Standing Up for Service: Why National Service Matters Now More Than Ever
Guest Blog by Rachel Errin, ACC AmeriCorps Member
Rachel Errin is an ACC AmeriCorps Member serving with Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas in Wichita, Kansas. Through AmeriCorps service, ACC Members like Rachel are placed in communities across the country, tackling a range of challenges in digital access, economic development, and more. Their work is rooted in connection to place and collaboration with their host sites — nonprofit and local government organizations dedicated to making a lasting difference. Learn more about the American Connection Corps at our website.
Nearly two years ago, I found myself sitting in on a live information meeting about the American Connection Corps, which was not my motivation. I wanted to hear the guest speaker who I had recently reserved for a training event. I knew nothing about AmeriCorps. However, as the online event moved through the agenda, the opportunity to serve my community began to seem like a good fit for me. By the end of the presentation, I felt a sense of certainty that this opportunity was for me.
A service year is a chosen challenge. You stand up and say, “I’ll go!” without knowing the destination or even what you’ll need for the journey.
When I showed up to help close the digital divide in my rural community, I had a strange mix of clear knowing and muddy waters. It was clear that I was in the right place doing the right thing, but I didn't yet have the language to say what it was that I was doing. I had received training on broadband, community organizing, and leadership so that when I was faced with conflict, I would be able to seek out common ground. I was then released to my host site to complete my listening tour.
The listening tour was my opportunity to talk to people in the community and glean from the wisdom of their various vantage points. Each person highlighted trends seen over time in their zones of involvement. I spoke to educators, ministers, librarians, non-profit directors, and directors of community foundations. I heard about the generation gap and how seniors and students alike struggled with how to use desktop computers. I heard about church parishioners who lost connection to people during the pandemic due to only having internet access via a copper landline — you can't stream with a landline. I heard about the skills gap of working parents who didn't know how to use a computer because everything they did with the internet was done via their smartphone. No demographic in my community could be classified as “proficient.”
During my term of service, I built relationships between my host site and my community. It was like building a model of the Eiffel Tower out of toothpicks. Progress was slow and impact seemed low. I would set up at local businesses to help people qualify and enroll for the Affordable Connectivity Program. Then the funding for the program stopped. I started teaching workshops on basic digital skills. Eventually, I set up at one of the libraries to support visitors with their tech needs. With each conversation and each interaction, my passion for meaningful connection had a place to flourish. Not only was I helping strengthen my community, but I was finding a place of belonging in a way I had never known before.
It took nearly ten months of talking to people in positions of community influence about the need to expand infrastructure, support affordable device ownership, and help people learn the basic skills needed to participate in the digital world. Let’s be honest... There isn't much life happening without the digital world.
In a strange sequence of events, my life and location changed. I moved away from the town I had served just after the term of service ended. I had originally thought that I would seek work and move forward with my term of service as a happy memory. However, I had agreed to help a colleague with a project during the month after I completed my term of service. This event was a rural digital access summit. The point of the summit was to bring together various rural communities from Northern Oklahoma, Indian nations, and South Central Kansas to facilitate conversations and connections between them for the mutual benefit of their efforts to improve digital access for their communities. Connecting communities happens both at the macro level and micro level. As an ACC AmeriCorps Member, I have connected with my neighbors and community leaders. At the summit, I was facilitating connections between representatives of communities so they could continue to build on these relationships after the summit ended. I showed up to bring people together and strengthen communities beyond my own.
At the heart of everything we do is relationship. How we relate to others is largely based on how we view the world and how we view ourselves in relation to the world.
Bringing people together is a pillar of national service. The United States of America has “unity” in its name. As a participant in a national service program, I have gained valuable skills, including leadership, communication, and problem-solving abilities. These competencies are not unique to me. AmeriCorps service members enhance their employability and prepare for future careers by stepping into the frontlines of change. Additionally, the experience of working in a range of settings fosters adaptability and cultural competence. This is important because the United States is a multicultural nation and we are part of a global workforce. Lack of exposure to varied lived experiences allows apathy to fester and infect our world. But, as an AmeriCorps member when faced with apathy, I will take action.
Many communities face shortages in essential services, including education, healthcare, and emergency response. National service programs can help fill these gaps by deploying trained individuals to areas of need because when we are faced with adversity, we persevere for the communities we serve. For instance, AmeriCorps members often serve in under-resourced schools, providing tutoring and mentorship that improve educational outcomes. Similarly, during natural disasters, national service participants play crucial roles in relief and recovery efforts.
National service also enhances social cohesion and fosters a sense of belonging and relationship within communities, which leads to greater civic engagement. Engaged citizens improve the efficacy of governing bodies. Participants often become more active in their communities, leading to more informed and involved citizens. This increased engagement strengthens democratic processes and promotes a sense of shared purpose among groups who might otherwise find it hard to relate to one another. Social cohesion is essential in creating opportunities for individuals to feel safe, grow in their intelligence, and live healthy lives.
Investing in national service programs generates significant economic returns. A study by the Center for Benefit-Cost Studies in Education at Columbia University found that for every $1 invested in national service, there is a combined social return of almost $17 in social benefits. These benefits stem from increased employment opportunities, higher earnings, and reduced reliance on public assistance among participants. Moreover, national service programs address critical community needs—such as disaster services, economic opportunity, education, environmental maintenance, health, and veterans and military families—thereby reducing long-term social costs.
National service has long been a cornerstone of societal development, fostering unity, civic engagement, and personal growth among those who serve. In the United States, programs like AmeriCorps have enabled citizens to contribute to disaster recovery, education, environmental stewardship, and more. National service programs are committed to showing up and getting things done.
Funding national service is a prudent investment for the United States. The economic returns, coupled with the social and civic benefits, far outweigh the costs. By supporting and expanding these programs, the federal government can address critical community needs, foster a more engaged and united citizenry, and equip individuals with skills that benefit both them and society at large. In essence, national service is a pathway to a stronger, more resilient nation.
The road to a strong and healthy nation cannot be paved on the backs of those who carried us this far.
As a current ACC AmeriCorps member, I urge you to seek out the organizations in your area that rely on members like me. You’ll be surprised to learn of all the ways national service members have impacted your community and what will be lost if our national service programs are defunded. Now is the time to coalesce so that our communities can continue to heal, grow, and have a future.
Guest blog written by Rachel Errin, ACC AmeriCorps Member serving at Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas in Wichita, Kansas
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