Messenger - Vol. 4, No. 4, Page 5 1995 Working for the Allies The media has made much of Generation X's lack of purpose, compassion and leadership, but some recent UD graduates are shattering that stereotype by participating in a new national program, Public Allies. "This program offers the opportunity to begin a career in community service, as well as help students pay for their college educations," says Tony Allen, Delaware '93, director of the Delaware outpost of Public Allies in Wilmington. In addition to his directorship, Allen, 25, also serves as a weekend counselor at Children's Home in Claymont, a group home for abandoned children. "We provide an avenue to non-profit agencies and show students that this is a viable career option. Many of our participants-Allies-have been asked to stay after their apprenticeships are finished." Allen equates Public Allies to a "domestic Peace Corps." Essentially a paid, full-time apprenticeship for young people interested in public service, Public Allies pays $13,250 for 10 months of work. The program also provides $4,725 toward college tuition or repayment of educational loans. As part of the AmeriCorps national service program, Allies are paid with federal money and funds contributed by local firms and non-profit agencies. Delaware's inaugural class numbered 20, including five recent University graduates-Mary Kate McLaughlin, Nadine Messam, Amy Willner and William DiIenno, all Delaware '94, and Jane Poppiti, Delaware '89. Each year, the staff identifies young adults (age 18-30) and matches them with a non-profit or government agency for an intensive 1,700-hour, multicultural leadership development apprenticeship, Allen says. Throughout the apprenticeship, the Allies spend one day a week in a training seminar to develop expertise in organization, management, leadership and other employable skills. Public Allies identifies experts in the field to run these workshops, fostering an exchange of ideas across different backgrounds, issue areas, institutions and approaches to solving critical public problems. Public Allies officially began in 1992 when a handful of volunteers walked the neighborhoods of inner-city Washington, D.C., asking local store owners, school principals and community group organizers for the names of young people who were "making a difference" through their volunteer efforts. In 1993, a second crop of Allies honorees lined the south portico of the White House, forming a centerpiece for Youth Service Day. This commemoration, hosted by first lady Hillary Clinton, saluted an estimated half-million young volunteers across America and the organizations in which they work. "My interest was sparked by the marriage of big business and the non-profits in the community," says McLaughlin, 23. "I've learned about the concept of community reinvestment, where a company's employees work as volunteers on certain projects, and how corporate grants are instituted." McLaughlin works with the Institute for the Development of Human Resources, an agency that assists the physically, mentally and economically challenged. She heads a training program for people on public assistance, helping them secure a place in the work force. "After the program, I may try to land a position with a non- profit or I may use my knowledge to go into banking or private business. I think I'm probably the only one in the program who is a Republican," she says, with a laugh. DiIenno, 22, is director of the Dover, Del., site of the institute, providing career counseling and job training. Poppiti, 27, is volunteer coordinator for the Food Bank of Delaware and is primarily responsible for coordinating the Zeneca for Healthier Kids campaign. Willner, 23, serves in the marketing department of Delaware Technical and Community College. Her job is to develop more recruiting materials for distribution to community-based agencies. The Allies integrate their team-building and public problem- solving skills by initiating team service projects that tackle specific issues facing the community. "I'm involved in a team service project known as Adopt a School," says Messam, 23, who is working with the Delaware Center for Horticulture on a job training program for young people. "There are six Allies working on this community project. Our role is to establish a partnership between Bancroft Elementary School in Wilmington and Delmarva Power. Mentors are set up to work one-on-one with individual students to help them with their education and family life." "With the support and training of the program," Allen says, "Public Allies allows young people, who might otherwise be overlooked because of lack of experience, to enter the public sector. This includes young mothers, economically disadvantaged young people and college graduates burdened by school loans. It's a real learning experience in many different ways." At its roots, a Public Allies apprenticeship is much like any other job in American society, Allen says, but with the added value of community awareness through the service projects and the development of character, commitment and civic responsibility. "The program strives to bring together a diverse group of people," explains McLaughlin. "It's actually a mini-society-different backgrounds, personalities and skin color-where we learn to work through problems to achieve the end-results." -Terry Conway