UNITED STATES
Democratic Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg (pictured) has laid out a plan that would see one million high school graduates working in the Public Service on issues such as climate change, community health and seniors care.
The Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, who enlisted in the Navy Reserve after university, said he had served alongside and trusted his life to people who held totally different political views.
“You shouldn’t have to go to war to have that kind of experience, which is why I am proposing a plan to create more opportunities for national service,” Mr Buttigieg said.
His proposal would provide student loan relief for those who dedicated a year of their lives to service.
“The goal is for ‘Where did you serve?’ to be as important a question at a job interview as ‘Where did you go to college?’,” Mr Buttigieg said.
He said his plan would build on the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps — both the brainchild of former President John F. Kennedy.
“My plan includes a focus on expanding service opportunities for minority youth and emphasises programs that allow urban youth to serve in rural communities and vice versa,” Mr Buttigieg said.
“A new competitive grant program to create ecosystems of service around regional issues will prioritise communities of colour and rural areas.”
The idea to encourage more Americans to give back to their communities has gained renewed traction in recent years as fewer young people seek out work in the public sector.
The military has its smallest share of Americans serving since before World War II, and only 30 per cent of Americans say they did any volunteer work in 2017.
Washington, DC, 3 July 2019
