National Service Projects
This project studies the impact of the service experience on participants in two programs for voluntary national service in Israel. Shlomit is a national not-for-profit organization founded in 1993, which serves a cross section of Israeli society whose volunteers include Jewish and Arab men and women, religiously observant and secular, who have been excused from military service in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) but wish to volunteer for civic service for periods of one to two years. The Jerusalem Municipal Department for Community Service fields approximately 220 volunteers per year in social welfare and educational NGOs in Jerusalem. The majority of the volunteers are ultra-orthodox Jewish women. This Civic Service Research Fellows study compares two youth service programs in the U.S.--City Year and Teach for America--and two in France--Unis Cite and AFEV. Using in-depth interviews, the researcher explores servers' perceptions of the boundaries between volunteer work (travail benevole), service work (travail volontaire), and professional/occupational work (travail salarie). The study also assesses the role of an education-focused program in shaping a professional career in education. This CSD Civic Service Research Fellows study explores the nature of service and citizenship in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) program in Nigeria. The study takes an in-depth look at how political forces have affected the implementation of this program and assesses the effects of the NYSC on civic engagement thirty years after its inception. This CSD Civic Service Research Fellows study uses Social Network Analysis as a tool to assess the effect of national service programs at the community level. Specifically, this paper measures the community-level impacts of the work accomplished by AmeriCorps volunteers in three U.S. cities. The findings show that the program can increase social capital by diversifying and bridging community network ties. This CSD Civic Service Research Fellows study investigates the relationship between service and citizenship in Nepal. Although Nepal has a long cultural tradition of service, the increasing presence of foreign volunteers has eroded citizens' sense of self-reliance. In addition, political instability in the country has estranged youth who might otherwise serve as volunteers in their communities. Using surveys, in-depth interviews, and focus groups, the study examines whether Nepal's National Development Volunteer Service enhances civic engagement, especially among the nation's youth. This CSD Civic Service Research Fellows study investigates the characteristics and motivations of youth who serve in German's voluntary cultural year. In particular, the authors explore the role of social training and the presence of role models in influencing youth's perceptions of civic service and cultural institutions. Results suggest that the voluntary cultural year may have positive impacts on participating adolescents, enhancing social and cultural competence, supporting cultural institutions, providing exposure to career options, and supporting a stronger relationship with cultural institutions and their impact on social development. |
|