Meaning of Service

Meaning of Service is the Council's reading and discussion series for AmeriCorps members, available free of charge to any New York State AmeriCorps program. Sessions feature facilitated conversations about short philosophical and literary texts on the themes of associating, serving, giving and leading. Meaning of Service sessions offer members an opportunity to share their service experience, and reflect together upon why they chose - and continue to choose - to dedicate themselves to service.

Meaning of Service readings are often taken from The Civically Engaged Reader, a collection of provocative short readings on civic activity, selected especially for service and volunteer groups. Readings draw on a variety of poetic, biographical, historical and fictional works by authors such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Aristotle, Jane Addams, Pablo Neruda and Toni Cade Bambara. A humanities scholar from your community facilitates discussion about the reading, encouraging members to explore the themes of the texts and how they relates to AmeriCorps service.

Each AmeriCorps Project Director locates a humanities scholar-facilitator in their area to shape the Meaning of Service discussions. Please visit our Common Questions for suggestions on finding a humanities scholar-facilitator in your community.

More than 80% of AmeriCorps members participating in Meaning of Service reported that the reading and discussion sessions challenged them to think more deeply about their impact on others, helped them examine the complexities of service and improved their ability to communicate their values and ideas to others. More than 70% said Meaning of Service helps them make sense of their AmeriCorps experience and improves relationships with other AmeriCorps members

"The impact is tremendous, and it is positive. For the program, it means that more members stay to the end of their year of service and earn their educational award. The retention rate goes up."
- Irina Miagkova, Future Leaders of Westchester at Westchester Family Services

(Meaning of Service) has helped them develop relationships with each other . . . They have drawn on these relationships outside their Meaning of Service sessions to help strengthen their service experience and address challenges.
- Olivia O'Hare, Community HealthCorps at the Institute for Family Health

Meaning of Service is very valuable because I want to know the thoughts and opinions of my members . . . I want to understand their experience so that I can aid them in getting the most out of their time with the AmeriCorps program.
- Melissa Gelber, Red Hook Safety Corps at the Red Hook Community Justice Center

"It was a moment where I really did reflect on what I was doing in my position and how it influenced the larger community and even the world. This was really beneficial to me, to help me stay motivated."
- Rochester AmeriCorps member

If you are selected for Meaning of Service, the Council will provide:

• Summer 2011 training for the AmeriCorps Program Project Director and your selected scholar-facilitator, paid for by the Council (travel and lodging included).
• $1000 compensation for your selected scholar-facilitator.
• Two copies of The Civically Engaged Reader for your site.
• $500 for administrative costs for your site.

Each AmeriCorps site agrees to:

• Find a scholar-facilitator in your community to conduct the Meaning of Service discussions.
• Send a senior staff member to a Meaning of Service training session.
• Arrange a location to conduct Meaning of Service sessions.
• Conduct at least 8 Meaning of Service sessions over an 11-month period beginning in September and ending in July.
• Collaborate with your facilitator to select readings and arrange session dates.
• Complete and return Meaning of Service evaluation materials to the Council during at at the end of your program.
• Provide contact information for your members for Council evaluation purposes only.

Please also include your scholar-facilitator's current resume with your application.

Applications must be received by Friday, June 24, 2011. Applicants will be notified within four weeks of application deadline.

For questions or additional information contact staff at 212-233-1131 x 28.