expanded volunteerism under the Urban Neighborhood Volunteer Programs can act as an important source of needed services and as a catalyst for greater self-sufficiency.

A Gallup Poll released March 5, 1978, found that while Americans felt their neighborhoods had declined in liveability over the past five years, the vast majority (89%) say they would be willing to volunteer their time and efforts to help solve their cities problems at the grass roots level. Six in ten of those surveyed cited areas of neighborhood improvement which fall well within the goals of the Urban Neighbors Program; such as, upgrading housing quality, appearances and maintenance, lowering crime and cleaning up the neighborhood. We concur with the survey's conclusion on volunteerism that "since human energies could be tapped without a significant outlay of public money, they would represent a primary resource for strengthening America's neighborhoods-and ultimately the nation's cities."

From a cost benefit standpoint, the ACTION agency has estimated that with an investment of approximately $22 million in the Urban Neighborhood Program, a minimum of 14,875,000 volunteer hours of direct service will be generated. Beyond this high rate of return from federal investment in volunteerism, are the undeterminable benefits that person-to-person contact, training toward self-sufficiency, and community involvement, will generate. Clearly, the new Urban Neighborhood Volunteer Programs reflect, and will indeed reinforce, a recognized nationwide commitment, while it will simultaneously allow ACTION to maximize its limited resources.

The four distinct, but complementary activities enunicated in the ACTION programs, will not only promote but will enhance the success of urban volunteerism. These four activities fall under two separate categories, the first being the Urban Neighborhood Program under Section 133 of H.R. 2859, and the second, the Urban Neighborhood Priorities Programs under Section 134.

I. The Urban Neighbors Program authorizes ACTION to designate and provide funding to Local Lead Agencies, public or private nonprofit organizations, which have "demonstrated their effectiveness in serving persons in distressed urban areas and in mobilizing volunteers." The lead agency will then act to recruit skilled volunteers to be matched with neighborhood groups in need of technical and management assistance.

ACTION has wisely recognized the problems of many neighborhood organizations, particularly those smaller and low-income groups, which might have major impacts on their communities except for the lack of training and expertise in such areas as organizing, limited budgetary resources, or inability to draft and submit proposals for funding. Our own experience indicates that the need for such assistance is great. The use of professional volunteers to counsel and train neighborhood organizations in management, accounting, grant writing and a host of other skills will be invaluable to the formation, success and stability of such groups.

The Urban Neighbors Program will also encourage the formation and success of volunteer endeavors in distressed neighborhoods, by providing "seed money" grants to non-profit organizations working on neighborhood improvement and other small scale projects. These grants are a very critical part of the volunteer effort. In far too many instances, the willingness of the community to engage in volunteerism for neighborhood improvement exists, but the vital seed money for out-of-pocket expenses, supplies and equipment, is unavailable.

As a result, communities continue to decline, thereby taking a great toll on the physical and mental well-being of their residents. The League firmly believes that pride in the community remains strong. We are convinced that, if given the chance, that pride can do much to stem neighborhood decline.

The small seed money grants, up to $15,000 per year authorized under the Urban Neighbors Program will address critical barriers to neighborhood volunteerism. These funds may be used to initiate and help support a wide range of community self-improvement projects, from housing rehabilitation to food cooperatives.

It seems appropriate here to point out our concerns regarding the process by which the designation of Local Lead Agencies and the seed money grants are to be made. The Administration's Urban Policy appropriately places emphasis on integrating local elected officials into the urban revitalization process. However, we have some concern that the provisions in H.R. 2859 pertaining to the role of the mayor or other local elected officials in the grant process, may in some areas

lead to an overly political program; particularly in the view of the large numbers of eligible groups and the limited programs resources.

In light of that problem, there should be an established appeals process for the community or neighborhood organization which believes that it has been discriminated against or unfairly denied a right to participate in or receive the benefits of these grants.

II. The Urban Neighborhood Priorities Program under Section 134 is the second category of volunteer activities under the urban initiatives. These new programs emphasize the direct delivery of services to enhance the lives of disadvantaged and elderly urban residents through a number of approaches.

