and Volunteer
Over the years I have volunteered for a variety of things through
my church; working with teens as a youth leader for 6 years; doing
``shortterm missions'' work; and even spending 10 days working with
children in Cochabamba, Bolivia. I've also given a great deal of time
to various charities over the years to help raise funds. But perhaps my
most profound volunteer experience was during a recent trip to Biloxi,
MS. As part of Guiding Light's 70th anniversary, our entire cast and
crew made the journey from New York in January to work alongside
volunteers at Hands On Gulf Coast.
Hands On Gulf Coast has been housing volunteers since September
2005 as part of a disaster relief project of Hands On Network. More
than 5,000 volunteers have gutted homes, installed playgrounds,
refurbished schools, and touched lives. Their work has been critical to
the recovery efforts and they have been recognized as the premier
provider of volunteer labor for the area.
For a week, we were just like thousands of other individuals who
came through the doors of Hands On--eager to invest some sweat equity
to help our fellow Americans in a time of critical need. Upon first
sight, the scale of the damage was incomparable, but the magnitude of
the desire that the Hands On longer term volunteers displayed was
profound and inspiring. Many young people had walked away from college,
their families, and their lives to be a part of the recovery.
Sacrificing daily comforts to aid a region still healing from Hurricane
Katrina. They spoke of their willingness to help as more than just
volunteering. This was their civic duty. One young volunteer, Luc
Lamarache, said to me, ``I just can't imagine anything else I could be
doing right now that would be this important.''
Like many people, the Guiding Light team was anxious about what
they were getting into by volunteering for this experience. They posed
common questions about how they would fit in, get involved, and make a
meaningful contribution. We didn't really have construction experience,
yet here we were to work on reconstructing homes for
Biloxi residents. Our fears were allayed almost immediately after
arriving on site. We were divided into smaller groups and placed in the
hands of capable Volunteer Leaders who showed us what to do lending a
helping hand when needed. Within a very short time, we were well
taught, empowered, equipped and ready to engage.
I personally spoke with many residents, young and old. It quickly
became clear to me that without Hands On and other disaster relief
organizations to fill the void there is little hope. That fact
crystallized for me as I spoke with an elderly resident in Biloxi
called Gerda. In her young life she had fled Europe because of the
oppression of the Nazi's and made her home in East Biloxi. In the
months following Hurricane Katrina, she came to believe in her heart
that God had forgotten her. Stuck in her FEMA trailer with scarce
resources to start rebuilding on her own, she had lost hope. Since
volunteers from Hands On reached out to her she has been overwhelmed by
the tremendous outpouring of support. Her ``angels,'' as she
affectionately calls them, spend hours every day repairing her home.
Guiding Light played a part in rebuilding her home. I personally worked
in her home with my group. Over the course of our week there, we
insulated and sheet rocked the entire house. Later this month she will
be moving back into her home--something that we are so proud to have
been a part of--restoring hope by renewing a sense of a future where
life can still get better.
When the Valentine's Day episode of Guiding Light aired across the
country telling people the story of our week in Biloxi, we touched
people everywhere by shedding light on the immense need that continues
in the Gulf Coast. To our fans, we demonstrated how volunteering was
not something for the young, for the skilled, or the experienced--it
was something that we could all be a part of. We helped people to
overcome their fears. Over and over again I've been told by people who
saw the show ``hey, I can do that!'' Volunteering became real to our
audience and the overwhelming response since then has been proof that
when people understand how much of a difference they can make, they are
compelled to join.
Every month during 2007, Guiding Light will continue to work with
Hands On Network affiliates inviting fans to serve alongside us on a
variety of different projects. We have a growing waiting list of
thousands of people who now want to share in the volunteer experience
they witnessed. Hands On helped to show our fans that if a group as
diverse as our cast could make it work, then there is a place for
everyone to get involved.
Volunteer service has never had a more important role in our
society. We are at a time in this country when people are craving some
kind of stability in a world that is increasingly spinning out of
control. People want to make a difference, but many of the world's
problems, from the war in Iraq to the aftermath of Katrina seem so
colossal that many wonder if there is anything at all they can do that
will actually have an impact. People want to do something, somewhere
that will give them even the smallest sense that they have made a
difference. But where and how?
What I have experienced in working with Hands On is that they are
making volunteering more accessible than ever--creating entry points
and facilitating opportunities to engage in an experience that can
utilize anyone's talents. When volunteering becomes a common experience
across the nation, there is a profound transformation that takes place,
not only in the act of giving, but in transforming the volunteer. That
unique shared experience is key.
That's what volunteering needs to become, an automated response,
not only to disasters on the magnitude of Hurricane Katrina, but in
every day life. Hands On has become a vital conduit for change in
communities across the country, giving ordinary citizens profound and
new opportunities to serve. In Biloxi we felt the pulse of the
community, and witnessed the difference that we made. What is
particularly encouraging with Hands On Network is that we can continue
to serve in cities around the country.
My family will be returning to Biloxi in June to continue to
support the rebuilding efforts. My wife along with my teenage son and
daughter watched the Biloxi episode with me. They said, ``Hey, I can do
that!'' and are now compelled to return with me--proof that
volunteering can become second nature, a responsibility of all our
fellow citizens to meet the needs in our communities.
In the early radio days of Guiding Light, the show began with the
following poem by Edwin Markham, read by the character of Reverend
Rutledge. We have now, once again, added this poem to the opening of
our show. We feel it is as relevant today as it was then.
There is a destiny that makes us brothers. None goes his way alone.
All that we send into the lives of others Comes back into our own.
______
Chairwoman McCarthy. And I thank you for that.
Ms. Stroud.
STATEMENT OF SUSAN E. STROUD, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, INNOVATIONS
IN CIVIC PARTICIPATION
Ms. Stroud. Good morning. Representative McCarthy and
members of the subcommittee. I am Susan Stroud, founder and
executive director of Innovations in Civic Participation, a
nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting national youth
service both in the United States and abroad.
I have spent the past 25 years helping to establish
organizations and programs that engage large numbers of young
people in service and service learning.
I was very fortunate in 1993 to join the late Eli Segal and
his team at the White House Office of National Service. Our
team was charged with creating the Corporation for National and
Community Service and AmeriCorps.
At the corporation, I was the first director of Learn and
Serve America.
I applaud the Chair and the members of the subcommittee for
putting the renewing of national and community service so high
on your agenda. The issue is critically important for all
Americans but especially for young people whose skills and
habits as lifelong active citizens are being formed.
I would like to begin by providing some general
observations about scaling up the next generation of service
programs.
First, there should be a continuum of service that begins
in elementary school and continues through one's work, life and
retirement. The commitment to serve one's community is learned,
not inherited, and the skills and habits of citizenship cannot
be learned entirely from a textbook. People from all
backgrounds, young and old, need opportunities to practice
being active and engaged citizens throughout their lifetimes.
Second, service is a strategy to meet critical needs. We
all benefit from full-time stipended service which improves
education, the environment, public safety and human centers.
Third, service prevents risky behavior, reengages at-risk
youth and provides a way for young people to realize their
potential to create positive change in their communities.
Within this context, I want to discuss very briefly one
specific proposal that ICP has been working on, a Summer of
Service.
This initiative fills a gap in the continuum of service by
providing opportunities for middle school students in the
summer months, a population for whom very few service
opportunities currently exist. Children in middle school are
too young to work, and they have aged out of most programs that
are available to younger children. That means they are
unsupervised much of the time during the summer. There is a
need to fill this gap in order to prevent risky behavior at
this critical transition to adolescence. Research also
indicates that the transition between middle school and high
school is when we see a big rise in the dropout rate.
Connecting Summer of Service programs to service learning
programs in schools during the academic year through Learn and
Serve America would help create an academic and service bridge
for these young people, especially the most vulnerable.
Developing a universally available Summer of Service
program to enable all young people to participate in service as
a rite of passage would be possible, even in a tight economy,
if the system were built on the existing infrastructure of
service programs. Summer of Service would also be an
opportunity for intergenerational service programs that would
bring together seniors, young teens, older students in high
schools and universities and AmeriCorps members to work
together. SeniorCorps has committed to working with AmeriCorps
in Learn and Serve America to make sure this happens.
As you proceed, I urge you to consider incorporating Summer
of Service into your bill and to sign on as cosponsors of the
Summer of Service bills that Representative DeLauro and
Senators Dodd and Cochran introduced this week in the House and
Senate. In looking to the next generation of service, there is
a gap between young people's desire to change their communities
through service and the opportunities for civic participation
that are available to them. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita showed
the commitment of young people to their country as many rose to
the challenge and responded in large numbers to assist with
rebuilding the gulf coast.
In addition to responding to natural disasters, there are
many other critical needs that can be addressed through
service. We need to strengthen and expand the existing
framework of national service programs, such as Learn and
Serve, SeniorCorps and AmeriCorps, as well as incorporate new
scalable ideas.
A few examples of such ideas include a clean energy corps
to fight global warming, a health corps to address unmet
medical needs of 56 million Americans, an AmeriCorps CCC
program to address the backlog of infrastructure and
environmental needs and help employ disconnected young people,
a new citizen corps for recent immigrants, a disaster readiness
response and recovery corps. Pathways to Teaching is another
proposal ICP has developed. We propose a program that would tap
into the 500,000 current and past AmeriCorps members as a
potential pool of future teachers willing to serve in the
country's most challenged schools.
All of these ideas are possible, and the committee would
have many partners willing to help develop them in greater
detail. The committee is right to take action to renew the
spirit of national and community service in America. As John
Gardner said, ``Freedom and responsibility, liberty and duty,
that is the deal.''
Thank you for the opportunity to testify this morning, and
I welcome questions.
[The statement of Ms. Stroud follows:]
Prepared Statement of Susan Stroud, Executive Director, Innovations in
Civic Participation
Introduction
Good morning. Rep. McCarthy, Rep. Platts and members of the
subcommittee--I am Susan Stroud, founder and Executive Director of
Innovations in Civic Participation, a nonprofit organization dedicated
to promoting national service both in the US and abroad. ICP incubates
ideas that will help bring national and community service to scale in
the US and other countries. Madame Chair, I request permission to
submit written testimony.
I have spent the past twenty-five years setting up organizations
and programs that engage large numbers of young people in service--as
the founding director of the Swearer Center for Public Service at Brown
University and of Campus Compact, a national coalition of over 1,000
university and college presidents committed to civic engagement and
service-learning. I was incredibly fortunate in 1993 to join the late
Eli Segal and others at the White House Office of National Service and
charged with creating the Corporation for National and Community
Service and AmeriCorps. At the Corporation for National Service, I was
the first director of Learn and Serve America.
I applaud the chair and the members of the subcommittee for putting
``Renewing the Spirit of National and Community Service'' so high on
your agenda. The issue is critically important--for all Americans, but
especially for young people, whose skills and habits as life-long
active citizens are being formed.
Context for new ideas for service
Before speaking about one specific proposal for Renewing the Spirit
of National Service that ICP has developed--Summer of Service--I would
like to provide some context for the value of scaling up the next
generation of service programs:
1. First, there should be a continuum of service that begins in
elementary school and continues through one's work life and retirement.
The commitment to serve one's community is learned, not inherited. To
be an effective citizen, one needs to practice being a citizen. It is
not something one can learn entirely from a textbook. So people from
all backgrounds, young and old, need opportunities to practice being
active and engaged citizens.
2. Second, service is strategy to meet critical national needs.
Service gets things done. Every policymaker should ask how service can
address unmet needs and build it into a public policy strategy. Service
isn't nice, it's necessary. We all benefit from full-time, stipended
service, which improves education, the environment, public safety and
the delivery of human services.
3. Third, service is a strategy for engaging young people in
productive, skill-building activities. It prevents risky behavior, re-
engages at-risk youth, and provides a way for young people to make
healthy decisions and see their potential to create positive change for
their community and country.
Summer of Service
Within this context, Summer of Service is an important initiative
to fill a gap in the continuum of service initiatives, because it will
provide opportunities for middle school students--a population for whom
very few service opportunities exist. ICP's report on the potential for
a ``Summer of Service'' highlights the need to focus on creating
service opportunities for middle school students for the following
reasons:
1. Children in middle school are too young to work and too old for
many of the programs available to younger children. Summer school is
often only for those who are failing, and working families may be hard-
pressed to pay for adult supervision of their young teenagers.
AmeriCorps members must be 18 and only limited funding is available for
community-based organizations to run programs for younger youth. There
is a need to fill this gap in order to prevent risky behavior at this
critical transition to adolescence.
2. Research indicates that the transition between middle school and
high school is when we see a big rise in the drop-out rate. Summer of
Service programs would keep children making that transition connected
and help deter dropping out. Connecting Summer of Service programs with
service-learning programs in schools during the academic year through
Learn and Serve America would help create an academic and service
bridge for these young people.
3. Despite the pivotal nature of the early teen years, youth-
focused investments (other than education), tend to emphasize problems,
not the potential of these young people. We spend money to tell teens
to stay away from drugs, to keep offenders off the streets, and to
discourage teen pregnancy. Yet research--and common sense--tells us
that giving young people something to say 'yes' to is an essential part
of teaching them to say 'no.'
A universally available Summer of Service program would fill this
policy gap by helping communities create positive alternatives for
young teens. Developing a national system to enable all young people to
participate in service as a 'rite of passage' would be possible, even
in a tight economy, if the system were built on the existing
infrastructure of service programs. Summer of Service would be an
opportunity for intergenerational service programs that would bring
together seniors, young teens, older students in high schools and
universities, and AmeriCorps members to work together. Senior Corps has
committed to working with AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America to
make this happen.
As you proceed, I urge you to consider incorporating Summer of
Service into your bill. The DeLauro and Dodd Summer of Service bills
will be introduced shortly, and I urge you to contact Representative
DeLauro and Senator Dodd to sign on as co-sponsors.
An example of the kind of program that the Summer of Service Bill
would support is the Breakthrough Collaborative, which currently
operates in 15 states, including New York, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire,
Ohio, and Texas, and the District of Columbia. The program engages over
700 talented high school and college students in teaching more than
2,200 middle school students with limited educational opportunities
every summer. The program consists of summer sessions in which the
middle school students take classes in core academic subjects and work
on community service projects to help them develop an awareness of the
larger communities in which they live.
Expanding service opportunities
In looking to the next generation of service, there is a gap
between young people's desire to change their communities through
service and the opportunities for civic participation available to
them. We need to strengthen and expand the existing framework for
national service and programs such as Learn and Serve America, Senior
Corps and AmeriCorps, as well as incorporate new, scaleable ideas.
