“Your country needs you!”

A Private Equity Foundation funded report by leading think-tank Demos made the news in December as it advocated the creation of a national service style civilian scheme focused on community work. Service Nation lays out detailed plans for a national scheme of lifelong service that would provide assistance to communities and skills for young people.

The idea of civic service is based on the ideals of citizenship: the belief that we are a nation of independent but interdependent citizens who have a duty to each other and the communities in which we live. It encapsulates the idea that there should be an expectation that citizens should contribute to their communities by 'giving something back' at one - or several - points in their lives. It differs from volunteering, which is more commonly perceived as an add-on to citizenship: something that is morally desirable but not an integral or implied expectation in return for the benefits that citizenship offers.

In recent years, the civic service concept has won support from across the political spectrum as a cure to a range of social ills including increasing social fragmentation, the rise of celebrity culture and the breakdown of community. Despite this, to date there has been little attempt to approach the matter from a methodological approach looking at civic service across an individual’s life.

Demos' report seeks to address fundamental questions around issues of civic service. Why do we want civic service? What would effective civic service look like? Would civic service be compulsory or voluntary? And how can civic service schemes be funded in a tough fiscal climate?

The report's arguments come from a review of the existing evidence, a deliberative democracy event with 54 young people held in September 2009 and a series of expert interviews. Using this wide variety of evidence the report suggests clear policy proposals for a lifecycle approach to civic service.

Sonia Sodha, co-author of the report said: “This really is a case of ‘your country needs you’. A civic corps serving the nation will help local communities, ease the burden on public services and boost young people’s employability at a time when the recession is biting.”

CLICK HERE to see the full report.

CLICK HERE to see a short film on the Youth Civic Service Convention.