Trust is the backbone of American democracy. But trust in the media, the federal government and our neighbors is hard to come by, and our democracy continues to face growing threats from misinformation and polarization.

A new report from More in Common found that less than 30% of Americans in the past 15 years have confidence in the federal government to do what is right for the country — down from 80% of Americans in the 1960s. Trust in the media and our neighbors fared no better.

Read the full piece in USA Today.

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Serve America Together campaign launches “United through National Service” to bring together unexpected voices in support of national service in lead up to 20th anniversary of September 11th

The initiative aims to show the full spectrum of support for national service and its potential to unite the country, bridge divides, and restore the soul of the nation.

WASHINGTON, DC (July 13, 2021) – Today, the Serve America Together campaign formally launched United through National Service — a major initiative aimed at bringing unexpected voices together in the lead up to the 20th anniversary of September 11th to show the full spectrum of support for national service and its potential to restore the soul of the nation. 

Serve America Together is a campaign to make national service part of growing up in America. Campaign co-chairs Stan McChrystal and Laura Lauder formally launched United for National Service in an op-ed in the Chronicle of Philanthropy today stating:

National service is having a civic moment. People across the political spectrum are calling for expanded national service as a means to unify a polarized nation and tackle problems such as climate change. A $1 billion federal investment in AmeriCorps was included in the stimulus measure passed this year. And philanthropic organizations have invested in innovative national-service approaches to address need during the pandemic and in its aftermath.

This level of support was hard to imagine nine years ago when Stan spoke at the Aspen Ideas Festival to a group of 3,000 business and philanthropic leaders, including Laura, about the lack of shared experience and connection between Americans. Noting that such connection came through military service in previous generations, Stan, who commanded international forces in Afghanistan, called for universal national service following high school or college to create that common experience among all Americans.

Read the full piece in the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

The United States, long grounded in the idea of individual liberty, also boasts a deep, cross-partisan history of national service. Building on a belief he first shared at the 2012 Aspen Ideas Festival, retired General Stanley McChrystal recently called on the president to invest in national service for one million young Americans annually “to ensure the strength and security of our nation.” At a time of mounting political division and innumerable shared challenges, this conversation explores what it would take to implement a national service program of this scale, and what it could mean for the future of American society.

Watch the full recording on the Aspen Ideas website here.