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita showed the commitment of young people
to their country, as many rose to the challenge and responded in large
numbers to assist with rebuilding the Gulf Coast. In addition to
responding to natural disasters, there are many other critical needs
they can address, such as:
helping to upgrade our infrastructure,
reducing the backlog of projects that need to be carried
out on our public lands--a backlog that now runs into the billions of
dollars,
providing energy conservation services to millions of low-
income households eligible for the Weatherization Assistance Program,
addressing the education needs of the half million high
school students who annually drop out before graduation, and
helping to deliver health care to the approximately 56
million Americans who need better access to services.
To address these national needs, several key program ideas have
been developed by ICP, by members of the Voices for National Service
Coalition and by other organizations that I have described in detail in
my written testimony. I will only mention a few here:
1. Pathways to Teaching is a proposal ICP has developed that would
tap into the 500,000 current and past AmeriCorps members as a potential
pool of future teachers willing to serve in the country's most
challenged schools.
2. Clean Energy Corps is a proposal for a program that would
respond to the new national emergency of global warming. It would give
young people and under-employed people the opportunity to serve their
country by working in the field of renewable energy and energy
conservation.
3. Other specific proposals include creating an Education Corps; a
Health Corps; an AmeriCorps*CCC program; a New Citizens Corps for
recent immigrants; and a Disaster Readiness, Response and Recovery
Corps, among others. These programs would all help fill in the
continuum of service experiences and engage a diverse and inclusive
population of Americans in gaining a sense of belonging to an effort
greater than themselves, while at the same time, contributing to the
improvement of their communities by ``getting things done'' and
renewing the spirit of service in America.
Close
All of these ideas are possible, and the committee would have many
partners willing to help develop them in greater detail. We can, and
should, provide every young American with the opportunity to serve his
or her community and country. Our government has asked little of most
of its citizens. We should all be asked to contribute to our country's
security and the health of its communities. Even very young people can
make important contributions and are eager to do so if provided with
the opportunity. The committee is right to take action to renew the
spirit of national and community service. As John Gardner said,
``Freedom and responsibility, liberty and duty, that's the deal.''
Thank you again for the opportunity to testify this morning. I will
be happy to answer any questions you might have.
______
STATEMENT OF ROBERT PURIFICO, PRESIDENT, DESTINATION
IMAGINATION
Mr. Purifico. Madam Chairwoman, Congressman Davis and
members of the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to
appear before you today. As a child advocate and lifelong
educator and volunteer, it is my hope that this hearing will
help renew the spirit of service, encourage the desire of
volunteers to continue their efforts. I am here today on behalf
of Destination Imagination Inc., an organization that for
nearly a quarter of a century has utilized volunteers to help
children grow and make a difference in their communities. I can
unequivocally say that, without the efforts of our tens of
thousands of volunteers, we would have been incapable of
growing into the worldwide organization that we are today.
Over time our organization has operated in all 50 States
and over 40 countries providing children with the opportunity
to learn how to work together as a team and to solve real life
problems. Currently, we do not have affiliates in all 50 States
because, as we all know, volunteers come and go. Indeed, this
is one of the reasons I am eager to testify before you today.
Plainly, the recruitment and retention of volunteers is the
essential ingredient to life-term success for organizations
such as Destination Imagination.
My written testimony provides further details about our
numerous programs. However, today I would like to quickly
highlight two of our programs.
The flag ship Destination Imagination program is the oldest
and largest of the programs. DI is a community-based school-
friendly program where young people take what they know and
what they do well and learn to apply it to solve challenges.
The program fosters creative and critical thinking,
develops teamwork, collaboration and leadership skills while
fostering self-respect for oneself and for team members. Teams
of up to seven members participate in the DI challenges in
schools and community groups or at churches and synagogues.
Over the course of 2 to 3 months they will work together in the
development of a given challenge. Each challenge might be in
areas such as technical, mechanical, improvisational, science,
theater arts, structural or architectural design. The teams are
assisted by a team manager volunteer who assists them as a
Socratic facilitator. Upon completion of the solution to the
challenge, the teams may participate in a local tournament or
will progress on to a regional and affiliate level tournament.
We are currently in the final stages of affiliate tournaments
throughout the world.
As a matter of fact, this past weekend saw Congressman Mike
Ross, whose wife serves as a DI volunteer, at the 25th annual
affiliate tournament in the great State of Arkansas.
The year-long program culminates in an annual global finals
event which gathers nearly 18,000 participants at one event,
half of whom are all volunteers.
We are very proud of our accomplishment with this program.
However, our appreciation of the importance of service
helped create a recent addition to our community of programs.
In Project Outreach, which was developed by a group of
alumni of the flagship program, middle and high school students
work to solve real life problems in their communities. Since
its inception in 1995, Project Outreach teams have developed
and solved numerous community challenges, including
implementing school clean-up drives and environmental education
programs, raising funds for a shelter for battered women,
assisting in the building of low-income housing.
While I would like to expand on our programs more in this
setting, it is more important to testify that, central to the
success of Destination Imagination Inc. Is a corps of thousands
of dedicated volunteers, who on a yearly basis enable this
organization to exist.
In any given year, our organization will use approximately
30,000 volunteers. Our volunteers come from a variety of
backgrounds and interests, including educators, family members,
youth in the community, corporate volunteers, members of
community civic organizations and from professional
fraternities associated with colleges and universities. The
volunteers serve as affiliate and regional directors, team
managers and appraisers, challenge developers, international
challenge masters and affiliate training directors. They are
the heart and soul of the organization. And each year, they
return time and time again to offer their services.
In fact, we find that many of our volunteers continue to
serve the organization long after their children are no longer
part of the program.
However, as in the case with many volunteer-dependent
organizations, we never have a shortage of kids who want to
participate in our programs. Our challenge is to continue to
attract adult volunteers.
I commend the subcommittee for the work it will do this
year in support of the national service programs and encourage
the private and nonprofit sectors to keep an eye on the goal of
preparing the next generation for the many challenges that lay
ahead.
And finally, we need to always remember the words of a
meaningful age-old saying that states: A thousand years from
now, it will make little difference what kind of house we lived
in, what kind of car we drove or how much money we had in the
bank. What will be important is that we individually and
collectively have made a difference in the life of but one
child.
I thank you for the opportunity to testify and look forward
to working with the subcommittee to finding new ways to
continue and renew the spirit of service in our country. Thank
you.
[The statement of Mr. Purifico follows:]
Prepared Statement of Robert T. Purifico, President and Executive
Director, Destination ImagiNation, Inc.
Madam Chairwoman, Congressman Platts, and members of the
Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today
to talk about the importance of national and community service. As a
child advocate and someone who served as a volunteer for many years, it
is my hope that my testimony will help renew the spirit of service and
encourage the desire of volunteers to continue their efforts towards
enriching the lives of children, particularly in the quest to learn and
master the skills associated with creativity and problem solving. Most
importantly, I hope this hearing will help encourage new volunteers to
develop a passion for community service.
I am here today on behalf of Destination ImagiNation, Inc, an
organization that for nearly a quarter of a century has utilized
volunteers throughout the world to help children grow and truly make a
difference in their communities. I can unequivocally say that without
the efforts of our tens of thousands of volunteers, we would have been
incapable of growing into the world's leading non-profit corporation
providing a community of creative problem solving programs for youth
and adults of all ages.
Destination ImagiNation, Inc, which is headquartered in Congressman
Rob Andrews' district in Glassboro, New Jersey, is the product of a
twenty-five year path that has dedicated itself to helping all those
who participate in its programs understand the importance of teamwork,
creativity and problem solving as part of a life-long ``learning
process.'' The result is that each year, thousands of participants from
age 4 to adult throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia and
even South Africa become excitedly involved in the power of creativity
and problem solving in an effort to ultimately help make our world a
better place in which to live.
Destination ImagiNation, Inc. is a Community of several different
programs all of which focus on the creative problem solving process.
Over the past quarter century, our programs have been conducted by
volunteer Affiliates, in schools, community organizations, churches and
synagogues in all fifty states and in over forty countries.
The Flagship Destination ImagiNation program is the oldest and
largest of the Programs. ``DI''(r), as it is fondly regarded throughout
the world, is a community-based, school-friendly program where young
people take what they know and what they do well and learn to apply it
to solve Challenges. DI is not so much a program but rather a process
of learning HOW to be creative so that its participants will develop
life-long problem-solving skills that carry over into everyday life.
The goals of the program are intended to:
foster creative and critical thinking
learn and apply Creative Problem Solving methods and tools
promote the recognition, use and development of many and
varied strengths and talents
develop teamwork, collaboration, and leadership skills
while developing self respect for oneself and the team members with
whom they work
nurture research and inquiry skills, involving both
creative exploration and attention to detail
encourage competence in, enthusiasm for, and commitment to
real-life problem solving.
Our primary goal is for participants to learn these skills while
solving the Challenge selected by the team. Teams of up to seven
members work together for two to three months in the development of a
given DI Challenge in areas such as; Technical/Mechanical,
Improvisation, Science, Theater Arts, and Structural/Architectural
Design.
The teams are aided by a Team Manager volunteer, who assists them
as a Socratic facilitator. Upon completion of the solution to the
Challenge, the teams may participate in a local tournament or will
progress on to regional and state tournaments. We are currently in the
final stages of our Affiliate Tournaments throughout the world. As a
matter of fact, this past weekend I had the pleasure of seeing
Congressman Mike Ross at the 25th Annual Affiliate Tournament in
Arkansas. This coming Saturday, I will attend the Maryland 25th
anniversary Tournament in Congressman Sarbanes' district.
During the course of the program year, depending upon the size and
level of participation within the fifty-six international Affiliates,
over three hundred local, regional and state-wide Affiliate Tournaments
will occur culminating in an annual Global Finals event which gathers
nearly eighteen thousand participants (half of those volunteers) to the
University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Over the history of the
organization, the Flagship program has touched millions of children in
five continents, all of whom recognize the contributions of the
volunteers who enabled them to take their respective journey into the
world of creative problem solving.
This recognition and appreciation of the importance of service
helped create a recent addition to the Destination ImagiNation Inc.
Community of Programs. Project Outreach(r) was developed by a group of
Alumni of the Flagship program to utilize the creative and critical
thinking skills they had learned in the Flagship program and apply them
to real life situations. Simply, Project Outreach became a creative
learning experience with a service outcome that combined the energy of
youth, the educational value of creative problem solving and the
motivation of peer support and recognition into a service learning
program. Middle and high school students participate in this program
and are facilitated by volunteers who serve as Team Advisors,
Tournament Managers, or Tournament Volunteers. Since its inception in
1995, Project Outreach teams have developed and solved numerous
community challenges such as:
Collecting thousands of items of clothing for the homeless
Implementing school clean-up drives and environmental
education programs
Presenting programs instructing children about the dangers
of speaking to strangers
Developing a nature walk
Building a handicapped--accessible playground
Collecting truckloads of paper for recycling
Raising funds for a shelter for battered women
Designing exercise to build self-esteem
Assisting in the building of low-income housing
As we continue a challenging journey into the future, the ability
to utilize the skills associated with problem solving in a community
setting will be paramount to a successful and meaningful future. Adult
volunteers interested in providing a foundation for that success to
occur are an important ingredient in helping the youth of our country
and the world understand that there is optimism for the future if they
in fact are an active part of the process.
Of particular interest to this Committee is our technology-based
program called Tech Effects(r) which combines basic technology
education and teamwork with creative problem solving. The Tech Effects
program links directly to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math
(S.T.E.M) education standards and presents S.T.E.M. to participants in
a fun and challenging format in a six to eight week program built
around a ``Tech Focus''--a specific area of technology. As teams of
five to seven kids explore the ``Tech Focus'' they ultimately build a
device that applies that specific type of technology in solving a task
in the form of a challenge solution. The solution is subsequently
presented in a classroom setting or entered into a competitive format
in an after school program, summer program or Tech Rally sponsored by
Destination ImagiNation Inc. Affiliates or other groups such as the
Boys and Girls Clubs. Tech Effects offers kids the opportunity to
develop teamwork, collaboration and leadership skills while encouraging
a competence in, enthusiasm for and a commitment to real-life problem
solving through the use of technology-based activities that again find
their way into the world of creativity and problem solving.
From our Rising Stars!(r) program that works with four to seven
year olds, to our DIcor program for adults, the Destination ImagiNation
Inc. Community of Programs continues the mission of the organization in
helping develop the problem solving skills needed to be successful. A
more thorough description of each of our Programs follows this
testimony.
Generic to the success of Destination ImagiNation Inc. is a core of
thousands of dedicated volunteers who, on a yearly basis, enable the
organization to exist. As a former volunteer of eighteen years, I
understand that volunteers are the core to our accomplishments.
In any given year, our organization will use approximately thirty
thousand volunteers. Throughout the history of the organization, it has
been blessed with concerned adults who genuinely care about the future
of our youth and their ultimate ability to problem solve in a
challenging and demanding future. Our volunteers come from a wide
variety of backgrounds and interests including educators, family
members of participants, youth in the community, corporate volunteers,
members of community civic organizations such as Rotary, Lions, and
Optimist Clubs, and from professional fraternities associated with
colleges and universities. Simply put, they are moms, dads, aunts,
uncles, grandmas, grandpas, corporate leaders, the spouse of a member
of Congress, the Alumni of the organization, and anyone else who
understands the importance of instilling the ability to problem solve
in the youth of today in an effort to secure our tomorrow.
Our volunteers are our Affiliate and Regional Directors, our Team
Managers and Appraisers, our Challenge DIvelopers, our International
Challenge Masters, and our
Affiliate Training Directors. In essence, they are the heart and
soul of the organization and each year they return time and time again
to offer their services. In fact, we find that many of our volunteers
continue to serve the organization long after their children are no
longer a part of the program.
As an organization that prides itself and its existence on
volunteers, we seek on a yearly basis to expose awareness of the
organization to potentially new volunteers. We do this by conducting
awareness sessions for community public service organizations, by
explaining to our adult DIcor corporate consulting participants the
programming that we provide to children in hopes of getting them
involved, and by disseminating promotional literature to all support
groups and organizations interested in working with kids.
Interestingly, one of our best sources of volunteers is attendance
at annual Tournaments. Interested spectators get to see first hand what
kids are doing and even have the opportunity to speak with them about
the process associated their creative problem solving abilities. We
have been successful in attracting the interest of local media in our
Tournaments and as the word successfully spreads, we obtain additional
volunteers.
Finally, we rely on our corporate sponsors who generously not only
support the organization with financial gifts, but also offer the
awareness of the organization to their employees who subsequently find
interest in supporting what we do with children. We have been grateful
for the generous support of many corporate entities and foundations
over the years. Our current list of supporters includes the National
Dairy Council, 3M, Velcro USA, Inc, the Association of Equipment
Manufacturers, the Staples Foundation and Sci Fi, which is part of NBC
Universal. A complete list of current and former supporters follows
this testimony.
As is the case with many volunteer dependent organizations, we
never have a shortage of kids who want to participate in our programs.
