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Sep 13, 2007

"Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once a year, but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in." --Marjorie Moore

An Epidemic of Volunteerism

Polls show that while confidence in America's democracy and government is near an all-time low, volunteerism and civic participation since the '70s are near all-time highs. In 2006 more than 61 million Americans dedicated 8.1 billion hours to volunteerism. Political scientists are perplexed about this. If confidence is so low, why would people bother volunteering? The explanation offered by this Time Magazine article is pretty simple. People, especially young people, think the government and the public sphere are broken, but they feel they can personally make a difference through community service. The author also offers a 10-point plan for "universal national service."