Barack Obama will enable all Americans to serve: 
Obama and Biden will expand AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps, engage retiring Americans,
and set up an America's Voice Initiative to send Americans who are fluent speakers of
local languages to expand our public diplomacy.

Integrate service into learning:
Obama and Biden will set a goal that all middle and high school students do 50 hours of
community service a year, and will establish a new tax credit that is worth $4,000 a year
in exchange for 100 hours of public service a year.

Invest in the nonprofit sector:
Obama and Biden will create a Social Investment Fund Network to use federal seed money to
leverage private sector funding. They will create an agency dedicated to building the
capacity and effectiveness of the nonprofit sector.

Barack Obama and Joe Biden's Plan for Universal Voluntary Public Service

The Problem

Americans Not Asked to Serve After 9/11: President Bush squandered an opportunity to
mobilize the American people following 9/11 when he asked Americans only to go shopping.


Insufficient Federal Support for Service: While more than 500,000 people have served in
AmeriCorps, the program turns away tens of thousands of applicants a year because of
limited funding. 

Need for More R&D in Nonprofit Sector: Research and development in the nonprofit sector
is limited and there is a disconnect between charitable foundations that can fund
innovation and the organizations on the ground that can test new concepts and bring them
to scale. 

Barack Obama and Joe Biden's Plan

Enable All Americans to Serve to Meet the Nation's Challenges

Expand Corporation for National and Community Service: Obama and Biden will expand
AmeriCorps from 75,000 slots today to 250,000 and they will focus this expansion on
addressing the great challenges facing the nation. They will establish a Classroom Corps
to help teachers and students, with a priority placed on underserved schools; a Health
Corps to improve public health outreach; a Clean Energy Corps to conduct weatherization
and renewable energy projects; a Veterans Corps to assist veterans at hospitals, nursing
homes and homeless shelters; and a Homeland Security Corps to help communities plan,
prepare for and respond to emergencies. 
Engage Retiring Americans in Service on a Large Scale: Older Americans have a wide range
of skills and knowledge to contribute. Obama and Biden will expand and improve programs
that connect individuals over the age of 55 to quality volunteer opportunities. 

Expand the Peace Corps: Obama and Biden will double the Peace Corps to 16,000 by 2011.
They will work with the leaders of other countries to build an international network of
overseas volunteers so that Americans work side-by-side with volunteers from other
countries. 
Show the World the Best Face of America: Obama and Biden will set up an America's Voice
Initiative to send Americans who are fluent speakers of local languages to expand our
public diplomacy. They also will extend opportunities for older individuals such as
teachers, engineers, and doctors to serve overseas. 
Integrate Service into Learning

Expand Service-Learning in Our Nation's Schools: Obama and Biden will set a goal that all
middle and high school students do 50 hours of community service a year. They will develop
national guidelines for service- learning and will give schools better tools both to
develop programs and to document student experience. Green Job Corps: Obama and Biden
will create an energy-focused youth jobs program to provide disadvantaged youth with
service opportunities weatherizing buildings and getting practical experience in
fast-growing career fields. 
Expand YouthBuild Program: Obama and Biden will expand the YouthBuild program, which
gives disadvantaged young people the chance to complete their high school education,
learn valuable skills and build affordable housing in their communities. They will grow
the program so that 50,000 low-income young people a year a chance to learn construction
job skills and complete high school. 

Require 100 Hours of Service in College: Obama and Biden will establish a new American
Opportunity Tax Credit that is worth $4,000 a year in exchange for 100 hours of public
service a year. 

Promote College Serve-Study: Obama and Biden will ensure that at least 25 percent of
College Work-Study funds are used to support public service opportunities instead of jobs
in dining halls and libraries. 

Invest in the Nonprofit Sector

Social Investment Fund Network: Obama and Biden will create a Social Investment Fund
Network to use federal seed money to leverage private sector funding to improve local
innovation, test the impact of new ideas and expand successful programs to scale. 

Social Entrepreneurship Agency for Nonprofits: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will a create
an agency within the Corporation for National and Community Service dedicated to building
the capacity and effectiveness of the nonprofit sector. 

Barack Obama's Record

A Lifetime of Service 

Obama began his career by moving to the South Side of Chicago to direct the Developing
Communities Project. Together with a coalition of ministers, Obama set out to improve
living conditions in poor neigh- borhoods plagued by crime and high unemployment. After
graduating from law school, Obama passed up lucrative law firm jobs to head Project Vote,
which helped register 150,000 new African American voters in Chicago, the highest number
ever registered in a single local effort. Michelle Obama was founding executive director
of Public Allies Chicago, a leadership development program that identifies and prepares
talented young adults for careers serving the public good.