"USA Freedom Corps"

Introduction
Students have learned that people volunteered their time to help others after the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001. In this activity, they will learn why the USA Freedom Corps was created and how it matches volunteers with organizations in their communities.

Lesson Description
Students will use the information from the USA Freedom Corps Web site to learn about its purpose and volunteer opportunities. Students will then answer four questions about the structure and goals of USA Freedom Corps. They will then complete an electronic questionnaire that matches their interests with organizations in their area that are in need of volunteers. Students will interview the volunteer coordinators at these organizations and discuss as a class whether they would like to serve as a volunteer. Students may then volunteer for the organization.

Instructional Objectives:

1. Students will describe why the USA Freedom Corps was created
2. Students will use the USA Freedom Corps Web site to locate volunteer opportunities in their community that match their interests.

1. The USA Freedom Corps was created to coordinate opportunities for volunteer service. The USA Freedom Corps Network organizes the resources of governments, individuals, businesses, and non-profit organizations to promote a culture of service to others. The program is also working to strengthen federal service programs such as the Peace Corps, the Citizen Corps, AmeriCorps, and Senior Corps, and it hopes to work with educators to increase civic awareness.
2. The USA Freedom Corps Network includes organizations such as America's Promise, the Points of Light Foundation, Network for Good, The United Way, VolunteerMatch, National Mentoring Partnership, and SERVEnet. Government agencies such as the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, Learn and Serve America, and Citizen Corps are also included in the network.
3. Citizen Corps, newly created by President George W. Bush, supports volunteer service by encouraging individuals to promote community safety. Law enforcement, fire, emergency medicine representatives, local elected officials, and the private sector help coordinate citizens in homeland security and promote family and community safety. Its goal is to help communities prevent, prepare and respond to crime, disasters, public health needs, and emergencies.
4. To find a volunteer opportunity, a person should click on a category that interests them in "Step 1: Choose your interest." Then in Step 2, the person should enter his or her zip code and then click on Step 3 "Find Opportunities Now."
5. Students' reports should summarize the positive and negative aspects of volunteering for the organization. Students should explain why they would or would not want to serve as a volunteer.