Our challenge has become one revolving around ways to continue to
attract adult volunteers. Although we continually utilize the efforts
detailed above to attract volunteers to our organization, we most
readily admit that it is a continual challenge to secure them.
As Destination ImagiNation, Inc. moves forward into its next
quarter century, we need to continue our effort towards finding new
volunteers to perpetuate the vision and mission of the organization. We
need to continue to attract volunteers through the outreach in local
communities.
If innovation is truly a valued notion in our society, then
corporate America must continue to support the types of programs
offered by organizations such Destination ImagiNation, Inc. It is only
through this kind of partnership that we will develop the next
generation of problem solvers who will in fact know and understand HOW
to innovate. corporate America should continue to embrace and
financially support through volunteerism programs that develop the
skills needed for the future.
We need to also continue our work in the private sector to increase
the understanding of ways in which corporate employees can serve the
non-profit sector as Trustees so they can lend their knowledge,
expertise and generosity in the continuation of the mission and vision
of the non-profit.
Additionally, non-profit organizations need to do a better job
coordinating with each other to explore ways in which we can combine
our talents and resources to better serve the youth of America.
The future of this country and the world of which it is a part, is
an optimistic one that demands its youth understand how to generate
ideas, focus on them and then ultimately solve the complex challenges
they will face.
And finally, we need to always remember the words of a meaningful
age-old saying that states: ``a thousand years from now it will make
little difference what kind of house we lived in, what kind of car we
drove or how much money we had in the bank. What will be important is
that we individually and collectively have made a difference in the
life of but one child.'' It is through that effort that we will secure
the future of our country and of our world one child at a time.
I thank you for the opportunity to testify and look forward to
working with the Subcommittee in finding new and continuing ways to
renew the spirit of service in our country.
Former and Current Corporate and Foundations Supporters of Destination
ImagiNation
The National Dairy Council
3M
Velcro USA Inc.
Best Buy
Children's Foundation
Philips Consumer Electronics Inc.
MSC, Inc.
Saputo Cheese
Bank of America
NASA
Dollywood
Avid Technology, Inc.
CopyMax
U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Fish & Richardson
Conserve School
American Institute of Foreign Study (AIFS)
National Center for Creativity, Inc.
BrightHouse
Eastman Kodak
Field Trip Factory
Smuckers
Krystal
Staples
Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM)
SciFi
Passageways Travel
NXLevel
Scientific American
KidPro
Iowa Egg Council
Chick-fil-A
Sharp Electronics Co.
CyberAlert
______
Chairwoman McCarthy. Thank you.
Ms. Brown.
STATEMENT OF MARCIA BROWN
Ms. Brown. Good morning Chairwoman McCarthy and members of
the committee. I would like to thank you for the opportunity to
testify. I am here today as a proud veteran of AmeriCorps
National Service and a current member of AmeriCorps Alums, the
national network that aims to connect, support and mobilize
alums to strengthenour communities and our Nation. I am honored
to be here as one of the 400,000 alums of AmeriCorps National
Service.
Ultimately, I hope to convey that we have an enormous
unrealized opportunity to leverage the significant investment
we are making in service leaders through AmeriCorps by
following it with a relatively modest investment in the
lifetime of service that AmeriCorps inspires.
I would like to tell you a little bit about my story and
how I came to be an AmeriCorps member. At the time, I was
working in sales, and everybody knows that sales people are
driven by money. And I, too, was driven by that money.
But I had a client that needed a rocket scientist, and I
found one. So she came in, and she went to the assignment. Two
weeks later, she comes in, and she says, Ms. Brown, I am not
going to be able to work there any more.
And I was like, oh, sweety, what happened?
She says, Well, I am just not happy.
Silence on my end. I am thinking to myself, what in the
world does happy have to do it with it? You are making a
truckload of money. So what? Anyway, on the way home, I am
thinking to myself, I am so upset. Why am I so upset? I
couldn't figure out if I was upset at her or upset at myself.
But ultimately, I realized that I was upset with me because it
had never occurred to me about being happy or fulfilled in a
job. I only had ever worked for money.
About the same time, I began to read about the children's
test scores in Atlanta and that they were failing in reading
and math and thought it would be a good time to do something
besides shake my head every day and say, mm-mm-mm, the kids
can't read. So I went on the Web site and ended up on Hands on
Atlanta's Web site and found the AmeriCorps program.
And that is how I began my term of service.
I was lucky enough to be--2004/2005 I served. I am sorry.
I was the volunteer coordinator for Centennial Elementary
School. And what that basically meant was that I was in charge
of bringing resources, whether they be corporate, colleges,
business, churches, into the community into that school
community specifically to tutor children and mentor programs.
But I also was able to work with the Salvation Homeless
Shelter, and I was able to, because of my recruiting
background, 13 people partnered with the Sheraton Hotel, and
they got jobs. So one day I was there, and this guy comes up to
me. And he says, Ms. Brown, you don't remember me; do you?
I said, no, sweety, what is your name?
He said, I am Mario. I used to live in the shelter. But I
don't live there any more.
And it was like, you know, the music played, and it was
such a moment for me because at that moment I realized that I
had the power to change lives.
So through my AmeriCorps experience and now that I am
serving--I continue to serve. I am a program manager with Hands
on Atlanta, and now I manage a team of 27 members and seven of
the lowest performing schools in Atlanta. And we are able to
bring in mentor programs from Georgia Tech, Emory, Morehouse
and Spelman, just to name a few.
I am a board member of the Vine City neighborhood
association. And I also sit on the steering committee for the
Annie E. Casey Foundation For Student Success. And I say these
things to you because I am but one. But there are, many, many
alums out there just like me.
But what we need is we need a way to network. We need to be
able to tap into everyone's skill sets, bring that thing
together on a national level.
We recently had the opportunity to be in New Orleans for
Katrina. And Ms. Peggy said, without a doubt, without the
alums, that her house never would have been built.
My time is running out, so I got to tell you specifically.
I want to suggest that the committee include in the legislation
funding for AmeriCorps Alumni Reserve Corps, which would create
a national database of alums and other skilled individuals who
are prepared, trained and willing to be deployed to respond to
national crises, those disasters, and educational.
This reserve force would leverage the investment our Nation
has already made in AmeriCorps by tapping the talents of those
who have served, giving these individuals the chance to
continue their civic commitment. This hearing happens on the
eve of an important milestone for AmeriCorps, the enrollment of
the 500,000th member coming next month. In the next decade,
sooner rather than later I hope, when we are celebrating the
millionth AmeriCorps member milestone, I envision a network of
alums that is continuing to lead the strengthening of
communities through service that leverages the skills,
experience and talents of rich and diverse individuals that
make up the network to build a stronger and more vibrant
country with a small but intentional focus of resources. And
with the will and spirit of AmeriCorps alums to serve, we can
make that vision a reality. I would like to thank you today for
the opportunity to testify.
[The statement of Ms. Brown follows:]
Prepared Statement of Marcia Brown, AmeriCorps Alums and Hands On
Atlanta
Mr. Chairman, Members of the Committee, thank you for the
opportunity to testify. I am here today as a proud veteran of
AmeriCorps National Service and a current member of AmeriCorps Alums--
the national network that aims to connect, support and mobilize alums
to strengthen our communities and our nation. I am honored to be here
as one of the 400,000 alums of AmeriCorps National Service.
I am here in part to report on the promising news of the growing
AmeriCorps Alums network across the nation. I was in New Orleans just
last month to take part in the third annual national leadership
conference of AmeriCorps Alums where over a hundred leaders from the
alumni network--each a brilliant example of a lifetime of service--came
together to share strategies and resources on the development of alumni
mobilizing for continued service on a local level. Each is leading the
effort to keep alums engaged in their local communities. I met Michael
Agyin from Los Angeles, an African American man who is hearing
impaired. He is providing leadership for our entire network on
inclusion and accessibility for people with disabilities. I met Lisa
Tatum from Dallas, who is leading that community's chapter and has
self-organized and self-financed alums to travel to the gulf to serve
the victims of Hurricane Katrina. And I met Traymone Deadwyler, who is
sharing his skills as a professional with the Red Cross, training other
Alums on how to respond to disasters.
At that conference I also had the profound opportunity to take part
in a recovery service project with 250 alumni and current AmeriCorps
members serving in the Gulf--lead by AmeriCorps Alums. Months after
most of the nation's attention and volunteer energy has faded from New
Orleans and the Gulf Coast, AmeriCorps alumni as well as current
members--most notably the NCCC--remain in New Orleans providing the
direct service and, importantly, the leadership necessary for others to
contribute to the massive effort to rebuild those communities.
Secondly, I hope to share with you a vision for what could be
possible if we are successful in transcending our current challenges in
engaging alumni. That vision is actually within reach: as I will try to
describe in my statement today, alumni are taking leadership by self-
organizing to continue to serve. A modest but intentional focus of
resources to support the systems for this action would promise
tremendous return. We ought to leverage the significant investment we
are making in service leaders through AmeriCorps by following it with a
relatively modest investment in the lifetimes of service that
AmeriCorps inspires.
Specifically, I want to suggest that the Committee include in the
legislation funding for an AmeriCorps Alumni Reserve Corps which would
create a national database of Alums and other skilled individuals who
are ready and willing to be deployed to respond to national crises--
both those that are sudden, like a hurricane or terrorist attack, and
those that are longstanding and insidious, like our nation's challenge
to end the education achievement attack or provide health care to low-
income families. This reserve force would leverage the investment our
nation has already made in AmeriCorps by tapping the talents of those
who have served, giving these individuals the chance to continue their
civic commitment.
Background
Since the launch of AmeriCorps in 1994, some 400,000 Americans like
me have completed a term of service and make up the body of AmeriCorps
Alums. This is a powerful and growing potential resource for
communities that has gone largely uncultivated and unsupported over the
past decade.
In fact, a recent longitudinal study released by the Corporation
for National and Community Service states that AmeriCorps alumni are
more likely to volunteer in their communities, pursue public sector
careers like teaching, and demonstrate more active civic engagement on
a variety of levels than the average American. Without much intentional
effort to support it, alums are taking the initiative to continue to
help our own communities.
As a result of my service experience in AmeriCorps, I have sought
out my own opportunities for continued service and civic leadership. I
sit on the board of the Vine City neighborhood association; I am a
member of the Annie E Casey Foundation Steering Committee on Student
Success; and I remain actively involved in the school where I served my
AmeriCorps year, helping coordinate corporate sponsorship for academic
and after-school programs. I consider myself lucky to have had the
access to the resources to learn how to navigate my communities'
networks and find ways to get engaged.
AmeriCorps Alums are our communities' emerging citizen leaders--we
are applying our skills in the workforce, taking advantage of college
opportunities made possible by the Educational Award, and some are
continuing to serve our communities in a variety of ways.
From my own program at Hands On Atlanta, I have teammates who are
now in law school, training to be doctors, serving as teachers, and
working in nonprofits like me. Regardless of our career or life path,
we all share a common bound that is born out of the experience of
service. It is an experience that has shifted our consciousness about
community responsibility and embedded an ethic of service.
However this commitment sometimes lies dormant. The skills and
experience of alums remains a relatively untapped resource when
compared to the vast numbers of alums who are out there. The spirit
that brought these alums to service must be better leveraged and their
skills and experience put back to work. Alums answered the call to
service once before, and they will again with a coherent framework that
applies their leadership and teamwork skills, and reinvigorates the
spirit of service that inspired them to make the choice to serve not so
long ago.
AmeriCorps Alums, first established in 1997, made steps in
coordinating a national network to support the continued leadership and
service of its members. The organization intends to leverage the skills
and experience of alums while supporting their ongoing leadership
development. One piece of this strategy has been the creation of a
vibrant online community that enables AmeriCorps alums to organize
themselves and convene for continued service. The website
www.lifetimeofservice.org has over 100 chapter homepages that local
alumni leaders have created to communicate to other alumni about
further opportunities to engage in service. With modest additional
resources, AmeriCorps Alums could turn this virtual and community-based
resource into a powerful national tool to respond to our nation's
greatest needs.
What AmeriCorps Alums Need
The post-service period for many is one of transition and change.
They may be entering into a new career--focusing all of their energies
on being successful in that new job; they may be going on to college
where they need to attend to their studies to ensure success; they may
be starting families; they may be doing several of these things at
once. Despite these other competing life priorities, many still are
eager to find ways to remain connected to national service--their
programs and teammates--and the communities where they served.
In my experience both as an Alum seeking to remain involved in my
community and as a leader seeking to support current AmeriCorps members
preparing for their lifetimes of service, I have identified a few
things that are critical to success in that regard:
Continuity from the AmeriCorps Service Term to a Lifetime of
Service: A powerful alumni network begins with a connection to that
network as members. Many programs and state commissions do a tremendous
job with limited or no resources in making this connection for their
members. States and programs that commit to this type of activity are
yielding the return on that investment.
For example, in Georgia, our state service commission convenes all
the members in the state to participate in two annual gatherings--a
service kick-off and a graduation event to mark the closing of the
service year. I routinely invite Hands On Atlanta's AmeriCorps alumni
to our community-wide service events like MLK Day. These are just a few
of the touch points that we can make available to alums to stay
involved, but we shouldn't end there--more sophisticated resources for
ongoing and sustainable service are also needed.
Systems and Infrastructure for Engagement: After a year of service,
there is not always an obvious place to go to connect to other alumni
in the local community. Only recently has the infrastructure for
AmeriCorps Alums chapters begun to be cultivated. The good news for
alumni of our program is that our host organization, Hands On Atlanta,
provides exactly that type of community resource--a training ground for
leaders to gain skills and knowledge about community issues; projects
to take volunteer action to address community issues; and a gathering
place to connect to others who are leading service activities in the
community. This type of ``service center'' should be available in every
community and AmeriCorps Alums should be an integral part.
A Network to Continue their Development: Once again, we are missing
an opportunity if the investment that is made in AmeriCorps members is
not leveraged beyond the AmeriCorps term. We should make a relatively
modest investment in the ongoing maintenance and ``continuing education
for citizenship'' that starts but shouldn't end with the training that
is provided in AmeriCorps. This can happen virtually and in the real
world--leveraging the growing capabilities of the internet and the vast
networks of expertise that exist within the national service community.
Ideas: If we are successful in building a network for national
service alumni, we will find an invaluable and perpetually growing
resource bank of human and leadership capital poised to answer the call
to be mobilized for continued service in communities. Below are some
specific ideas for how to make this happen that can capitalize on the
specialized skills, talents, and experience of AmeriCorps Alums.
An Alumni Reserve Corps: Alumni of AmeriCorps represent a growing
and capable resource that can meet the workload surge following a
disaster and provide valuable and experienced service in targeted
issues of local and national concern, such as failing schools,
environmental projects, or special needs for out-of-school time. During
their terms of service, their sponsoring organizations make significant
investments in the training and preparedness of AmeriCorps members--
specialized training such as American Red Cross Mass Care and Shelter
Operations, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), or reading tutor
training that meets state teaching standards.
