    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (2000, Book I)]
    [January 11, 2000]
    [Page 30]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on Initiatives To Empower Young People
    January 11, 2000

        I am pleased to announce today that my budget for Fiscal Year 2001
    will include over $850 million for the Corporation for National Service.
    The investments in my budget will keep us on track to my goal of 100,000
    AmeriCorps members serving annually. They will also fund several
    innovative initiatives to empower young people. Through a new AmeriCorps
    Reserves program, modeled on the military reserves, we will be able to
    engage former AmeriCorps members in service during times of crisis.
    Through a new Community Coaches program, we will place dedicated adults
    in 1,000 schools who can guide students in effective service and connect
    the school to the wider community. And through the Youth Empowerment
    grants I am proposing, we will be able to reward social entrepreneurship
    among young people who are finding their own solutions to problems like
    youth violence and civic alienation.
        Everyone who serves is a catalyst for change. Since the passage of
    the National and Community Service Trust Act, more than 150,000 young
    people have served in AmeriCorps. They represent our very best ideals--
    they have helped to immunize more than a million people; taught,
    tutored, or mentored 4.4 million children; helped build some 11,000
    homes; and truly sparked a new spirit of public engagement across the
    land. The initiatives I am announcing today will help more Americans
    share in the power and promise of community service. I look forward to
    working with Congress to ensure their enactment.