Governor Patrick has just announced that he is going to adopt one of the Civic Engagement working group’s key recommendations: the creation of Commonwealth Corps, a 1,000-member corps of full-time and part-time community service activists. From today’s press release (on spiffy new “Governor Patrick” letterhead!):
Governor Deval Patrick today announced the creation of Commonwealth Corps, an organization dedicated to encouraging residents and improving communities across Massachusetts through community service and volunteerism. Enabling legislation will be filed shortly, and will build on the hard work that Senator Marc Pacheco and others have already done.
The Commonwealth Corps will include 250 individuals in its first year, with a goal of expanding to 1,000 members over the next five years. Members will dedicate at least one year of service to a nonprofit organization, civic initiative, or public entity, providing direct service to people or communities in need.
“Every single one of us has a stake in each others dreams and struggles, and in stronger communities. To that end, this administration will play a role in encouraging civic engagement,” Governor Patrick said. “The mission of Commonwealth Corps is to draw together people of all ages and backgrounds to help meet human need and rebuild communities across Massachusetts. By mentoring, staffing after school programs or shelters, helping to clean up parks and neighborhoods, members can help transform communities and inspire others to take action to promote the common good.”
And here’s what the working group said about this:
Create a 1,000-person “Commonwealth Corps” to give Massachusetts residents the opportunity to serve their communities full-time.
Massachusetts can address its most urgent challenges and reinvigorate its civic life by creating a Commonwealth Corps, 1,000 members strong. Commonwealth Corps members will serve in schools, nonprofits, and municipal agencies, and will mobilize and lead 100,000+ volunteers in high-impact local projects.
The Commonwealth Corps will unleash the tremendous potential of voluntarism to transform the lives of those who serve and those who are served. It will also create and strengthen the bonds of common purpose that can unite our communities and help bridge barriers of race, class, age, language, and education. By establishing a new paradigm for large-scale, locally-managed service, Massachusetts can lead the nation to renew its civic vitality and fulfill its boldest aspirations.
The Commonwealth Corps members would serve one-year terms. The Corps would consist of approximately 500 full-time members, most of whom would be recent college graduates, and 500 part-time members, many of whom would be older adults and retirees. Commonwealth Corps members would be placed with nonprofit organizations and public entities (including schools) across the state, and would undertake projects from teaching citizenship classes for immigrants wishing to become citizens to rebuilding damaged homes in communities across the state. The entities would submit proposals through a competitive grant process and Corps member slots would be awarded to those entities with the highest-quality plans for engaging Corps members and the volunteers they attract. This proposal is estimated to cost $10-15 million annually.
Also noted in today’s release — and also recommended in the civic engagement report — are some additional proposals:
The Bill will also codify the Massachusetts Service Alliance into law. The Alliance will administer the Commonwealth Corps and establish guidelines to implement community service and volunteer opportunities throughout the Commonwealth.
Governor Patrick’s plan includes expansion of the State Employee Responding as Volunteers (SERV) program to address additional community needs. Currently, state employees who have worked for three months are eligible to volunteer for one day of service per month as tutors. The program will be expanded to include volunteer opportunities in the environmental, health and public safety fields, among others.
A very good start to Governor Patrick’s promised 30-day blitz of policy announcements. Kudos, also, to Senator Marc Pacheco, who has filed legislation along these lines in previous sessions and who is joint-venturing this project with the administration.
i like the proposal and clearly it can only help. I think it’s great that Sen. Pacheco has been so consistent on the issue and not given up. I would however like to see more information on where the volunteers are being sent. Ultimately this is a major determinant to the program’s success, both in its ability to attract volunteers and creating lasting change. I also am a little dissapointed by the size of the organization. I would like to see more than 1,000 people in 5 years. In a state with population over 6 million surely this is a small goal. But this is a good move and I like the idea.
It all sounds nice and touchy feelly, but how much is it going to cost me? Deval already can’t find the surplus, so what money is he spending here?
That at full implementation (1,000 people), you’re talking $10-15m, so by starting at 250, one assumes it is less to start. Also, will current Mass Service Alliance monies, some of which are federal, be utilized, maybe for administration or program purposes?
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Doesn’t sound like “massive” state spending to me. Hopefully, a new governor will be allowed to have some spending priorities and new initiatives.
Assuming this is modeled on AmeriCorps….
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An AmeriCorps full-timer gets $10,000 stipend for one year (plus some college tuition waiver $). Many live at home with their folks, some slum it with friends in crowded apartment (we provide dorm rooms in our program).
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Add in: $1000 for health care, $1000 training, $2000 admin and recruiting, and you’re at 14k per Corps member per year.
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So for the 500 full-timer Commonwealth Corp, it might be $9 million per year. The other 500 part-timers perhaps a few million more.
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If you figure that $14,000 gets you perhaps 1700+ hours per year of tutoring, that can be pretty cost-effective…if (big if) tutoring quality can be engineered to be high (which is partly a function of good recruiting, and partly a function of command and control within schools).
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If you add in that some of the AmeriCorps full-timers are also organizing “pure volunteers” — the citizens who can help maybe a few hours a month, but not more b/c of families and jobs — the cost effectiveness can rise more.
Assuming this is modeled on Committee to Re Elect the Governor, then you have, by 2010, a thousand statewide volunteers ready to
stir and distribute vats of kool-aidwork for the greater good throughout the Commonwealth.looks like this guy is really getting results, david k, don’t you think?
Some
uselesstrivia. The Commonwealth Corps was formed in 1946 with the famed British 3rd infantry–you know, the folks who escaped Dunkirk, fought on D-Day and eventually invaded Germany–joining with some folks from Australia and Canada.<
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They did so well with the Germany, the Brits of the Commonwealth Corps was set to invade Japan, ’til we dropped the bomb.
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I reckon the Brits didn’t copy protect the name.
Good heavens! đŸ˜‰
says Larry Lucchino
What isn’t being done by the organizations that already exist:
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United Way
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Volunteer Match
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AmeriCorps
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And what makes Patrick think that his plan is any better?
since they’re strictly about volunteering and Commonwealth Corps positions are paid. The Commonwealth Corps is obviously modeled on AmeriCorps. It’s not a substitute — it’s in addition to, and more is better. It’s not like there’s any shortage of stuff to do.
One of the reported purposes is for the paid staff to recruit more volunteers. The first two organizations are doing exactly that.
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How is it better for the state to do this?
Senators Pacheco and Moore got the ball rolling on Public Service Initiatives and Civic Engagement, respectively. They’ve filed had extensive legislation on this and it’s been blocked by FORMER Governor Romney every step of the way. Patrick’s work to engage his electorate and transfer that energy to a service initiative is great, but let’s not forget where many of the groundrules where laid: in the Legislature, and also in the US Senate through, your favorite & mine, Senator Kennedy.
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The issue now is to make people contact Patrick’s office and their legislators to ensure that these opportunities don’t get stuck in worcester and plymouth counties, or just in the big cities. If it’s so great, and people seem to agree that it is, someone has to make sure that it reaches ALL of our students – not just those who have ready advocates in the legislature.