AmeriCorps Programs

The Meaning of Service
A Civic Reflection Program for AmeriCorps Members administered by the Illinois Humanities Council with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities

In recent years, volunteer service and service-learning programs have become an increasingly integral part of the American culture. Programs have sprouted and strengthened in high schools, colleges, churches and national service organizations. They provide a wide variety of opportunities to cultivate strong habits of giving and serving. But these programs seldom have ready-at-hand resources to help volunteers and service corps members explore why they are serving and to what end. Why does anyone serve or give in the first place? Is an activity really service if it starts in self-interest? How should one serve? What is the justice we seek? How do we know if we are doing good or harm?

Civic reflection provides just such an opportunity to think about these important questions. Started in 2001 under the title "Justice Talking" as an Illinois Humanities Council pilot project with Chicago area AmeriCorps programs, civic reflection for AmeriCorps is now spreading across the country, adding a valuable dimension to the service experience.

In 2005, the Illinois Humanities Council began to help other state humanities councils develop their own civic reflection offerings for AmeriCorps members through The Meaning of Service, with generous support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Each state humanities council works with AmeriCorps organizations in its state to create its own version of "Justice Talking" for AmeriCorps members. The names of these programs may vary, but the purpose is the same: to provide the opportunity to deepen the service experience through reading, discussion and reflection with fellow AmeriCorps members. Listen to a Justice Talking discussion of the short story, "The Wife of His Youth," by Charles Chesnutt. (You will need QuickTime to access this file.)

In the words of one humanities council representative, "Justice Talking is VERY successful here, receiving rave reviews from the top down and the bottom up. The members love it as an opportunity to retreat from and reflect on the work that they do; the state service commission leadership loves it because Justice Talking provides a unique and rich educational experience for members; and, of course, the state humanities council loves it just because it's the humanities put into practice in the best possible way."

Meaning of Service Programs, 2006-2007

The 2006-2007 year was the second of the Meaning of Service expansion program. In addition to the seven states that started programs in 2005 (Alaska, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, Oregon, Wisconsin, and Wyoming), programs were begun in seven new states (Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Vermont). All of the newly participating states sent teams to the Illinois Humanities Council's National Workshop which introduced participants to the practice of text-based discussion, presented strategies for partnership, and trained facilitators.

In Alaska, Leadership Anchorage is running one discussion series, and the Alaska Humanities Forum is conducting a pilot electronic discussion for rural AmeriCorps members. This is Alaska's second year of involvement with Meaning of Service.

In Florida, a discussion series is running with "Hillsborough Reads," a program that places tutors of all ages in Tampa-area elementary schools. The Florida Humanities Council is exploring possibilities for a second site. [Read more]

In Illinois, Justice Talking discussion series are running with Public Allies Chicago, City Year Chicago, Southwestern Illinois College AmeriCorps, East Saint Louis AmeriCorps, Northwestern University Settlement House, Project YES, PCC Wellness AmeriCorps, the Coalition of African, Arab, Asian, European, and Latino Immigrants of Illinois (CAAAELII), and University of Chicago Department of Neighborhood Relations VISTA. [Read more]

In Maine, discussion series are running with two AmeriCorps groups, one composed of members and the other of directors. Both groups will take their readings primarily from The Civically Engaged Reader,, and all participants in the discussions will receive a copy of this book. [Read more]

In Massachusetts, two Meaning of Service programs were held in 2006, one in Springfield and one in Boston. The chosen readings were similar for the two groups and both groups were facilitated by members of the philosophy departments at local colleges. [Read more]

In Minnesota, the Minneapolis Community Education Center is running one discussion series at the Washburn Library, and Whitney Senior Center is running a series for seniors involved in community service and AmeriCorps members working at the Center.

In Mississippi, the Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Service, the Secretary of State's Office, and the Stennis Institute for Government as well as the Mississippi Humanities Council are partnering with AmeriCorps group leaders and other service organizations to run two series.

In Montana, the Montana Conservation Corps has been running several programs across the state to train local leaders and the Corps' own leadership team. MoS readings were added to the MCC's CORE curriculum handbook for the 2007 season, and all 42 leaders statewide received training on the purpose of this program and strategies for implementation. Leaders report that members have engaged actively in discussions, enjoyed the material and discussion format and even come up with some of their own lessons to implement. When the program is complete, everyone in the organization, from board to staff to over 150 AmeriCorps members, will have participated in one or more MoS lessons. Click here for the reflections of a Montana facilitator on the program's impact and why poetry matters to service programs.

In New York, Rochester AmeriCorps is running one series and exploring two additional potential host sites.

In Ohio, the state humanities council is running four discussion series across the state and the response has been "overwhelmingly positive. . . board members are SOLD on continuing the program! We're having fun reading short literature, and talking, talking, talking."

In Rhode Island, Justice Talks-Reflections on Civic Engagement discussion series are being held for all Rhode Island AmeriCorps members in the state in 2007 and 2008. Approximately a dozen series are running each of these two years, including one series in Spanish. Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Roberts is a spokesperson for the Justice Talks series and says, "Justice Talks will be an incredible way for all 200 of the AmeriCorps members in Rhode Island to reflect on their public service and tackle the issues and questions at the heart of our commitment to the public. This exciting collaboration between the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, the Rhode Island Service Alliance, and the Feinstein Institute for Public Service at Providence College will have a lasting impact on the lives and careers of these young public servants for years to come." [Read more]

In Vermont, one series is running at the Vermont Center for Independent Living and another is being explored with a Rotary Club.

In Washington, the first of Humanities Washington's civic reflection series was held at the March 2007 SERVES conference, and participants continue to meet monthly to share a meal and discuss a poem, short story or essay that they have read in advance. According to the program organizer, "Discussions around the selected texts never fail to stir emotions, raise important issues, and reveal truths about service."

In Wisconsin, Public Allies Milwaukee and the Wisconsin Humanities Council are working together to run Justice Talking. Public Allies' core program is a 10-month apprenticeship program funded by AmeriCorps. The three main components this program are nonprofit apprenticeship, leadership training, and the team service project. The discussion series is open to staff, fellows and volunteers and the response has been very positive with consistently active participation. The discussion series provides a refreshing chance of pace from the core training that participants receive. [Read more]

In Wyoming, the University of Wyoming Center for Volunteer Service AmeriCorps is running a discussion series, and discussions have also run with the Eastern Shoshone Housing Authority AmeriCorps program, the Northern Arapaho Boys and Girls Club AmeriCorps program, and the Domestic Violence Coalition. The young adult participants of the discussion series run by the University of Wyoming Center for Volunteer Services AmeriCorps report that the experience has "made me think of why it's important to serve and who it benefits. It made me think about the actual people more." [Read more]