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"Your World. Your Chance to Make It Better." Campaign Targets Idealism of Young Adults
(Washington, D.C.)-Tapping into young people's growing interest in community service, AmeriCorps today launched a multimedia bilingual public service campaign to recruit more than 50,000 new members this year, its largest class ever.
The campaign features real AmeriCorps members working with children and helping the homeless and introduces a new slogan for "AmeriCorps: Your World. Your Chance to Make It Better." Focus group testing found this theme resonates with 18-24 year-olds, the campaign's primary audience.
"We want to tap into this 'quiet revolution' that is taking place among America's youth," said Wendy Zenker, Acting CEO of the Corporation for National Service, which oversees AmeriCorps. "Young people today may not think they can change the world, but they do think they can make it better, and they are hungry for ways to get involved. AmeriCorps lets them put their idealism to work. By spending a year in AmeriCorps, they learn skills, earn money for college and have the satisfaction of making a real difference. "
According to Independent Sector, 46% of the nation's 26 million 18- to 24-year-olds volunteered in the past year, up from 38% in 1996. A recent Harvard study found that 60 percent of college students are involved in community service, and 85 percent of college students prefer volunteering to political engagement as the better way to solve important issues facing their communities. A report by the Advertising Council and MTV also found a growing interest in community service by young people.
The hot job market makes recruiting a tougher sell, but many are putting the desire to serve ahead of making money. Zachary Sifuentes, 22, who is featured in the TV public service ad, graduated from Harvard and turned down job offers of up to $70,000 to join AmeriCorps, where he helped develop a community center for disabled children. "Growing up, my mom and I couldn't have made it without the help of others," said Sifuentes. "AmeriCorps was my turn to give back."
The new PSA campaign will include radio, television, print, transit, billboard and web banner spots in English and Spanish. The radio and television spots were distributed to more than 4,500 stations nationwide. They are also included in the Office of National Drug Control Policy's media match program. The campaign focuses on AmeriCorps' efforts to close the digital divide, but also highlights AmeriCorps members helping the homeless, tutoring and mentoring children, building homes and restoring trails in national parks.
The web banner PSAs will be displayed on Yahoo!, the nation's No. 1 ranked Internet company in terms of home and work users of the world wide web. In April 2000, Yahoo! donated $1 million in web banner ads to help recruit AmeriCorps members to bridge the digital divide.
The whole campaign aims to drive viewers to the newly revamped How to Join AmeriCorps section of the website.
The website now makes it easy for potential AmeriCorps members to match their interests, skills and preferences with the AmeriCorps program that's right for them. This new matching capability allows interested individuals to apply directly on-line and electronically submit their applications to AmeriCorps programs nationwide or in their hometown.
"Today's young people are extremely web-savvy, and it's our hope that this new web-based recruitment tool makes it easier for them to get involved and volunteer," said Zenker. "We need their skills to help close the digital divide and tackle other tough problems that exist across this country."
Since 1994, nearly 200,000 men and women of all ages have joined AmeriCorps. AmeriCorps members bring valuable people-power to thousands of non-profit organizations, such as the American Red Cross, Points of Light Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, Boys and Girls Clubs, homeless shelters and local community and faith-based organizations. AmeriCorps enjoys widespread bipartisan support among the nation's governors and on Capitol Hill. In his second week in office, President Bush called for an expanded role for national service programs in solving the nation's social problems as part of his faith-based and community initiative.
Besides helping those in need, AmeriCorps improves the lives of those who serve. A one-year commitment gives members valuable job skills, a modest living allowance, health coverage and $4,725 to pay for college or training, or to pay back student loans.
For more information about AmeriCorps, visit www.americorps.gov or call (800) 942-2677.
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