Alumni could be more easily engaged to respond to crises and other
priority national needs if a database, training and deployment systems
were developed and if funding were available for living and travel
expenses for Alumni volunteers ready to be called back into service.
Infrastructure for Service: One of the key challenges facing the
successful mobilization of alums in continued service after their
program year is the local convening and activation infrastructure for
alums to plug in to for ongoing service opportunities, leadership
development, and a venue for connecting to other alumni leaders in
their community. Service centers that provide project opportunities and
ongoing training and leadership development are important community
resources for alumni.
Alums On Campus: Many alums are taking advantage of college
opportunity as a result of their education award benefit from
AmeriCorps. At the same time many colleges and universities are
offering a matching scholarship or other benefits. Indeed, AmeriCorps
alumni are precisely the profile of candidate admissions officers are
on the lookout for.
In exchange for a match of the Ed Award from their schools or
another form of award augmentation, we can incent Alums to take on
leadership of service activities on their college campuses. A special
Ed Award supplement can be tied to continued community service
activity, recruitment and promotion of national service on campus, and
other community leadership roles that alums might take on.
Civic Entrepreneur Fellowship: AmeriCorps alumni represent some of
the most innovative problem solvers this nation has to offer. Hundreds
of social entrepreneurs have served through AmeriCorps and gone on to
apply their skills to starting innovative new programs. The Civic
Entrepreneur Fellowship would support this trend by providing 2-year
fellowships and leadership training for alumni who want to develop new
solutions to pressing community problems.
Through these efforts, AmeriCorps Alumni can continue to be the
vanguard for change in communities, large and small, across the nation.
AmeriCorps Alumni, individuals who have dedicated one year of
service or more, can continue to be the vanguard for change in
communities, large and small, across the nation.
This hearing happens on the eve of an important milestone for
AmeriCorps--the enrollment of the 500,000th member, coming next month.
In the next decade--sooner rather than later, I hope--when we are
celebrating the one millionth AmeriCorps member milestone, I envision a
network of alums that is continuing to lead the strengthening of
communities through service and that leverages the skills, experience,
and talents of the rich and diverse individuals that make up the
network to build a stronger and more vibrant country. With a small but
intentional focus of resources and the will and spirit of AmeriCorps
Alums to serve, we can make that vision a reality.
appendix: the national service reserve corps
Alumni of AmeriCorps and other national service programs represent
a growing and capable resource that can meet the workload surge
following a disaster and provide valuable and experienced service in
targeted issues of local and national concern, such as failing schools,
environmental projects, or special needs for out-of-school time. Alumni
could be more easily engaged to respond to crises and other priority
national needs if a database, training and deployment systems were
developed and if funding were available for living and travel expenses
for Alumni volunteers ready to be called back into service.
A Reserve Corps model could deploy AmeriCorps Alums in 30-day
assignments. These assignments could be renewable twice for up to a 90-
day total deployment. In support of these deployments a national
training program to maintain readiness and any relevant certification
of training. Alums could be available to deploy in disaster response or
during needs for short-term service surges, for example support for
summer service learning activities for at-risk youth or discrete
environmental conservation projects.
We propose creating legislation that support:
Authorizing establishment of a National Service Reserve
Corps Partnership to establish necessary policies, rules, and
procedures comprised of representatives from the Corporation for
National and Community Service, state commissions, alumni groups,
national service programs and advised by governmental and non-
governmental disaster management and relief organizations. The
Partnership will develop and communicate to alumni and national service
programs the eligibility requirements, program expectations, enrollment
procedures and other necessary Reserve Corps program information;
Authorizing the development of systems needed to make
Reserve Corps resources available to emergency managers at the local,
state, and national level and other organizations approved for
placement of reserve corps members including systems for training,
typing, deployment and coordination;
Establishing a program and policies for maintaining
Reserve Corps members' training, certifications, and skills, and
correspondent readiness and eligibility for deployment;
Establishing a searchable database accessible to emergency
managers at the local, state, and national levels and other
organizations approved for placement of Reserve Corps members that
contains regularly updated information necessary for effective
deployment of Reserve Corps resources including: information describing
availability, special skills, and certifications of each member and
member contact information;
Establishing a website, electronic mail, and other
communications systems needed to ensure safe and efficient deployment
of Reserve Corps resources;
Developing agreements with disaster relief organizations,
participating national service programs, and other organizations with
whom Reserve Corps members would affiliate;
Developing necessary training curriculum and delivery
mechanisms including ``just-in-time'' training as appropriate; and
Developing content and standards needed for inclusion of
the Reserve Corps in national, state, and local disaster management
plans.
National Service Reserve Corps will be authorized at such sums as
may be necessary.
______
Chairwoman McCarthy. Mr. Gudonis.
STATEMENT OF PAUL R. GUDONIS, PRESIDENT, FOR INSPIRATION AND
RECOGNITION OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (FIRST)
Mr. Gudonis. Good morning and thank you, Chairwoman
McCarthy, Congressman Davis and members of the subcommittee, I
am Paul Gudonis president of FIRST, For Inspiration and
Recognition of Science and Technology. We are a non-profit
whose 60,000 volunteers share a vision with FIRST founder and
inventor Dean Kamen.We want to inspire young people to dream of
becoming science and technology heroes. Many of America's
future challenges, from finding new sources of energy to
responding to threats to our national security are going to
require new technologies. So FIRST works to encourage students
to become tomorrow's innovators.
Big challenge for FIRST is that we face a major cultural
problem. The media lionizes sports stars and Hollywood idols,
and too many young people believe that their best opportunity
in life is bouncing a ball or singing their way to fame. A
culture gets what it celebrates. And unfortunately, we are not
celebrating the hard work and innovation that created this
Nation's standard of living and leading competitive economy.
So FIRST addresses this by engaging over 130,000 students a
year in robotics competitions, a sport of the mind which
emphasizes creativity, team work and gracious professionalism.
Each year teams of students work side by side with engineers
and scientists from over 2,000 organizations, large
corporations such as GM, GE, IBM, Xerox and Boeing; technology
companies, such as Google and Microsoft; leading universities,
such as MIT and Georgia Tech; and government agencies,
including NASA.
The idea behind FIRST is simple. Kids love the competition
in spectacle sports, and they look up to adult role models. The
role models in FIRST have day jobs designing aircraft at
Lockheed Martin or developing wireless technology at Motorola.
As for spectacle, I just returned from last weeks's first
championship, the Super Bowl of Smarts, attended by 20,000
people in the Georgia Dome, while millions more saw it on TV
and across the Internet.
Well, does FIRST succeed? Well, based on the research
conducted by Brandeis University, FIRST participants are 50
percent more likely to attend college, three times as likely to
major in engineering and nine times as likely to have an
internship with a company during college.
For women and minorities, results are equally dramatic.
Young women go on to studies in science and engineering at
three times the average, and minority members of FIRST teams
enter these teams at 150 percent the rate of nonparticipants. A
team composed primarily of minorities in Phoenix attend a
school where only 10 percent of students continue their
education beyond high school. All six graduating FIRST team
members this past year earned full scholarships at Arizona
State University. Overall, more than $8 million in scholarships
are available to more than 75 colleges and universities for
FIRST team members.
While FIRST has a staff of only 70, it is the 60,000
volunteers who power this life-changing experience for FIRST
participants. We also have a small and highly effective group
of volunteers through the Corporation For National and
Community Service and the AmeriCorps and VISTA program. They
multiply their impact by each recruiting as many as 100 other
volunteers into FIRST. And we also collaborate with other
volunteer organizations, such as Boys and Girls Clubs, Girl
Scouts and 100 Black Men to bring FIRST programs to their
members.
Engineering professionals are encouraged by the companies
who also sponsor the teams to serve as mentors. For some, it is
a way to strengthen our Nation's competitiveness. For others,
it is a way to build a pipeline of tomorrow's workforce. And
others want to give back and provide opportunities to under-
served communities. These volunteers are truly the rock stars
of FIRST.
These mentors pass on their passion for service and
technology and, as importantly, values that include community
service and volunteerism. FIRST students are twice as likely to
volunteer. And they believe they should be leaders in their
communities. FIRST high school teams mentor younger students.
They help rebuild homes devastated by Hurricane Katrina, and
they develop science projects to share the fun with younger
students. The spirit is encouraged by FIRST's highest award,
the Chairman's Award, which is not for building the fastest
robot. Rather, it is for community service and outreach.
Thanks to the energy and the commitment of these wonderful
volunteers, we have grown dramatically. Yet only 5 percent of
U.S. high schools have a FIRST team. Governor Jennifer Granholm
of Michigan has said, Just as every high school has a football
team, it should have a FIRST Robotics team. That is how we will
change the culture of our country.
So, going forward, we plan to step up the pace and start
more FIRST teams in more schools. We will continue to overcome
the two largest obstacles in expanding the program, which is
finding sponsors for additional teams and recruiting teachers
to take on the extra load of coaching a FIRST team. We will
seek extra pay similar to what teachers who coach football or
lead the school play receive to the teachers who spend their
nights and weekends inspiring the next generation of innovators
and technology entrepreneurs that have made this Nation the
leader that it is.
Well, thank you for the opportunity to tell you about the
volunteers at FIRST, the important work they are doing and the
results they are achieving.
[The statement of Mr. Gudonis follows:]
Prepared Statement of Paul R. Gudonis, President, For Inspiration and
Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST)
Good morning and thank you, Chairwoman McCarthy, Ranking Member
Platts, and members of the Subcommittee.
My name is Paul Gudonis, and I am President of FIRST, a nonprofit
organization whose 60,000 volunteers share a common vision: To inspire
young people to dream of becoming science and technology heroes. FIRST,
which stands for, For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and
Technology, was founded 18 years ago by inventor Dean Kamen to address
the cultural problem we face to excite our young people about the world
of science, engineering and technology.
Many of America's future challenges--finding new sources of energy,
fighting disease, cleaning the environment, and responding to threats
to our national security--will require new technologies as well as
political will and community engagement. FIRST works to interest
today's students in becoming tomorrow's innovators.
FIRST accomplishes this objective by engaging over 130,000 students
annually in robotics competitions--a sport of the mind, which
emphasizes innovation, teamwork, co-opetition (competing while
collaborating) and Gracious Professionalism. We offer a set of programs
for students in grades K-12: Junior FIRST LEGO League for the youngest
students; FIRST LEGO League for middle school children; and the FIRST
Robotics Competition and junior varsity FIRST Vex Challenge for high
school students. Starting in the fall of each school year, teams of 10
students in grade school sign up for the FIRST LEGO League while high
school teams of 25 students join the FIRST Robotics Competition. They
work side-by-side with professional engineers and scientists from over
2000 companies and institutions: large corporations such as GM, GE,
IBM, Xerox, and Boeing; technology companies such as Google, Cisco, and
Microsoft; leading universities including MIT and Georgia Tech; and
government agencies such as NASA.
The idea behind FIRST is a simple one: Young people love the
competition and spectacle of sport, and they look up to adult role
models. The role models in
FIRST are our nation's best and brightest, whose day jobs may be
designing the newest aircraft at Lockheed-Martin or developing the
latest wireless technology at Motorola. By volunteering on a FIRST
team, they mentor these students and open up new opportunities for them
in science and engineering. And as for spectacle, I just returned from
the FIRST Championship, the Super Bowl of Smarts, which was attended by
20,000 people in the Georgia Dome, site of the 1996 Summer Olympics and
that other Super Bowl a few years ago. Millions watched the coverage on
CNN and on the Internet.
The challenge for FIRST is not just in forming new teams and
attracting even more volunteers. We also face a major cultural problem
here in the United States. The media lionize sports stars and Hollywood
idols and inundate our youth with messages that lead them to believe
that their best opportunity in life is to spend hours bouncing a ball
to earn a shoe contract, or to sing their way to fame. A culture gets
what it celebrates, and unfortunately, we are not celebrating the hard
work and ingenuity that created this nation's high standard of living
and leading, competitive economy. We take for granted that we have
electricity, clean water, transportation systems, computers and
telecommunications, and a longer lifespan due to our advances in
medical technology.
Addressing this problem is what convinced Dean Kamen to start
FIRST. As a National Medal of Technology recipient, holder of over 450
patents, and inventor of numerous medical devices, he launched FIRST in
1989 with the support of a group of concerned CEO's from some of
America's major companies. FIRST is established as a 501 (c) 3
nonprofit organization headquartered in Manchester, New Hampshire. The
board of directors is composed of individuals who have experience as
senior executives of major corporations involved in medical technology,
information systems, automobile manufacturing, aerospace, education,
and other fields. The Chairman of the Board is John Abele, founder and
retired chairman of Boston Scientific. The organization has an
operating budget of $22 million annually and fulltime staff of 70
people, twenty of whom are deployed in field locations across the
United States.
First Programs
At the heart of FIRST is an interlinked continuum of programs
providing life-changing experiences for young people ages six to
eighteen. FIRST programs provide ever increasing challenges in the
field of science, technology and engineering with the goal of engaging
children in their early school years and then advancing them to the
flagship program the ``FIRST Robotics Competition'' for high school
students. The FIRST continuum is depicted below:
FIRST LEGO League (FLL) is designed for students 9-14, and Junior
FIRST LEGO League is for kids 6-9. Each September, FLL teams of up to
10 children take on a new Challenge based on current real-world
problems facing scientists and engineers globally. FLL has two key
parts. In the robot game, teams design, build, test and program
autonomous robots that must perform a series of tasks or missions. In
the research project, teams conduct research and create technological
or engineering solutions and must present their findings to a panel of
judges at tournaments. Teams participate in one-day events during a
three-month tournament season.
The FIRST Vex Challenge (FVC) is designed for small teams of high
school aged students who work with one or two dedicated mentors to
design, build, and test a robot using an off-the-shelf kit. Teams,
which typically meet once or twice a week, maintain an engineering
notebook through the season to document the engineering process and
their journey from initial concept to final design. In challenges that
change each year, robots operate autonomously and under operator
control.
In the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC), teams of high school
students have a thorough experience of the process of innovation and
engineering during an extremely intense 6-week ``design/build'' season
starting in early January. Teams receive a common ``Kit of Parts'' in a
large crate. There are no instructions, just a set of rules for the
year's game. Students work with mentors--engineers, technologists,
business people, and innovators--to create a team and robot that
competes and collaborates in alliances during three-day events in
March. During the season, many teams work daily for 2-4 hours or more.
According to many, ``FRC is a 'real-life' engineering experience. We
never have enough time, information, or money, but we do have a hard
deadline and we know there are 1,300 other teams working just as hard
as we are.''
Youth can participate in FIRST LEGO League, FIRST Vex Challenge and
FIRST Robotics Competition from kindergarten through high school.
