How to Serve Your Country Without Joining the Military

Often referred to as the domestic version of the Peace Corps, Americorps is a national service program that provides individuals with money towards school in exchange for service to their community. Full time members who complete one year of service will earn slightly less than five thousand dollars in the form of a Segal Education Award. The motto of Americorps is: "Your world. Your chance to make it better." There are many other benefits available to Americorps members including childcare, living allowance, health insurance, valuable life experience, etc., depending on which program they choose to serve in.

While it might not always feel world changing as the motto suggests, spending a year as an Americorps Member is truly a positive, meaningful life experience. Americorps members serve in many different capacities including but not limited to: community organizations, non-profit organizations, public agencies, and faith-based organizations. Americorps members work to improve education, the enviornment, the economically disadvantaged, and healthcare.

Pronounced Americore not Americorpse, this notable national service program began in 1994 under President Clinton. Since then, Americorps has more than doubled in size. Along with its sister programs Senior Corps and Learn and Serve America, Americorps operates under a much larger program, the Corporation for National and Community Service. There are several different programs to choose from within Americorps: Americorps State and National, Americorps NCCC, and Americorps VISTA. My particular Americorps program was an Americorps State program.

My experience was comparable to that of an internship. This was particularly important to me since my college major did not require me to complete one. Through Americorps, I gained practical experience and made valuable contacts for future employment opportunities. I spent one year as a member of Americorps in Southgate, Michigan. Our members were placed in a non-profit program from Monday through Thursday. Every Friday and even some Saturdays, we would complete service projects in and around the Metro Detroit area. Most of our work was done in the heart of Detroit, where it is needed the most. We were able to work with many wonderful non-profit organizations that were engaging in much needed community service work. It was truly inspiring to witness. The work we completed was not glamorous but it was rewarding. We completed a lot of yard work. We picked up garbage at a national park. We pulled weeds from a community garden. Our group was even so fortunate that we were able to offer our help in New Orleans for a week long service project to help with Katrina relief. Please keep in mind that program vary significantly. What I experienced could be completely different from another Americorps member.

Americorps was one of the things in my life that I am most proud of. While the program itself wasn't perfect (but then again, nothing in life is), I have no regrets about the year I spent in service to my country. Americorps is a sacrifice that many simply aren't willing to make. Living on such a miniature paycheck (roughly $300 every two weeks) is a very difficult task to accomplish, especially in a culture such as ours. I am proud of the sacrifice I made to try and make a difference.

Perhaps you or someone you know is considering joining Americorps. Whenever I have a big decision to make, I always find it helpful to list pros and cons. I have started a list of Americorps pros and cons for you below.

Pros
Earn money for college
Looks awesome on a resume
Meet new people
Potential opportunities to travel
Student loans are deferred while serving in Americorps. Any interest that accrues during your term of service may be paid for by the Corporation for National and Community Service.
Shorter time commitment and much easier to get into than the Peace Corps
A chance to make valuable contacts and possibly gain noteworthy recommendations

Cons
Pays very little - Depending on the program you may recieve a living allowance (too small to call it a salary)
You are required to claim your education award as income and pay taxes on it. This is one of the biggest problems I have with Americorps. However, there is major work being done to eliminate the unfair taxation of the Segal Education Award.
It might not be as glamorous or prestigious compared to the work of your peers

I am so glad I decided to join Americorps. I met the most interesting, amazing, altruistic, and ambitious women and men during my year in Americorps. I have fond memories of each and every person in my team. All of them have used the education award they earned to move onto bigger and better things. With my education award, I paid off a small student loan, furthered my educaton by taking for four additional college classes, and bought a MacBook.

Spending a year of service in Americorps could be an excellent option for a recent high school grad that isn't ready for college yet or (as in my case) a recent college grad not quite ready for a normal nine-to-five job yet. Americorps is for people from all walks of life who are looking for something a little more meaningful than a typical j-o-b.

If you are interested for yourself or someone else, I encourage visiting the Americorps website. You can learn about the different programs available and read more member's stories.