One of these, the Helping Hand Program, will provide person-to-person volunteer services aimed at reducing the need for institutionalizing older and handicapped persons. For many of these individuals, the city is a place of loneliness, alienation, and social and physical isolation. The Helping Hand Program will use volunteers to provide needed assistance for everyday activities, which most of us take for granted, and will stress the personal interaction of which older and handicapped individuals are most often deprived. The League has long supported reduced institutionalization and views this program as a small, but all important, first step.

In addition to the Helping Hand Program, a Fixed Income Consumer Counseling Program is also proposed as a part of the Urban Neighborhood Priorities Program. That program will provide volunteer counseling to people living on low and fixed incomes. Local Lead Agencies will recruit, train and match volunteers to the needs of low-income individuals, as well as families and groups. Lead Agencies will also offer advice and assistance in the areas of financial management, credit, nutrition and consumer awareness.

The need for such assistance is evidenced when we witness the spiralling costs and complexities of living in urban areas. Individuals and families on low and fixed incomes are the most affected by rising costs, but at the same time, are the least able to identify other resources; to combat discriminatory credit practices: inequitable utility or rent increases; or to find solutions to a myriad of other complex problems. The Fixed Income Consumer Counseling Program will give poor and disadvantaged urban residents the appropriate assistance to help ease the burdensome process of trying to make ends met on a limited income.

CONCLUSION

The Urban Volunteer Programs proposed in H.R. 2859 are by no means a panacea. They should not, and indeed cannot, substitute for severely needed economic development and jobs programs. As a matter of fact, the levels of funding proposed for the Urban Neighborhood Programs limit greatly the number of community and neighborhood organizations which will be affected. But these volunteer endeavors can assist in moving some communities toward economie development and greater self-sufficiency and can enhance the liveability of urban neighborhoods.

The success of the Urban Neighborhood Programs rests largely on the willingness of individuals both within and outside the community to volunteer their time to distressed urban neighborhoods. The National Urban League is convinced that such willingness exists and needs only be tapped by the initiative, technical assistance, and minimal funding which H.R. 2859 provides.

Vernon Jordan, President of the National Urban League has stated that "there is a national movement of urban revitalization going on that will-if it is not checked-wind-up driving poor people from their homes and neighborhoods and worsen American's social ills . . . Unless policies are devised to shield the poor from displacement and to allow them to participate in true urban revival, then the process may ignite the social dynamite barely below the surface in most cities." The National Urban League believes that the Urban Neighborhood Volunteer Programs are a step in the right direction toward involving lowincome residents in the urban revitalization process and that they attempt to insure that urban communities will better benefit their current residents.

The National Urban League commends ACTION for an innovative and necessary approach to the problems of this country's urban residents and urges this Subcommittee to support the Urban Neighborhood Volunteer Programs. We hope that as you continue to listen to the comments of a diverse number of witnesses, that you will carefully examine the merits of what we believe to be an important first step toward meeting some of the needs of urban residents. Thank you for this opportunity to share our views.

THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE, Washington, D.C., October 6, 1977.

ACTION

ACTION was established to consolidate international and domestic volunteer programs under one Federal agency. It was established as an independent agency on July 1, 1971 under the authority of the President's Reorganization Plan No. 1. The agency brought together a number of programs previously under various Federal agencies including the Peace Corps, Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA), the foster grandparent program, and the retired senior volunteer program. University Year for Action (UYA) was authorized to begin July 1, 1971.

Reorganization Plan No. 1 was superseded by the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 which was signed into law on October 1, 1973 as Public Law 93-113. This Act repealed the legislative authority previously establishing the domestic volunteer programs and incorporated into one law authority for domestic volunteer programs and provided statutory authority for ACTION. P.L. 93–113 also established Special Volunteer Programs to encourage wider participation in existing volunteer programs. Public Law 93–113 authorized the domestic volunteer programs through fiscal year 1975. These programs were extended through fiscal year 1978 under the Domestic Volunteer Service Act Amendments of 1976 (94-293).