Adults, including many FIRST alumni, become team mentors or volunteers
of many types. The experience of FIRST participants is further enhanced
by FIRST's unique, powerful collaboration with industry, academia,
government, and non-profits.
While our mission is to inspire young people through these after-
school activities, there is a lot of learning going on. Students use
mathematics in designing their robots (algebra, geometry, trigonometry,
and calculus); they apply principles of physics and chemistry and learn
to experiment while building these machines. To encourage sound
engineering practices, teams are required to document their work in an
Engineering Notebook. To compete for awards, they must develop skills
in language arts, writing their award submissions and honing their
public speaking abilities. Operating a FIRST team is much like running
a small business enterprise, and teams have to develop a marketing and
public relations plan, raise the necessary funds (salesmanship), and
keep track of their finances. They also develop skills in computer
programming by creating a website for their teams and using
professional Computer Aided Design and 3D animation software as part of
their design process.
Program Growth
The FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) has grown from 28 teams of
high school students in its inaugural year of 1992 to 1306 in the
current season. In the upcoming year, we will be holding a record 41
regional tournaments in the United States, Canada, Brazil, and Israel
as qualifying events for the FIRST Championship that will be held in
Atlanta, Georgia in April 2008.
number of frc teams
locations of frc regional tournaments
Each year, a panel of volunteers from industry and academia design
a new research challenge for the FIRST LEGO League teams. In 2003, the
game was Mission Mars, based upon NASA's Spirit and Opportunity robotic
exploration of the planet Mars. In 2004, the teams researched human
disabilities in the No Limits challenge. In 2005, the children studied
the seas in Ocean Odyssey, and in this past season, they learned about
nanotechnology as they studied bucky balls, carbon nanotubes, and other
molecular structures. For 2007, they will be tackling the world of
alternative energy in Power Puzzle, a very relevant topic to our
nation's environment and energy security.
The FIRST LEGO League has grown to over 8800 teams in the United
States and 45 countries through the relationship FIRST has with the
LEGO Company, which manufacturers the Mindstorms robotics kits used in
this program.
first lego league team growth
Volunteers
FIRST is possible because of the commitment of 60,000 volunteers
who serve as team mentors, technical advisors. judges, referees,
fundraisers, tournament organizers, and in various support capacities.
They are professional engineers and scientists, teachers, parents,
university students and faculty, FIRST alumni, and retirees. They share
a common vision of what adult role models can do to inspire the young
people who participate on a FIRST team. Like pro sports figures or
Hollywood icons, these volunteers are the real ``rock stars of FIRST.''
Over 2000 corporate sponsors encourage their technical employees to
volunteer for FIRST. These companies recognize that they have a role to
play in ensuring the nation's competitive leadership by developing the
next generation of technical talent. These employers are facing a
shortage of trained scientists and engineers, especially as ``baby
boomers'' approach their retirement age. As Mr. Al Canton, Executive
Director of General Motors' Proving Grounds and Test Operations put it,
``We believe getting kids involved in science and technology is good
for everyone, and it certainly feeds our pipeline for future
engineers.''
Mr. Galen Ho, President-Information and Electronic Warfare Systems
for BAE Systems North America concurs. He states, ``FIRST is a wise
investment for BAE Systems because it energizes tomorrow's scientists,
engineers, and leaders. That's good for the individual student, the
community, and the nation.'' Likewise, Mr. Steve Sanghi, CEO of
Microchip Technology in Arizona explained that ``FIRST isn't just about
building robots, it's about developing life skills. The kids learn
skills in relationships, teamwork, finance, fundraising, budgeting, and
project management. The partnership between academia, the community,
and industry * * * will build our future employees and future
citizens.''
The FIRST staff recruits, trains, and supports the many volunteers
who donate their time and talents to FIRST teams. FIRST provides
handbooks and coaches' guides, conducts online and in-person workshops,
and publishes information via our website to enable these volunteers to
serve effectively. FIRST also screens volunteers for certain positions
and collaborates with schools and other organizations to make sure that
volunteers are appropriate for these activities.
The Corporation for National and Community Service administers
funding for approximately 20 volunteers who serve as FIRST Senior
Mentors, reaching out in their communities to recruit additional teams
and connect them with volunteer mentors from local corporations. In
addition, a dozen AmeriCorps VISTA volunteers assist in their
geographic areas to support new FIRST teams, thus engaging more schools
and communities in the FIRST experience. These resources are highly
effective for FIRST by multiplying their impact-a single volunteer in
this role attracts 100 mentors and supporters to the program.
Other volunteer organizations also combine their resources with
FIRST to reach more students and communities. Through local
partnerships with Boys and Girls Clubs, Girl Scouts, IEEE, Girls Inc.,
and the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) among others, FIRST is able to
establish and mentor additional teams and bring the excitement of
participating in FIRST to more young people.
While the number of FIRST volunteers grows each year with the
growth of the various programs and expansion into new cities and
states, we have a very high retention rate among these dedicated
individuals. Some FIRST Robotics Competition teams have been in
existence in their communities for over a dozen years, and while the
students have graduated and moved on, the engineering mentors often
remain committed to these teams, constantly inspiring a new cohort of
students that are coming through the program.
Sponsorship
Conducting these programs requires funding in addition to the
significant volunteer manpower involved in making FIRST happen. Teams
are encouraged to raise the money to pay for robotics kits, extra
parts, uniforms, and travel by asking major corporations, local
businesses, and individuals to support their participation in FIRST.
Corporate sponsors are the largest source of funding for teams, often
sponsoring multiple teams through their business units across the
country. For example, GM provides funding and 275 engineering mentors
for 55 FRC teams, supports over 100 FIRST LEGO League teams, and
sponsors several regional tournaments. GE supports twenty-five FRC
teams and other FIRST programs, and Motorola sponsors FRC and FLL
teams, in conjunction with their Girl Scouts of the USA initiative.
In addition to providing cash contributions, many companies donate
materials for the robotics kits. We are able to keep down the cost of
participating in FIRST thanks to the generous contribution of motors,
gears, pneumatics, batteries, and many other components by industry
suppliers. Software maker Autodesk provides professional-grade design
software to all of the FRC teams. Federal Express has donated free
shipping of the kits of parts and finished robots for many years; this
past season, that amounted to over 100 tons of free shipping.
Universities also sponsor FIRST events. In some cases, they will
contribute to the cost of a regional tournament, provide students and
facilities for one of the robotics teams, or subsidize the cost of the
basketball arena to be used as a competition venue.
Scholarships
These universities also support FIRST's goal of increasing student
interest in science and engineering careers by enabling their college
education. Over 75 colleges and universities offer 430 scholarships
totaling $8 million in value to FIRST graduates. These scholarships are
available to FIRST team members who are accepted by the college or
university and meet any other financial aid criteria established by the
institution. From what the universities tell us, they love FIRST
program veterans because they make excellent science and engineering
students because of their hands-on experiences and adoption of FIRST
values.
Impact
Does FIRST accomplish its mission? Based on research conducted by
Brandeis University, FIRST participants are 50% more likely to attend
college, twice as likely go on to major in science or engineering, and
three times as likely as a comparison group to major specifically in
engineering. Upon entering college, they are nine times as likely to
have an internship with a company and they expect to pursue a career in
engineering at four times the rate of a comparison group of matched
peers. For women and minorities, the results are equally dramatic:
Young women go on to studies in science and engineering at three times
the average, and minority members of FIRST teams enter these fields at
150% the rate of non-participants. Executive Summaries of these studies
are included in Appendices A and B.
There are many individual stories as well. A young man in Brooklyn
wrote to me about how, before joining a FIRST team, he belonged to
another type of team, one you grow up with on the streets, but can't
talk about. He wasn't very interested in school, smoked two bags of
marijuana a day, and had been arrested for robbery, possession, and
selling. Since he joined the FIRST Robotics team, mentored by some
wonderful technologists, he has stayed in school, has a ``legal salary
job'' for the FIRST time in his life, and is looking forward to
college.
A team composed primarily of minorities in Phoenix attends a school
where only 10 percent of the students continue their education beyond
high school. All six graduating FIRST team members this past year
earned full scholarships to Arizona State University. Being on a FIRST
team has opened up a new world of opportunity for them--and created a
group of motivated, smart individuals who will be pursuing careers in
science and technology.
The mentors pass on their passion for science and technology, and,
as importantly, a set of values that includes community service, FIRST
students are twice as likely to become volunteers and believe that they
should be leaders in their communities. During the off season, FIRST
high schools teams mentor younger students with their LEGO robotics
kits; they are helping to rebuild homes devastated by Hurricane
Katrina, and they are using their talents to develop science programs
to share the fun with other young people.
FIRST's highest award is the Chairman's Award, and it is not for
the fastest or highest-scoring robot. Rather, the judges select the
team that best reaches out to their community, recruiting and mentoring
rookie teams and performing service projects that exhibit the values of
FIRST.
Increasing the Impact of FIRST
Thanks to the energy and commitment of these wonderful volunteers,
we've grown dramatically, yet only 5% of US high schools have a FIRST
team. Some states have even fewer; New Hampshire leads the nation with
38% of its high schools boasting a FIRST team. In Rhode Island, every
high school now has an opportunity to compete in the FIRST Vex
Challenge program. As Governor Jennifer Granholm of Michigan stated
during her visit to the Detroit FIRST Robotics Competition regional
tournament last year, ``Just as every high school has a football team,
it should have a FIRST team.'' That's how we'll change the culture of
our country.
We have the volunteers, and I can find more among our nation's
technology companies and the large corps of retired engineers who want
to share their skills with young people. The biggest obstacles to
starting more FIRST teams and engaging more students is finding
additional sponsors and convincing teachers to take on the extra load
of coaching a FIRST Robotics team. Teachers are already overworked and
underpaid, and we know from experience that offering them a stipend
would be a big boost to the program for a variety of reasons.
Teachers who coach football and basketball teams or organize the
school play often receive extra pay for their time. We should do the
same for the teachers who will spend their nights and weekends
inspiring the next generation of innovators, medical researchers, and
technology entrepreneurs that have made this nation the leader that it
is.
FIRST will work with states and local communities to address this
issue, and continue to seek out additional sponsors and supporters of
FIRST teams. Our board of directors has reaffirmed its commitment to
the vision of FIRST by endorsing a plan of continued growth in program
participation--engaging more students, schools, communities, sponsors,
and volunteers. Given the challenges and opportunities facing our
nation today, we recognize the importance of ``stepping up the pace''
and inspiring more young people to gain the education and skills
necessary for an increasingly technological economy.
Thank you for the opportunity to tell you about the volunteers of
FIRST, the important work they are doing, the impact they are having,
and the results they are achieving.
______
More Than Robots: An Evaluation of the First Robotics Competition
Participant and Institutional Impacts
Center for Youth and Communities, Heller School for Social Policy and
Management, Brandeis University
Executive Summary
In 2002, FIRST contracted with Brandeis University to conduct an
evaluation of the FIRST Robotics Competition. The goal of the
evaluation was to begin to address three basic questions:
What is the impact of the FIRST Robotics Competition on
program participants in terms of academic and career trajectories?
What can we learn about the implementation of FIRST in
schools, both in terms of better understanding program impact and
identifying ``best practices''?
What kinds of impact has participation in FIRST had on
participating schools and partnering organizations?
An additional goal of the study was to focus the evaluation on
schools in urban communities and/or serving high proportions of low
income and minority students. One of the goals of FIRST has been to
expand the involvement of low income and minority youth in FRC, and the
evaluation was seen as an opportunity to explore the impacts of the
program on those groups in particular.
To address these questions, Brandeis conducted a two-part study:
To assess impacts on program participants, Brandeis
conducted a retrospective survey of FIRST participants who graduated
from the program between 1999 and 2003. The study focused on students
from teams from two metropolitan areas--New York City and the Detroit/
Pontiac metropolitan area--to ensure the inclusion of schools serving
low income, urban or minority students.\1\ Approximately 300 FIRST
alumni were contacted for the study. 173 (57%) responded and were
included in the analysis. In order to provide a comparison with youth
who had not been in FIRST, the study also included a comparison of FRC
survey results with comparable data from an existing national dataset:
the Beginning Postsecondary Student (BPS) Survey, a national sample of
college-going students available through the U.S. Department of
Education.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The initial program design called for inclusion of schools from
a third area: the San Jose/San Francisco metropolitan area. Because of
difficulties in accessing participant data from those teams, only one
California team ended up in the study.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
To provide feedback on program implementation and
institutional impacts, the evaluation also conducted site visits and
interviews with team representatives in 10 participating high schools
in the two communities. Those visits were designed to gather
information on the implementation of the program and impacts on
participating schools and program sponsors.
The purpose of this report is to convey the final results from both
the retrospective survey and site visits.
Key Findings
Key findings from the study include the following:
Program Participants
The FIRST alumni in the study represent a diverse group,
including substantial numbers of students who are minorities, women,
and from families with a limited educational background. Fifty-five
percent of the respondents were non-white (African-American, Asian,
Hispanic, and multi-racial); 41% were female; and 37% came from
families where neither parent had attended college (including community
college).
At the same time, participants were relatively successful
students in high school. The mean high school Grade Point Average for
alumni in the sample was 3.5 (B+) and 84% had a B average or above.
Average SAT and ACT scores and participation in high school math and
science classes among respondents were both above the national
averages. What is not clear (and cannot be answered in this study) is
whether this strong performance in high school was the result of
involvement in FRC, or whether FRC attracted strong students, or both.
Team Members' Assessments of FIRST
Based on the survey responses, FIRST provided a positive experience
that gave participants an opportunity to be involved in a challenging
team activity, build relationships, learn new skills, and gain a new
understanding of and interest in science and technology.
Almost all participants felt FIRST had provided them with
the kinds of challenging experiences and positive relationships
considered essential for positive youth development.
Eighty-nine percent indicated they had ``real
responsibilities;'' 76% felt they had a chance to play a leadership
role; and 74% reported that students made the important decisions.
Ninety-six percent reported having fun.
Ninety-five percent reported getting to know an adult very
well, and 91% felt they learned a lot from the adults on the team.
Ninety-one percent felt they ``really belonged'' on the team.
Most participants also reported a positive impact on their
attitudes towards teamwork, interest in science and technology, and how
they saw themselves. Participants reported:
An increased understanding of the value of teamwork (95%)
and the role of ``gracious professionalism'' (83%).
An increased understanding of the role of science and
technology in everyday life (89%), increased interest in science and
technology generally (86%), and increased interest in science and
technology careers (69%).
Increased self-confidence (89%) and an increased
motivation to do well in school (70%).
FIRST also helped increase participants' interest in
serving others: 65% of respondents reported that, as a result of FIRST,
they wanted to help younger students learn about math and science; 52%
reported that they had become more active in their community.
The large majority of participants also reported that
FIRST had helped them gain communications, interpersonal, and problem-
solving skills, and how to apply academic skills in real-world
settings.
