Service Nation

Demos, December 2009

Service Nation, by think-tank Demos and funded by the Private Equity Foundation, 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 starts from 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 idea of civic service 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 comes 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.

Full Report click here

A short film on the Youth Civic Service Convention. Click here  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLif5lA-FQs&feature=player_embedded