Susan Stroud: How we can create a volunteering society

From a speech by the co-director of the Global Service Institute to the Institute of Public Policy Research, in London

It was comments about the evil axis which caught the headlines in the UK when President George Bush's State of the Union address was reported. However, there were some more constructive elements to the speech, which should be of equal interest in the UK. Building on programmes introduced by President Clinton, Bush proposed to expand the number of volunteers by 200,000 in the wake of 11 September. This, and other ideas from the US, could provide mechanisms to help the UK Government achieve its goal of increased volunteering and civic engagement.

The UK Government has expressed a desire to increase the level of service (a term more common in the US than volunteering). The Home Secretary, David Blunkett, has stated that volunteering is an "essential building block to create a more inclusive society". Civic renewal has also been placed at the heart of Chancellor Gordon Brown's vision of the good society. While there has been much energy dedicated to the issue and many fine efforts are underway, there is still work to be done to create a culture of active citizenship. Figures in the UK show that young people are volunteering less than in the past.

While the US context is different and ideas and policies cannot simply be transferred to the UK, sharing of experience and expertise can be beneficial. There is one area in particular where the US experience offers some interesting policy options. This regards possible links between service and higher education funding.

The debate in the UK on higher education has been dominated by arguments about grants versus loans. The role that service might play in allocating government assistance has not received significant attention.

Yet financial assistance based on civic involvement would address multiple policy objectives. It would expand options for financial assistance, increase access to post-compulsory education, encourage civic involvement and positively influence students' career decisions.

In the US there are a number of policies which link these two policy areas. The first example is loan forgiveness where people who have worked in specified areas have loans written off. A second example, the Federal Work Study programme, provides financial assistance to students who work in community service positions during term-time or while on holiday. Thousands of Work Study students have participated in the national effort to raise early childhood reading rates. It is estimated that there were one million higher education students in this scheme in 2000-2001. A third example is the National Health Service Corps, which provides aid to future doctors in exchange for serving in deprived communities.

The scheme that President Bush chose to concentrate on was AmeriCorps. This scheme awards students $4,725 (£3,308) a year that can be used for education and training costs if they complete a year of service. Between 1994 and 2001, approximately 300,000 individuals have served in AmeriCorps. Bush wants to see a 50 per cent increase in funding for AmeriCorps and both Democrats and Republicans are supportive. Perhaps there is scope for consensual policy development for similar initiatives in the United Kingdom too.

Work undertaken by the Institute for Public Policy Research has explored linking service and student finance. It has suggested an increased use of students as teaching assistants. In a similar vein to the Federal Work Study Programme, students would be rewarded for working at a school in a deprived area. This could help the school gain an enthusiastic and bright member of staff and the individual would build their skills and be prompted to consider a career in teaching.

Achieving greater civic involvement will involve a range of policy responses. Part of the solution could be found in encouraging appropriate service through a link with higher education funding. The US experience could be usefully applied to the UK context. Linking service to student finance can help kill two birds with one stone – increased participation in post-compulsory education and greater levels of civic involvement – and shift the debate from grants vs loans to grants, loans and service. Perhaps Bush and Blair could stand shoulder to shoulder on this issue as well.