More than 90% reported learning important communications
skills, such as how to listen and respond to other people's suggestions
(94%) and how to talk with people to get information (94%). Seventy-
three percent reported learning how to make a presentation in front of
people they did not know.
Students also learned teamwork and interpersonal skills.
Ninety-two percent reported learning how to get along with other
students, co-workers, teachers and supervisors; 90% learned to work
within the rules of a new organization or team; 88% reported learning
new ways of thinking and acting from others; and 73% learned ways to
stop or decrease conflicts between people.
Students learned problem-solving and time management
skills: how to solve unexpected problems (93%); how to manage their
time under pressure (90%); how to weigh issues and options before
making decisions (94%); and how to gather and analyze information
(88%).
Students also learned to apply traditional academic skills
in real-world setting: 68% reported learning how to use computers to
retrieve and analyze data, and 67% reported learning about using
practical math skills such as using graphs and tables or estimating
costs.
Overall satisfaction with the program was high. Ninety-
five percent of the alumni rated their experience as ``good'' or
``excellent'' (27% and 68% respectively). Forty-six percent of
respondents indicated that FIRST had been ``much more influential''
than their other activities during high school.
Finally, response to open-ended questions on the survey
tended to reinforce these findings: participants cited the team
experience as particularly influential and cited team skills, new
relationships, an increased focus on science and engineering, and
increased self-confidence and motivation, among others, as long-term
impacts from the program.
Education, Career and Developmental Outcomes
While participant assessments provide one measure of FIRST's
impact, the ultimate measures of FIRST's effectiveness are the degree
to which alumni go on to have productive educational experiences,
careers, and lives in their communities. The analysis of the alumni
survey data indicate that FIRST alumni are making a successful
transition to college, and are much more likely to pursue their
interests in science and technology and become involved in their
communities than is the case for college-going students generally or
for the matched group of comparison students.
The large majority of FIRST alumni graduated high school
and went to college at a higher rate than high school graduates
nationally.
Among those responding to the survey, 99% reported
graduating high school and 89% went on to college. At the time of
survey, 79% were still in college; most of the others were employed.
(Only 5.5% of the alumni reported that they were unemployed.) These
figures compare favorably to the national average where (based on U.S.
Census data) 65% of recent high school graduates went to college.
The high levels of college-going applied across the board
to both men and women and across racial and ethnic groups in FIRST.
Seventy-seven percent of female FRC alumni were in college, 68% of
African-American alumni, and 78% of Hispanic alumni--all above the
national averages for those groups.
Once in college, a substantial proportion of FIRST alumni
took courses and participated in jobs and internships related to
science, math and technology.
Eighty-seven percent took at least one math course and 78%
took at least one science course in college. Perhaps more striking, 51%
took at least one engineering course.
Nearly 60% of FIRST alumni had at least one science or
technology-related work experience (internship, apprenticeship, part-
time or summer job). Thirteen percent received grants or scholarships
related to science or engineering; and 66% reported receiving any kind
of grant or scholarship.
High proportions of women and minorities also participated
in math/science/technology courses and internships. Forty percent of
female alumni took engineering classes, 59% had a science/technology
internship or job. Forty-six percent of African-American alumni and 53%
of Hispanic alumni took engineering courses. Sixty-four percent of
African-American alumni (but only 29% of Hispanic alumni) had science/
technology internships or jobs.
FIRST alumni were also substantially more likely to major
in Engineering than the average college student nationally.
Of those FIRST alumni reporting a college major, 41%
reported they had selected Engineering. Based on national data from the
U.S. Department of Education's Beginning Postsecondary Student study,
FIRST alumni were nearly seven times as likely to become Engineering
majors as the average college student nationally (41% for FRC alumni
vs. a national average of 6%). FIRST alumni were also twice as likely
to enroll as Computer Science majors (11% vs. 5% nationally).
Women and minority alumni also majored in Engineering at
comparatively high rates. Thirty-three percent of the female FRC
alumni, 27% of the African-American alumni, and 47% of the Hispanic
alumni reported majoring in Engineering (compared to national averages
of 2%, 5% and 6% respectively).
Finally, FIRST alumni were also substantially more likely
to aspire to higher levels of education than the average college
student nationally. Seventy-eight percent of FIRST alumni reported
expecting to attain a post-graduate degree, either a Master's degree
(47%) or another terminal degree such as a Ph.D., MD, or MBA (32%).
Only 2 participants in the study (1.4%) reported that they did not
expect to attain any kind of degree. Nationally, 60% of students in the
Department of Education's BPS study aspired to completing a Masters
degree or higher and 4.4% did not expect to receive any degrees.
The positive education and career outcomes for FIRST participants
were also evident in an analysis that compared FIRST participants with
a matched comparison group of students drawn from the national
Beginning Postsecondary Student survey data. The comparison students
were matched with FRC alumni in terms of their demographic
characteristics and their high school academic backgrounds, including
similar levels of high school math and science course-taking. Major
findings from that comparison group analysis reinforce the positive
outcomes associated with participation in FRC. FIRST alumni were:
Significantly more likely to attend college on a full-time
basis than comparison students (88% vs. 53%);
Nearly two times as likely to major in a science or
engineering field (55% vs. 28%) and more than three times as likely to
have majored specifically in engineering (41% vs. 13%);
Roughly 10 times as likely to have had an apprenticeship,
internship, or co-op job in their freshman year (27% vs. 2.7%); and
Significantly more likely to expect to achieve a
postgraduate degree (Master's degree or higher: 77% vs. 69%).
More than twice as likely to expect to pursue a science or
technology career (45% vs. 20%) and nearly four times as likely to
expect to pursue a career specifically in engineering (31% vs. 8%).
In each case, these differences were statistically significant. The
differences in engineering majors and careers also applied to female
and non-white FIRST participants, who were significantly more likely to
declare engineering majors or expect to enter an engineering career
than students in the comparison group.
FIRST alumni were also significantly more likely to be involved in
community service and to express a commitment to several positive goals
and values than the members of the matched comparison group.
FRC alumni were more than twice as likely to perform some
type of volunteer service in the past year as were students in the
matched comparison group (71% vs. 30%),
FIRST alumni were also significantly more likely to
provide some of the specific types of service that might be associated
with FIRST team efforts: tutoring, coaching or mentoring with young
people (such as helping another team or a younger team), fundraising,
and neighborhood improvement. In each of those specific categories of
service, FRC alumni reported levels of volunteer service that were four
to ten times as high as those of the comparison students.
Finally, the only outcomes in which the data indicate that FRC
students did significantly worse than the comparison students were in
receipt of grants and scholarships in their freshman year and across
all four years of college. This is a somewhat surprising result given
FIRST's active efforts to raise scholarship monies for FRC participants
and the fact that 66% of FRC participants reported some form of grant
or scholarship in college. However, it suggests that, as of the time
these FRC students were going on to college (1999-2003), those efforts
had not yet resulted in a relative advantage for FRC participants in
grant or scholarship funding when compared to students with similar
backgrounds.
In sum, the data from the FRC survey shows FIRST as having a
strong, positive impact on participating youth, including women and
minorities. Based on the data from this study, FIRST appears to be
meeting its goals of providing a positive and engaging developmental
experience for young people and is succeeding in its efforts to
increase the interest and involvement of participating youth in science
and technology.
Institutional Contexts: Impacts on Schools, Teachers, and
Mentors
Based on data gathered through site visit interviews and
observations, FIRST has also had a positive impact on participating
schools and teachers, though that impact was limited in scope.
Involvement in FIRST has led to creation of new courses
and/or integration of robotics instruction into existing classes in 8
of the 10 schools visited. FIRST has also helped teachers to develop or
exercise new skills (primarily planning and management skills) and has
had a positive effect on school spirit in a number of schools (one team
leader attributed an increase in school enrollment to FRC's impact on
school reputation).
At the same time, involvement in FRC has not led to
broader changes in teaching or curriculum, or to the establishment of
broader partnerships with FRC sponsors. In most cases, this was not
seen as a goal for the program.
Mentors played an important role in almost all of the
teams visited, with the specific roles varying widely.
Most teams reported mentors provided assistance through a
combination of topic-based technical workshops for team members and
hands-on guidance with individual students. In some cases, mentors also
helped students with homework and worked to develop positive
relationships with students on the teams. None of the mentors reported
receiving any training in preparation for their role, though only two
felt that it was needed.
Some sponsors took additional steps, including working
with multiple teams, establishing workshops for teams in a region,
allowing multiple teams to use workshop space, and in some cases
branching out to start new or work with new teams.
At least 3 of the 10 teams in the study also had FIRST
alumni working as mentors.
Mentors generally reported positive impacts, including
opportunities for career advancement, increased morale and job
satisfaction, access to new hires, and a sense of satisfaction and
connection to students on the team.
In general, company-wide impacts on the sponsoring
companies were limited. While some firms did include their involvement
in FIRST in promotional materials, most did not. Similarly, while
individuals within firms recruited interns from among FIRST
participants, most recruiting and hiring of FRC participants took place
on an ad hoc basis rather than through consistent company policy.
Site visit interviews also identified a number of barriers
and challenges faced by the teams. Some of those challenges include the
following:
Start-up challenges: learning how to organize and run the
team.
Meeting space: access to space and equipment to build the
robot.
Transportation and safety: transporting students to and
from team meetings, particularly during competition season when the
team might work until late at night.
Financial challenges: obtaining and maintaining sources of
funding was overwhelmingly reported to be the primary challenge in
doing FRC, with travel (to tournaments) as the biggest cost.
Burnout: most coaches noted burnout as a danger and
suggested strategies that included dividing the workload among several
coaches and ``over-organizing'' to ensure smooth team operations.
Working with sponsoring corporations: several teams
reported challenges working with sponsoring companies, including
limited team control over the budget and pressure on the mentors to win
from the company CEO.
Recruiting mentors: experiences varied widely, with
Michigan teams generally reporting greater corporate support (most had
been approached by companies) and those in NYC reporting greater
challenges in securing the interest of sponsors and mentors.
Recruiting teachers: another ongoing challenge, but an
important step for teams to take in order to share the workload. In
some cases recruitment was difficult because non-FRC teachers were
resentful of the attention received by those already involved in FRC or
saw the FRC team as ``owned'' by a particular teacher.
School administrative and district support: support
varied, from strong administrative support and access to resources, to
more reluctant support. Similarly, district support ranged from little
or none (because of budget cuts) to active support (funding for travel,
etc.). One key is making the benefits of participation clear.
Parent support: most teams indicated they have only low
levels of parent volunteer support.
Several additional challenges were also identified by the
mentors who were interviewed as particularly important in working with
underserved schools. Those included:
Turnover of school administrators: high levels of turnover
at urban schools required that administrator 'buy-in' be renewed on a
regular basis.
Attendance of team members at meetings: the need of some
team members to balance team participation with after-school
responsibilities, including work and child care for siblings, made
consistent involvement difficult for students on some teams.
Transportation to and from meetings also presented a problem for some
team members.
Addressing the needs of students from underserved areas:
while positive about their experiences, some mentors did note the
additional challenges involved in working with students, i.e.,
difficult personal lives or limited experiences and social skills.
Working with school staff: gaining consistent teacher
participation, challenges in communicating with teachers, and
differences in operating philosophies.
Recommendations
The principal findings of this study provide strong support for the
continued growth and expansion of the FIRST robotics programs,
particular into communities serving low income and minority youth. The
major recommendations are to continue to document the effectiveness of
the program and to build a broader base of evidence for the program's
impacts through two mechanisms: a larger-scale longitudinal study that
would allow for a more comprehensive analysis of participant impacts,
and the development of a participant registration process for FRC that
would make it easier to keep in touch with FIRST alumni and to track
the longer-term career trajectories of former participants.
______
First Lego League Evaluation--Initial Survey Results
Center for Youth and Communities, Brandeis University, April 2004
Survey Sample
The FLL evaluation distributed survey packets to teams
participating in a sample of 8 of the FLL regional tournaments: a total
of 394 teams. Team packets included a coach survey, student surveys,
and surveys for parents of students. 185 teams (47%) returned packages,
providing a total of 162 coach surveys, 919 student surveys, and 699
parent surveys.
FLL Coaches
FLL coaches tend to be male (69%), white (86%), with a background
in science or engineering (67%) and teaching (51%). 59% of the coaches
have a child on their team.
FLL Teams
FLL teams are predominately located in suburban areas (60%
suburban, 21% urban, 18% rural). Approximately 34% of teams report
serving low-income students; 11% report teams where half or more of the
students are from low-income families.
Most FLL teams meet as after-school programs (72%). 9% are
part of a school class; 9% are neighborhood-based (i.e., not affiliated
with a school); 5% are home-school-based.
Most teams (70%) met twice a week or more, with an average
of 4.5 hours of meetings every week.
97% of the teams responding to the survey did the FLL
research project, which represented approximately 30% of their time
spent working as a team.
90% of the teams reported attending the state/provincial
tournament; 64% participated in a qualifying event.
FLL Participants (Student Survey)
70% of the FLL participants/survey respondents were boys;
30% were girls. 78% were white, 8% Asian/Pacific Islander; 5% Hispanic;
4% African-American.
The average age of participants was 11 years old. 81% were
in 5th-8th grades (16% were younger).
65% had a parent involved in the program.
FLL Student Experience
The large majority of students reported a positive experience in
FLL:
Over 90% of the students reported that the kids on their
team made the important decisions; that they had real responsibilities
on their teams; got all the help they needed; felt that adults working
with the team paid attention to them; and that they felt that they were
an important part of the team and belonged. 98% of the students said
they had fun working on their FLL team.
Students reported learning a mix of knowledge and skills:
Over 90% reported learning about the use of science and technology in
real world problem-solving; about science and technology careers; that
science and technology are important in everyday life; and about the
uses of school subjects (like math or science) in solving real world
problems.
Students also reported learning about themselves and their
skills: Over 90% reported learning that they had skills that could help
others on a project; that every team member can help make a project
better; that both boys and girls can be good at computers and robotics;
and that helping others solve problems can be fun.
Students reported learning a variety of teamwork and
problem-solving skills. Over 90% reported learning at least ``a
little'' about working with other team members to solve a problem;
brainstorming ideas; making decisions about roles on a project;
accepting others' suggestions and ideas; making suggestions to others;
identifying steps needed in a project; managing time; using trial and
error to test an idea; and identifying ways in which science (like
computers and robots) can be used to solve real-world problems.
More than 80% also reported learning how to solve disagreements
among team members; how to work well with both boys and girls; how to
develop a research question; how to find information to answer a
research question; how to use math in solving real-world problems; how
to make a presentation using charts and graphs; and how to explain the
scientific ideas that the team used in creating their robots.
Team members were least likely (50%) to report learning
how to write a brochure or letter explaining their project and (76%)
learning to talk to people they don't know about something they think
is important.
