AMF story featured in 15 newspapers worldwide on August 26!

August 26, 2007

The following story, written by the associated press, was picked up by 13 newspapers across the country and two internationally (Turkey and South Africa)!

Fervor for volunteerism enjoying youthful surge: Corporate ladder declining as lure

By Dorie Turner

Associated Press
ATLANTA -- With a freshly minted Georgetown University diploma in hand, Georgetown University graduate David Fajgenbaum runs National Students of Ailing Mothers and Fathers, a national support network he founded after his mother died of brain cancer when he was 19.

And that's just where the list starts. Riding a tide of increased volunteerism among young people, college graduates are ducking the chance to climb the corporate ladder for what they see as a higher calling. They're starting charities or nonprofit groups and signing up in droves for service organizations like the Peace Corps or AmeriCorps.

"We have a lot more opportunities at our doorstep than previous generations," said Ryan Paugh, 23, co-founder of the blog EmployeeEvolution.com, which focuses on twentysomethings in the workplace. "We're not just going to get trapped early into a career path that's binding, where 20 years from now we'll say, 'What the hell am I doing with my life?' "

Studies show this generation, perhaps more than any other, has increased its level of volunteering over the last few years, and some experts say that's spilling over from high school and college service projects into full-time careers.

A study by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement shows that 80 percent to 85 percent of incoming college freshmen have community service experience prior to starting their higher education. That's up from 66 percent in 1989. Stricter college admissions standards may help explain the jump. Many admissions officers have grown to expect community service credentials, and some colleges are requiring volunteer experience before they give out a diploma.

That means students are exposed to charities and nonprofits at a much younger age than they once were, said Mark Lopez, the center's research director.

"I think it rubs off," he said. "It leads to more of a sense of: 'I've done this before. I can do it again, and here's where I see a need.' "
But it also may be the sign of a seismic generational trend, some professors say. Previous generations did charity work because they felt it was a moral obligation, but this generation volunteers "to make a difference," said Jean Twenge, a San Diego State University psychology professor and author of "Generation Me."

"It's very consistent with individualism," she said. "The idea of working in an office and being a cog in a wheel is no longer appealing."

The most recent round of college grads also have been influenced by events like the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Hurricane Katrina, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

That means not only are college graduates starting nonprofits, but they are signing up for organizations like Teach for America and the Peace Corps.

-- Adapted from the original version at: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/nation/5082740.html