UPDATED: Service for All Ages Press Conference

Senator Dodd and Representative DeLauro help a press conference announcing the introduction of their "Service for All Ages" Initiative—a group of four bills that will expand and strengthen opportunities for Americans of all ages to serve their communities.

The press conference provided an opportunity for Senator Dodd and Representative DeLauro to lay out their plans to advance legislation on community service, service-learning, and national service, and it will provide the opportunity to hear from dedicated service participants on the ground in Connecticut, including an older American tutoring elementary-aged students, and two young adults participating in service-learning programs in Connecticut at YSA's Lead Agency for Global Youth Service Day in Hartford, Our Piece of the Pie. (http://www.opp.org/)

The Summer of Service Act creates a competitive grant program that enables states and localities to offer students making the transition from middle to high school an opportunity to participate in a structured community service program over the summer months. More specifically, the program grants educational awards of up to $500 to students who complete 100 hours of service in any given summer. By employing service-learning models to teach civic participation skills, Summer of Service will help young people serve their communities, expand educational opportunities for themselves, amic slide." The Summer of Service Act was considered by the House last Congress as part of the GIVE Act.

The Semester of Service Act recognizes the importance that service-learning can play in education. This legislation would provide students with the opportunity to serve their communities and receive academic credit. It would create competitive grant to offer students a chance to participate in a semester of service-learning during their junior or senior year of high school. This program would expand educational opportunities by coupling service with State academic standards, requiring participants to take part in 70 hours of service-learning over a semester, 24 of which must be spent doing field-based activities. The Semester of Service Act is also smart investment-research shows that for every dollar spent on a service-learning project, $4 worth of servi! ce is provided to the community involved.

The AmeriCorps: Together Improving our Nation (ACTION) Act would make college more affordable for many young people by updating the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award to reflect 15 years of college tuition increases. It also ensures that AmeriCorps members are able to use their entire education award by making it tax exempt. In addition, the ACTION Act would reestablish the Corporation's authority to partner with other Federal agencies to meet a variety of domestic needs and would also grant the Corporation for National Service a seat at the table by elevating its Executive Director to Cabinet status.

The Encore Service Act would make it easier for older Americans to use their expertise to give back to their country. All too often, we fail to draw upon the experience, knowledge, and ideas of older Americans. The Encore Service Act would create the Encore Service Program to provide Americans 55 years and older with opportunities to serve their communities. It would also create the Encore Fellows program which would place older Americans in one-year management or leadership positions in public or private not for profits. In return for their service, participants would receive an education award which can be transferred to their children or grandchildren. The Encore Service Act has been endorsed by AARP.