Overall, 93% of the students rated their experience in FLL
as good or excellent (30% good, 63% excellent)
FLL Parent Assessments
Parents also reported that they believed FLL had increased their
children's interest in science and technology and increased their
social and problem-solving skills.
More than 80% of the parents surveyed reported that FLL
had increased their child's interest in computers and technology; in
how science and technology are used to solve problems in the real
world; and in the science related to the Mission from Mars. 64%
reported an increased interest in science and technology careers, and
59% reported an increase in interest in their children's interest in
their math or science classes.
70% or more reported an increase in their children's
teamwork and problem-solving skills, including their ability to work in
a group; their sense of belonging; their ability to think through the
steps in solving a problem; their use of trial and error; their
confidence in speaking in front of a group; and their sense that they
can succeed if they try hard. Slightly smaller numbers of parents (60%
or more) also reported an increased ability to compromise or settle
disagreements peacefully; take the lead on a group project; and use the
library or internet to find information. 63% also reported an increase
in self-confidence concerning school and schoolwork.
FLL parents were less likely to report an increased
interest in school or traditional academic skills as a result of FLL,
though substantial numbers did report an increase. 59% reported an
increased interest in math and science; 45% reported an increased
interest in school generally; and 40% reported an increased interest in
college. 43% reported an increase in math skills.
When compared to other after-school programs, roughly half
(54%) of the FLL parents reported that FLL had more of an impact in
terms of teaching about cooperation and teamwork, and approximately 40%
indicated it had more of an impact in terms of motivating their
children to excel (43%) and helping their children gain a sense of
self-confidence (36%).
When asked if they would like to increase, decrease or
maintain their level of involvement with FLL, 30% reported that they
wanted to increase their involvement; 67% reported wanting to continue
at the current level; and 3% wanted to decrease their involvement.
However, 79% indicated that they were unlikely to stay involved once
their child left the program.
FLL Coaches Perspectives
FLL Coaches reported gains in student interests and skills similar
to those reported by parents and students.
90% or more of coaches reported an increase in team
members' interest in or awareness of ways in which math and science
were used in the real world, and their interest in computers and
technology. 80% reported an interest in science and technology careers.
60% or more reported an increased interest in math and science classes
and in succeeding in school.
Most also reported an increase in teamwork and problem-
solving skills. Over 90% reported an increase in teamwork skills;
leadership skills; a sense of belonging or team identity; problem-
solving strategies; and presentation skills. 75% or more also reported
gains in planning skills, time management; research skills; and a
belief in the importance of helping others. The lowest proportion (49%)
reported gains in writing skills.
FLL Coaches also reported an impact on themselves as teachers.
Among those with a background as teachers:
80% or more reported an increased emphasis on the
application of science and technology in real world settings in their
teaching; an increase in their own knowledge of science and technology;
an increased sense of connection with their students; an increased
understanding of what their students could accomplish; and an increased
respect for what students' capacity to work as a team independent of an
adult. 76% reported an increased use of computers and robotics in their
classes; and 67% reported an increased use of student-led projects.
FLL teachers were much less like to report that FLL had
increased school partnerships with area businesses (33%) or build
business support for other programs at the school (28%)
83% of the teachers involved in FLL reported that the
experience had increased their satisfaction in teaching.
Overall, FLL coaches indicated that they enjoyed working in the
program:
87% of the coaches reported that they were 'satisfied' or
'very satisfied' with their experience coaching an FLL team. Only 1 of
the 158 coaches responding to the question indicated that they were
'not satisfied'.
83% of the coaches reported that they planned to be an FLL
coach again next year. Of those not returning, the most common reason
cited was lack of time (about 40% of the non-returners). Other reasons
included their child leaving the program, changing schools, lack of
administrative support. None of the coaches reported disappointment
with the program or problems in raising funds to support the team as a
reason for not returning.
______
FEDERAL GRANTS RECEIVED BY UNITED STATES FIRST SINCE OCTOBER 1, 2004
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source Reference # Federal CFDA # Amount
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST)............. 60NANB4D1106 11.617 $1,187,400
National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST)............. 60NANB4D1107 11.617 $494,700
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)............ NNA05CP86G n/a $1,323,100
Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS)........... 041PANH001 94.007 $391,500
Employment and Training Administration, Department of Labor; n/a 17.267 $350,000
Office of Vocational and Adult Education; passed through from
the State of Michigan, Department of Labor and Economic Growth.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)............ NNA05CP86G n/a $1,350,000
National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST)............. 70NANB6H6172 11.617 $1,013,800
Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS)........... 041PANH001 94.007 $200,000
VISTA........................................................... ................. .............. $20,000
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)............ NNA06CB50G n/a $1,675,000
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______
Chairwoman McCarthy. I thank you for your testimony. I
actually thank everybody for their testimony. You know, it is
wonderful to be able to sit here and see the enthusiasm that
you all have. And being that we are going to be doing
legislation and we have heard some ideas of what you would like
us to do, obviously, a stipend of some sort for teachers so
they can get involved and take that project on, money for
getting the program going, but one of the main things that I am
hearing and what I like to hear from you--because I probably
have 10 questions for each one of you, and that means I am not
going to get answers probably from half of you--what would be
the main thing that you would really want us to see done on
legislation that would help each and every one of you?
And I guess the second point of my interest, in the world
that we are living in today, the global economy is out there.
How do we reach, certainly the children in the middle schools,
which is to me the area where we see most kids either making it
or breaking it or dropping out, going into gangs, going into
possibly some trouble?
How can we change the lives of those children? How can all
of your different organizations help us get to that point on
service and to have that become a life- long commitment? But
more importantly, the one thing that you say, and I say this
every time I am in a school or anyone I am talking to, how are
we going to change someone's life today and make it better? And
I think that is the motto that all of us care about.
And let me just say quickly. I know that you don't see a
lot of members here. A lot of them have been called for a
meeting at the White House, and when the President calls, you
respond and go there. So, please, do not think that it is lack
of interest. Everybody on this committee cares passionately
about why we are on this committee.
So don't think just because we are not here in numbers, we
are certainly will be doing our work.
With that, would anybody care to throw out----
Mr. Purifico. You touched a very sensitive area of my life.
I spent 25 years in a middle school with middle school kids and
13 years of that as a classroom teacher and 9 years of that as
a middle school principal. You are exactly right.
This is an age of, where children need to be actively
involved to set a foundation for what they might do for their
future. They have come out of elementary school with the basic
foundations that they have learned in various courses that they
have had. And they begin the quest and a thirst for knowledge
that will set a goal for them in the future.
How might we engage them? There are numerous programs that
exist, some of which you have heard here today. From a
congressional basis, programs that would support active
involvement of those kids is extremely important. Hands on
learning, ways that they can learn how to problem solve and
apply, take the theoretical knowledge and actually put it into
practice; that kind of learning, that kind of education, helps
them to retain that learning and in their future becomes much
more substantive. And they feel good about what they are doing
as they move forward in their lives.
Mr. Gudonis. When Dean Kamen first started FIRST Robotics,
we started at the high school level, and that program grew. But
then we realized that a young man or woman in high school that
might love being on the robotics team and realize there may be
opportunities for them in engineering or science they never
thought possible, that if they were a senior in high school at
that time and they just got involved, they probably haven't
taken the courses in algebra, precalculus, physics, chemistry,
so we realized we had to move down into those middle school
years.
So we teamed up with the Lego Company to form our version
of Little League, the FIRST Lego League, that is now our
largest program. This year, we had over 8,800 teams, 88,000
students worldwide; most of those in the United States. And
that is where teachers, engineering professionals, even the
high school students from the FIRST Robotics competition mentor
these young teams, and they have to build a robot, to execute
missions, but they also have to do a research project which
they deliver in the most fantastic ways with skits and energy.
This last year it was about nanotechnology. And they
learned about carbon nanotubes and buckyballs and how medicines
will be delivered in the future. And this coming year the
challenge will be alternative energy. So we try to make it very
relevant to the topics of the day, and it becomes a great
pipeline. Just like we have in T-ball and Little League and
junior varsity, in FIRST Robotics, we now have programs ranging
from kindergarten through 12th grade following that same type
of sports model. It becomes a pipeline for feeding young people
into the FIRST Robotics high school competition. But I agree.
It is really at that middle school level that really can change
some minds.
Chairwoman McCarthy. Thank you.
Ms. Stroud.
Ms. Stroud. At ICP, we have been working hard on filling in
some details about a specific proposal that I mentioned today.
And there is information in your packages I hope about the
Summer of Service proposal. That is targeted specifically at
middle school students.
But in terms of your first question about what the
committee can do, what the most important things are, I think
certainly one of the most important things is to strengthenthe
programs that exist. Learn and Serve America, for instance,
which has the capacity, already engages many middle school
students in service learning activities during the academic
year, also provides money to community based organizations to
engage students in service learning activities.
That program has been cut significantly in the last couple
of years and is, in terms of the President's budget request
this year, there is another very significant cut included in
that. So one of the things I would urge the committee to do is
to restore to the historical funding levels of $43 million a
year the Learn and Serve budget. That reaches now millions of
students in the United States. So that is one very specific
thing that I think the committee could do.
Chairwoman McCarthy. Thank you. Unfortunately, my time is
up, but I also want to say, we have a CD that we will be able
to watch--a DVD, I guess it is called nowadays; right?
We will be able to watch it later. And I am looking forward
to it.
My colleague, Mr. Davis.
Mr. Davis. Thank you, again, for being with us today. It
has been very informative. I like the enthusiasm that I see.
I would like to start with Mr. Purifico if I could. You say
that we need to do a better job in coordinating volunteer
services in your testimony. What are some ideas you have or
methods you think that would work to urge nonprofit
organizations to better coordinate and work together?
Mr. Purifico. There are a couple things--actually several
things that we need to do to continue to encourage folks to
volunteer in the various programs that are throughout the
United States. I think one of the most important things that we
need to do first is recognize them. These are people, as you
well know, that dedicate their time and effort in varying
capacities to help kids and causes move forward and do the good
work of the people.
So any way that you can identify--as we try to do in our
organization--and acknowledge them for their work. It can be a
simple letter. Within our organization, pins are a very, very
big thing. And it is a simple--a simple way of saying thank
you.
The other thing that I would suggest as another way to
continue to move forward to obtain volunteers and to support
them is to literally--as several people sitting on this panel
have said--support the programs that are there. They need to
know visibly that they are being supported and that their
efforts are in fact worthwhile. So funding--as you continually
hear--in whatever way is possible. Those of us that are working
in the private sector trying to do the good work for those
people need the help and the support. The organization that I
have the privilege and honor of running on a yearly basis will
touch anywhere from 250,000 to 300,000 kids. We do it with
those volunteers and a full-time staff of 14 people. It is the
volunteers that make this happen. So, if they see that you can
support that, we have a better opportunity and a better chance
through funding to get more of them involved.
They even go to the extent sometimes when, due to
circumstances beyond their control, a school system will no
longer, because of lack of funds, be able to support it; the
parents will step up. And the parents will actually become
supportive in that role. We have numerous parents that are team
managers. They look for support. They look for ways of funding.
And they look for acknowledgment. Those would be the two
critical areas that I would suggest to you.
Mr. Davis. Thank you. I am going to throw this question
open to everyone, and we will see if we can get some quick
answers. You think that people who have never volunteered
before have a hard time finding places to actually get involved
and be a volunteer? Anyone? Ms. Brown.
Ms. Brown. People that have, we at Hands on Atlanta, that
is because what we do, organize large groups of volunteers for
people that have never volunteered. All they have to do is go
on to our Web site, and there are tons of volunteer
opportunities for them. There is also orientation and training
for them. And what I know for sure is that, when you treat them
good, they will come back, and they will tell others. We are
very successful with lots of colleges in terms of mentoring
programs. They bring more. And the program just grows by
itself, just because they have such a good time doing what they
do.
Mr. Davis. Do you think that unique to the area, the Web
sites, or do you think that is something that is available
across our country?
Ms. Brown. I think that it could be across the country. And
I would like to speak specifically to AmeriCorps Alums, because
we are trained in that way, and we can no longer pretend like
we don't know these things. We can't plead ignorance because we
have spent 10 months of service, and we have committed to a
lifetime of service. So when you have people that are trained
on that type of philosophy, they are able to bring others in.
And that is why we need this network across this Nation, so
that we can tap into all those resources. I have members now
that are in medical school. They are in law school. Some are
working for government in fair housing. Many of them are
teachers. And they continue to serve. So there is a lot of
talent out there. We just need a way to bring it together, tap
into it and then spread it out.
Mr. Davis. Thank you. That is all I have. Thank you.
Chairwoman McCarthy. Thank you.
Ms. Shea-Porter.
Ms. Shea-Porter. Thank you.
I am sitting here so impressed with all of you and, as a
social worker, absolutely thrilled to see the energy and the
excitement about your programs. And I want to ask a couple of
questions. First of all, Mr. Newman, I, too, went down to
Louisiana twice after Katrina, and I know of what you speak.
And I thank you for that and for publicizing that. I also want
to ask you if you have any ideas to help you build that network
that you are so effective of building inside your own TV show.
Mr. Newman. We have had a huge response since our
documentary aired. We have had not only people volunteering for
us, but I was down in Biloxi again just a couple of months ago,
and I know that, after that piece aired, their phones were
ringing off the hook. Corporate sponsorship, individual people
wanted to come down, and they referred to it as the Guiding
Light experience that they wanted to have, which sounds to me
like a Disney ride or something like that, but if that is what
they are looking for, that is great.
I think, for us, it was just a matter of showing people
through a documentary that there are opportunities out there
for them to volunteer and that it is something that people can
do. I think there are a lot of people out there that they think
that they don't have the skills to do some kind of work, the
kind of work that we did down in Biloxi and that their time
wouldn't be made useful because they don't really know what
they are doing. What we found, again, organizations like Hands
on, AmeriCorps, organizations like that, is that the need is
there, and the training is there as well.
People can be empowered and make a significant difference
over the course of their time that they volunteered.
I think it is just a question of educating people.
Ms. Shea-Porter. So you are not losing people. You are
channeling them elsewhere. I was listening when you said 100,
150 people. As somebody who used to have to call up every
volunteer to find somebody to drive or do whatever, I thought,
I hope we don't lose the rest of them. So you do have a place
for them to go to if they can't be accommodated by your
program?
Mr. Newman. Absolutely and many of the people who have
volunteered for these smaller events that we are doing have
also said to me and to others in our show they are also going
to be going down to the gulf coast; they are going to be going
down to New Orleans and Biloxi as well as joining us in
Richmond, Virginia. It just feeds out.
Ms. Shea-Porter. It does and thank you for using that
position. And for those who think you really do have to know
what you are doing. My then 16-year-old went down there, and he
put books on library shelves. And if he could do that, I am
sure anybody could do that. So some of the tasks are so simple
and yet so necessary to rebuild those lives.