Programs administered by ACTION include:

COMPONENT PROGRAMS

1. Peace Corps.-The Peace Corps assigns Americans to interested countries in need of middle-level manpower and promotes understanding between the people of the U.S. and the peoples served. The Peace Corps sends volunteers abroad to help people of the developing world attain social and economic progress. Volunteers are currently working in five principal kinds of assignments at the request of host countries. Approximately 43 percent are engaged in education at all levels and 20 percent are serving in agricultural development. About 10 percent are involved in public works and professional services; 6 percent in health programs; 5 percent in rural, urban, and business development programs and 16 percent in various other projects.

2. VISTA.-Through the Volunteers in Service to America Program (VISTA), individuals age 18 and over volunteer to serve in urban and rural poverty areas, on Indian reservations, with migrant families, and in federally assisted institutions for the mentally ill and retarded to help reduce poverty. Volunteers participate in varied activities including remedial education activities, employment counseling, economic development, housing and community planning, the delivery of health care, and other needed services.

Full time volunteers serve for at least one year and usually live within the community where they serve. Part-time volunteers may commute to their project site. All volunteers receive a monthly living allowance to cover the cost of food, travel and other incidentals.

3. UYA and Other Service Learning Programs.-The University Year for Action (UYA) program involves college students working as full-time volunteers in a variety of projects to eliminate poverty in their own communities. The program provides students with experience-based education. Local groups define problems and evaluate volunteers. The volunteers receive college credit and living allowances. The universities develop projects, recruit volunteers, and administer the programs.

National Student Volunteer Program (NSVP).—The National Student Volunteer Program (NSVP) seeks to encourage student volunteers to serve in povertystricken areas.

High School/Junior College Service Learning Program.—-The High School/ Junior College Service Learning Program seeks to encourage part-time high school volunteers to provide volunteer services through local institutions. ACTION shares project costs on a 50-50 basis with local labor, business, government, education and social service interests.

4. The Foster Grandparents Program.-Provides opportunities for low-income persons age 60 and over to serve needy children, usually in an institutional setting. Participants receive $1.60 per hour for their work.

5. The Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP).—Provides opportunities for people age 60 and over to provide a wide variety of volunteer services to their communities, including assistance to the ill, handicapped or aged with personal shipping or home tasks, tutoring under-achievers in schools, providing individual attention to children with exceptional needs, or serving as volunteers in court settings. RSVP volunteers work in locations such as day care centers, orphanages, homes for retarded children, Headstart programs, senior citizens' centers, hospitals, museums, and the Red Cross. Volunteers are reimbursed only for out-of-pocket expenses, such as transportation and meals, incident to their volunteer activities.

6. Senior Companion Program.-Provides opportunities for low-income persons age 60 and older to render volunteer service to adults in need of support care. Participants receive $1.60 per hour.

7. Special Volunteer Programs.—ACTION's Special Volunteer Programs are designed to stimulate improved methods of providing volunteer services and to encourage wider participation in volunteer programs. Special Volunteer Programs include: (1) Program for Local Service, a program designed to mobilize local volunteers for work in programs initiated by local sponsors. ACTION shares costs during the first year on a 50-50 basis with local sponsors. After the first year, local agencies are expected to assume all costs. (2) State and Local Volunteer Mobilization and Coordination Programs, to aid cities, counties and regions in coordinating volunteer activities. ACTION contributes 75 percent of the costs during the first year and 50 percent in succeeding years. (3) Administration of Justice Programs, a program to administer volunteer justice programs and rehabilitate offenders. (4) The Cooperative Volunteer Program, a program designed to support the participation of state and local governments, community institutions, and other non-profit organizations in solving community social and economic problems, especially those related to poverty, through voluntarism. Federal funds are used as a "trigger mechanism" for programs which are primarily sup ported with local resources. (5) Community Service Fellowship Program designed to encourage college-bound youth and low-income individuals to participate in full-time voluntary community service. Community Service Fellowship volunteers are not directly supported or reimbursed for their work during the program, but receive a stipend at the end of the program.

Support programs for ACTION's domestic and international programs are handled jointly. Support programs include: (1) recruitment, selection, and placement of volunteers; (2) investigation of potential new programs, their develop ment and the conduct of experimental programs; (3) overall management and evaluation of ongoing programs; and (4) agencywide administrative support. EVELYN TAGER,

Education and Public Welfare Division.

