FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Serve America Together Coalition Sends Letter to Cabinet Secretaries Urging Use of Expanded National Service in American Jobs Plan
Twenty organizations — from civilian and military service organizations to faith-based groups — signed onto the letter to five cabinet secretaries
WASHINGTON, DC (June 24, 2021) – Today, twenty members of the Serve America Together coalition wrote a letter to the Secretaries of Commerce, Energy, Housing and Urban Development, Labor, and Transportation to encourage them to use national service as a tool in addressing their American Jobs Plan priorities.
The organizations wrote:
“National service is also a tool that can address the priorities of the American Jobs Plan. It is a workforce development tool that can put young people — whose lives have been disrupted due to the pandemic and are facing disproportionately high unemployment rates — on a pathway to high-need careers. It can bring communities’ perspectives into climate, disaster response and resilience, broadband, and infrastructure projects. It can also provide the human capital of the Civilian Climate Corps. Building on existing national service programs in all of these areas can help you scale up quickly and effectively.”
Serve America Together is a campaign working to make national service part of growing up in America. Signers include: Service Year Alliance, Welcoming America, The Mission Continues, Student Veterans of America, The PeaceJam Foundation, Catholic Volunteer Network, YouthBuild USA, Listen First Project, The Corps Network, National Peace Corps Association, Teach for America, Lead for America, Voices for National Service, Public Allies, Inclusive America, The Veterans and Citizens Initiative, America Forward, Independent Sector, America’s Service Commissions, and States for Service.
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About Serve America Together
Serve America Together is a campaign to make national service part of growing up in America. The campaign is led by a coalition of over two dozen military and civilian service organizations, as well as civic and faith-based groups. It is backed by a group of bipartisan co-chairs including Gen. (Ret.) Stan McChrystal, Howard Schultz, Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Former Congressman Joe Heck, Former Gov. Deval Patrick, Arianna Huffington, Laura Lauder, Andrew Hauptman, and Jeff Huber. It is a project of Service Year Alliance, an organization working to make a year of paid, full-time service — a service year — a common expectation and opportunity for all young Americans. Learn more about Service Year Alliance at serviceyearalliance.org.