Mr. Newman. The last week of June, I will be taking my
family down. My 18-year-old son and my 15-year-old daughter and
my son's girlfriend. They watched our documentary, and they had
a sense, oh, I can do that.
And they want to do that.
Ms. Shea-Porter. They do.
Mr. Newman. The younger kids we talked about earlier, I
really think that they are looking for something to, some way
to contribute in a significant way. And they want to do it. It
is just a question of giving them the opportunity to do it and
showing them that they can do it.
Ms. Shea-Porter. Ties in nicely with what I was going to
ask you, Ms. Stroud, because it is a gift to young people to
make them count and make them realize how necessary they are to
fit in our society. And I actually sat next to a lot of young
people who were AmeriCorps, and they were helping down in
Katrina also. And they were absolutely wonderful. And I thought
a lot of the kids would have been walking around the mall and
aimlessly trying to find some kind of meaning for the day; and
here they were, and you could not stop them. They worked 15,
16, 17 hours and signed up to do more and more. So it is a gift
to them as well as a gift to the community.
So I wanted to ask you, Ms. Stroud, because you were
talking about your program, that Summer of Service, and how
well I know that age group and the difficulty they can get into
if they don't have that sense of inspiration and being really
important to our culture.
Exactly how is that program ministered? And I will put a
plug in about the money right now, that all of these programs,
when they are effectively administered--and most of them are--
because the people who are volunteers are the heart and soul in
success, pay us back so many times over not just in the money
but in the service they deliver. So I have, you know, certainly
support for the program, but exactly what are you doing with
these kids over the summer to make them feel like they are
needed?
Ms. Stroud. Well, there are many. There are many examples
of programs that engage middle school-aged students in service.
But I think it hasn't been taken to scale in the way that the
Dodd, Cochran and DeLauro bills propose to do. They would like
to provide enough opportunities to make it universally
available to all middle school students transitioning in the
summer, transitioning between middle school and high school and
to create it as a sense of a rite of passage for young
Americans.
It is a tradition that we don't have in the United States
so much as we have in other cultures. And this might actually
help to create a sense of, this is what you do if you are a
middle school student before going on to high school. So the--I
agree with you as well that the issue is not the lack of
interest in volunteering on the part of students in that age
category. My experience is that it is a lack of opportunities.
And when they are given the opportunity to serve, they will
rise to the occasion. So the bill proposes to create, as I
said, a kind of universal access to Summer of Service programs
that would be created through a competitive grants program
administered by the Corporation for National Service.
Ms. Shea-Porter. Thank you.
Chairwoman McCarthy. Time up.
Mr. Sarbanes, do you have any questions? Just to let you
know, we are going to be having a vote coming up soon. We will
be able to finish. I was actually hoping we could go for a
second round, but apparently that is not going to happen, so,
Mr. Sarbanes.
Mr. Sarbanes. Thank you, Chairwoman McCarthy, and I just
want to thank you for your leadership on these issues. I know
that people find their ways to chairmanships of these
committees not just based on tenure but based on interest and
passion on the issues that are within their jurisdiction. And
this is a second hearing already that we have had on the issue
of service and volunteerism, and that is a tribute to the
passion you bring to it, and it is one that I know we share, so
thank you very much for that.
Terrific panel. Inspiring panel. There will come a day
when, in hopes of hearing what you have to say, that the room
will be so packed that people will be standing in the hallways.
And I know that day will come. And I know it will come
because of the energy and enthusiasm that you bring.
I do just want to say, I was able to attend the Chesapeake
FIRST competition finals at Annapolis Naval Academy, and so it
is go to see you here, Paul, and I know Mildred Porter is here
as well, and tremendously exciting. I hadn't been to one of
those before, and now I am going to make sure it is always on
my calendar so I can go back there and bring my three kids as
well. In fact, I got up the next morning but didn't get in gear
fast enough and then realized that the actual final competition
on Sunday was happening earlier in the day than I thought. I
was on my way to Annapolis when I checked the schedule and then
had to turn around and come home. So it is a wonderful
opportunity for our kids.
The AmeriCorps program, it is amazing that the 500,000th
volunteer is about to come into the program and what a
testament to what this Nation can do when it puts its mind to
it.
All the programs that you have talked about and alluded to
are part of trying to bring our country together around these
service opportunities. I am very proud that, in Maryland,
service learning is part of the requirement for graduation in
our high schools. And I think that kind of emphasis is one that
can bring across the board. And leadership at the Federal level
will obviously help with that because, as one of you said,
service is something to be learned. It is not necessarily an
aid; it is for some people, and they are the leaders. But to
get it spread throughout society, we have to inculcate it in a
very focused and organized fashion.
I am also just intrigued by the idea that, these days, when
there are so many things that isolate us from one another,
particularly our children--kids can spend so much time with
electronic games, television, IM-ing and so forth, sequestered
in their rooms--volunteering is a way to get them out and
working together. And it can match that kind of isolation and
allows people to share perspectives.
Here is my question, really, there are two questions, and
the first is, this notion of creating an infrastructure to
allow volunteerism and service to really to bloom and reach its
maximum potential in this country, because you know there are
those, you get caught up in a thousand points of light
perspective, that says, well, people on their own initiative,
they will wake up one day, and they will figure out they need
to go volunteer, and they will find their way to the
opportunity.
But if the infrastructure is not in place, it is not going
to happen, and it is not only that; it is a disservice to
volunteers you want to help when the infrastructure is not
there. I think we saw that in Katrina. If the infrastructure of
the government and other agencies could have been better, could
have been more prepared, you would not have had volunteers
frustrated by their inability to get in there immediately and
help. We have a chance--instead of sort of pointing fingers of
acrimony and having those be the images, we want to cause this
country to have the images of volunteerism being celebrated.
So, if you could, talk to the infrastructure question,
anyone who would like to do that.
Mr. Gudonis. Well, I am glad you joined the first robotics
competition. We run thousands of those types of competitions
between qualifying rounds, regional, national, and world
championships. So we invest heavily in information systems, in
training to basically be able to recruit new volunteers, to
train them effectively with online seminars, with coaches'
manuals, with in-person workshops. We use the Web site
extensively, and we have been able to very much tap into the
AmeriCorps Vista Volunteers and the Corporation for National
and Community Service Volunteers. As I mentioned in my
testimony, they are able to leverage themselves 100-fold
because then they go out in their communities and then recruit
these other volunteers. It is that infrastructure, though,
around systems so that we can staff all of these events, so we
have got referees; we have got judges; we have got people
running the scoring systems. So it is really the systems
infrastructure that we have put in place over a number of years
which has enabled us to scale up like we have and, you know,
conduct thousands of events with 60,000 volunteers effectively.
Mr. Purifico. I think an important area is that all of us
here have various ways that we attract folks to hopefully come
and volunteer for our organizations. Word of mouth, publicity,
PR, brochures, materials that we send out, and the volunteers
themselves are a huge source of referring the organization to
other folks.
But if I can bump it up to about 30,000 feet, if I may, the
larger question is in what ways might we, this country, find a
place, which is what I heard you say, where folks who want to
volunteer can go volunteer, and in that area of ``in what ways
might we,'' wouldn't it be nice if we had some place listed or
even sanctioned, a place of sanctioned volunteer organizations
that folks could go look at and see and identify the areas that
they would like to give of their time. That would be very, very
helpful, and I think a lot of folks look for places to do that.
By the way, if you are not busy this Saturday, the proud
State of Maryland's Destination ImagiNation will celebrate its
25th year of existence, and the tournament is there.
Mr. Sarbanes. That is good to know, good to know.
Let me ask: Can I have one quick follow-up? I know I am out
of time. Quick.
Just as to how we measure volunteerism, is it hours served?
Is it the number of people that we see? I mean is there any way
to do that in a way that is accurate, that you think reflects--
maybe just a couple of people could jump in on that because it
is important in terms of evaluating the success of these
efforts.
Yes.
Ms. Stroud. It is important to measure a number of things.
One is what the impact is on the participants, but we also
ought to measure what the impact is on the community and, you
know, what is getting done as a result that would not otherwise
have been done, and those should be issues that are really
vital and important and defined by the community as the
community's highest needs, and there is--I do not know if you
are familiar, for instance, with the longitudinal study that is
being done of AmeriCorps being carried out. It is looking at
the impact on the participants, but there is increasingly now a
fairly solid research base about impact and more sophisticated
tools for assessment.
Mr. Sarbanes. Great.
My time is up. Thank you very much.
Chairwoman McCarthy. And I thank you.
We have been joined by the ranking member, Mr. Platts, and
I just want to say something.
I have given everybody a little bit of leeway with the red
light. If we had a full committee here, I would be a little
stricter, but being that we had a really good dialogue, Mr.
Platts.
Mr. Platts. Thank you, Madam Chair, and I apologize for my
late arrival. A group of six of us, Republican and Democratic
Members, just came back from Iraq and Afghanistan, and we had
the opportunity to meet with the President for about an hour,
so I apologize, though, in not being here for the hearing.
Again, I thank you for your leadership on this very
important issue as we move forward with reauthorization.
While I am going to be very brief because I know we have
votes coming up here shortly as well, I do want to thank each
of the witnesses for your testimony but especially for your
leadership out there in your communities in promoting the
volunteer and community spirit of our Nation. I have just one
question, and it is something that I do not think exists that I
have seen in a coordinated way, and I will make an analogy.
Back home in Pennsylvania, we rely heavily on volunteer
firefighters. It is the backbone of most communities. In my
district, I have one fully paid department, and in the rest of
my communities I have over 100 volunteer departments. We are
working with them to promote the need of each of those
departments within the community and through my newsletter and
through our Web site, and then statewide, there is what is
called the Pennsylvania Fire Services Institute, and they do a
statewide program, you know, where anywhere in the State you
can call a 1-800 number and learn about your local community
for volunteer or emergency-related service volunteerism.
In your experience in various locations, have you seen
anything of that nature? I do not know if we could do it
nationally through PSAs and, you know, through a national
campaign effort and then put everyone in touch with local
groups, such as your own, in your local communities or at least
at the State level. I would be interested in each or any of
your feedback on that type of approach. I think people are
aware of AmeriCorps. They are aware of SeniorCorps, Learn and
Serve but maybe not who to call. They just know these programs
are out there.
So, thank you.
Ms. Brown. Recently, we had a conference in New Orleans,
and the Red Cross was there, and disaster relief people across
the United States were there, and clearly, if there is nothing
in place, it does not work very well because people know that
they wanted to come, and the Red Cross kept giving countless
examples of people showing up with their suitcases who ended up
being in the way rather than helping. So, even though they had
a strong desire to help, it really was not a good thing. So
then we began to think about ways for disaster, not only to
respond but to prepare ahead of time. Could we have blocks that
were block by block, you know, senior citizens' making sure
that everybody has a survival kit or going block by block?
Because do you even know who to call or where to go if there is
a disaster? Could we put in programs in neighborhoods where
everybody meets or the church, and we know that Ms. Lilly down
the street is in a wheelchair, so we have got to go get her
first? So those types of things. So we talked about that, but
clearly, clearly, we have got to be organized, and all of these
entities are going to have to find a way to work together.You
know, everybody is so ``this is mine over here,'' and ``this is
mine over here.'' it will not work like that. They are going to
have to find a way. So we did talk about those things.
So, you know, in your mind, you begin to think on the
ground level that you could put these things in place and with
the fire departments in your neighborhoods because these are
all communities, and if for no other reason, that specific
community would know where to go and how to respond. So we
think that with the right leadership and the right pieces in
place that it could very much happen. It must happen.
Mr. Platts. Yes.
Ms. Stroud. It sounds like it is partly a pipeline issue.
You have got to get enough people into the pipeline, so having
a specially designated AmeriCorps team that would work with
local volunteer fire departments, and one of the
responsibilities that AmeriCorps members has is to leverage
other volunteers. So they could, for instance, help to set up
chapters on local college campuses in the communities where you
have these volunteer fire departments that could even work with
senior high school students in terms of providing some training
and introducing them to the role of the volunteer fire
department. So that is the kind of infrastructure issue that I
think AmeriCorps responds to really well.
Mr. Platts. Yes, sir.
Mr. Gudonis. Well, we engage 2,000 major companies to
provide more technical mentors, engineers, scientists, and many
of these companies want to reach out to their existing
employees but also to their retiree base, and so we often now
establish someone who is head of volunteerism. For example,
with GM, one person coordinates 275 engineers who work with
students all across the country. I was invited to GE, and they
put us on their Intranet, their Web site, so that their 330,000
employees can see volunteer opportunities but also want to
reach out to the half million retirees. I think that is a
growing population that just wants to share their skills and
experience in various endeavors, with young people, with
projects like firefighting, and so on. So there is a whole pool
of talent there. You cannot play golf every day.
Mr. Platts. Yes. I think, as we go to reauthorization, it
is looking at how better to empower those individuals who have
the ability, the time, and want to give back to be able to
connect with the various opportunities that are out there and
something that, you know, we can look at through
reauthorization.
Again, my apologies, Madam Chair, for a late arrival, and
my sincere thanks to each of the witnesses for their work.
Thank you.
Chairwoman McCarthy. Thank you.
I want to again thank you for your testimony. It is really
appreciated. I think we have got some pretty good ideas. We
know what you need, and hopefully we can sit down and work
these things out and go forward on it.
As previously ordered, members will have 7 days to submit
additional materials for the hearing record.
Without objection, this hearing is adjourned.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Altmire follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Jason Altmire, a Representative in Congress
From the State of Pennsylvania
Thank you, Madam Chair, for holding this important hearing to
discuss how we can renew the spirit of national and community service
in America.
I would like to extend a warm welcome to all of the witnesses. I
appreciate the time you took to be here today and look forward to your
testimony.
Unfortunately, in this country community service is frequently not
seriously considered when formulating public policy. By not including
community service in discussions of how to combat our most serious
societal issues, we exclude a tool which can be effective in helping
deal with these issues. It is my hope that through the series of
hearings that this committee is having on community service that we are
able to highlight ways in which this possible.
Today, I am particularly interested to hear from Mr. Gudonis and
Mr. Purfico, because the service programs each of them represent deal
with an issue of great importance to me, the need to improve STEM
education in this country. In the 2005 Skills Gap report 80 % of U.S.
manufacturers surveyed reported a shortage of qualified workers and 65
% of these manufacturers specifically cited a shortage of engineers and
scientists.
Community service alone can not solve this critical problem,
however, it can be used to help. I look forward to hearing from Mr.
Gudonis and Mr. Purfico, as well as the other witnesses, about how
Congress can assist their successful programs and help foster similar
programs.
Thank you again, Madam Chair, for holding this valuable hearing. I
yield back the balance of my time.
______
[Whereupon, at 11:42 a.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.]