STATEMENT OF THE REV. THEODORE M. HESBURGH, PRESIDENT OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME

In 1970 as a member of the President's Commission on an All-Volunteer Armed Force, I supported the concept of voluntary service as the most appropriate American way of meeting our nation's military needs.

It was clear then, however, that success would depend upon the idea of service to the nation being accepted by young people and recognized and respected in our society. The spirit of voluntary service has always been a central characteristic of the American people. De Toqueville saw it as the secret of our success as a nation.

If the All-Volunteer Armed Forces so constituted are in trouble, then the heart of the trouble is to be found in the way we look upon the idea of giving part of our lives to the service of others.

Before even considering reverting to the military draft, we should think hard and well on how to strengthen the spirit of volunteer service so that volunteering for the armed forces and for other service to the nation can be greatly increased.

That was the approach of the Committee for the Study of National Service, of which I am a member and the message of the report we have recently issued, Youth and the Needs of the Nation.

Our study came to the conclusion that all young people should be asked to give 1 year or more of full-time service to society sometime after leaving high school or college. To make this possible we proposed a large increase in non-military Opportunities for national service by young people in the care of the elderly and of young children, in tutoring low-achieving students, in renovating neighbornoods, in conservation of our national lands and forests, and in overseas service such as the Peace Corps. We said youth should be asked to serve but not compelled to do so.

Instead of going back to the draft, we think the country should find a way to go forward toward the goal of voluntary universal service. This may sound like i contradiction in terms-voluntary and universal-but consider secondary education: universal completion of high school is our goal, though school attendance after age 16 is voluntary. Completion of high school has become the common expectation, but it is not required. Even the compulsory school attendance laws were enacted after the idea of everyone's going to school had been overwhelmingly accepted and voluntarily acted upon.

Cynics say that Americans will not respond to the idea of voluntary national service and must therefore be forced to do so, at least to meet military needs. I disagree. I think young people would respond in large numbers and in good spirit if properly challenged. From what I know of young people today, their response would surprise those who view them as merely a "me" generation.

If the idea of such voluntary service takes hold, then the military forces should have more than enough volunteers. In the most recent Gallup Poll, January, 1977, 43 percent of men aged 18 to 24 said that if they were to engage in national service they would prefer military to non-military service.

I do not minimize the difficulties. The problem of securing agreement for such a large new goal will be enormous. The idea cannot be imposed from Washington, although national and presidential leadership will be essential.

The goal of universal secondary education was adopted because people everywhere came to see its value. The significance and worth of fulltime volunteer service by young people will have to be made clear. The experience of those who have served in the Peace Corps, VISTA, and private voluntary programs shows how important such service is to those who are served and to the young people giving the service. Soon, I hope, we will come to see that no one's education is complete without the experience of giving such service.

Many other questions about this approach require careful consideration, including the cost. The cost of not moving toward universal voluntary service will have to be weighted too, beginning with the rising cost of an increasingly mercenary armed forces. If the spirit of service is not restored and strengthened, the military forces will have to offer higher and higher financial inducements-or resort to a draft.

There are also short term and long term costs of youth unemployment, which could be reduced if national service were giving a new start to many young people who will otherwise succumb to lives of joblessness and dependence on the dole.

Whether or not registration at age 18 is again made compulsory or a standby draft established, as presently proposed, I hope we as a nation first look down another avenue: voluntary national service. For in that direction lies our best hope for making the All-Volunteer Armed Forces work and for thus making a military. draft unnecessary. It also costs the whole notion of voluntary service in a larger focus, with more positive educational meaning.

EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATIONS OF NATIONAL YOUTH SERVICE

(Roger L. Landrum, Study Director, Committee for the Study of National Service, Apr. 10, 1979)

In "Youth: Transition to Adulthood," James S. Coleman and his colleagues pointed out that as the labor of youth became unnecessary to society, schooling was extended as the primary instrument of socialization. This has numerous advantages for the education of young people, but it has also created problems