by Daniella Abinum in USA Today College
Exponentially more apply to spend a year working on a range of social and environmental issues than there are positions available through the National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC), says the congressionally chartered organization dedicated to strengthening civic life in America. Now the Service Year exchange is here to help. The platform is part of Service Year, a full-time stipend position for those looking to make an impact on education, the environment and other issues that was founded in 2014. According to the Service Year website, Òcorps members often receive living stipends, higher education loan reimbursements, specialized skills trainings, and other benefits.Ó Programs already include organizations such as the Peace Corps. Teach for America, Public Allies, AmeriCorps VISTA and AmeriCorps NCCC, but the positions available are often not enough for the amount of interest coming from potential applicants. The exchange is intended to increase the number of organizations that can provide national service opportunities, and aims to more easily bring together the organizations with those who want to serve. The three-way platform aims to link people, opportunities and dollars. The exchange helps young people find service-year positions tailored to their interests as well as create fundraising campaigns to make their dream jobs a reality. Funders can directly support both those who want to serve, and the organizations themselves. The initiative was announced on Oct. 9 at the National Conference on Citizenship, where Senator John McCain received the Franklin Award, presented to an outstanding individual in federal service. The exchange is a venture of the Service Year Alliance , a new coalition organized around the vision that a service year should be a common expectation and opportunity for all young Americans. The four founding organizations are NCoC, the Franklin Project, ServiceNation and Voices for National Service.