Downturn inspires an uptick in volunteerism

JOINING THE PEACE CORPS "It's a good way to gain a lot of experience in a short amount of time," said Meghan McCloskey of her plan to volunteer.

Meghan McCloskey heard the call to service when she was in college, applying to the Peace Corps during her senior year. That call only got louder as she realized her shrinking job options in the faltering economy.

"Just having some sort of security for two years and not going through the job application process every two months and internships until someone wants to pay you is good," said McCloskey, 23, an administrative assistant who completed the Peace Corps application process and is awaiting her country placement.

Volunteer organizations such as the Peace Corps and Teach for America say the floundering economy and President Obama's call for service have led to a major increase in applications.

Teach for America received a record 14,000 applications by November, an almost 50 percent increase over the previous year. And Peace Corps applications rose 16 percent from fiscal 2007 to 2008.

When applying to the Peace Corps, most college graduates speak first about their desire to serve. But they also learn a foreign language and gain valuable international experience that can further their future careers, organization spokeswoman Laura Lartigue said. "They come out on the other end with really good skills that make them competitive in the job market," she said.

Many of this year's applicants got a taste of volunteering while in school, making the thought of spending more than two years serving abroad less daunting, Lartigue said.

Michael Brown, chief executive and cofounder of the nonprofit City Year in Boston, said it's not just the sour economy and lack of jobs that's contributed to the jump in volunteerism. His organization, which places young adults as tutors and mentors for schoolchildren for a year, has seen applications jump from about 500 to almost 1,600 year-on-year.

"It's not just a matter of needing employment, which I think is still important, but there's something in a declining economy that clarifies all our values," Brown said. "Young folks are saying, 'I'm needed more than ever because I'm needed in this economy. Now is the time I should go do this.' "

Teach for America recruits heavily at college campuses. Now with banks and investment firms scaling back hiring, more students are considering teaching for two years, spokeswoman Amy Rabinowitz said.

Bowdoin College senior Ashley Fischer applied to Teach for America but also weighed taking a consulting job. When she saw firms weren't hiring, it solidified her decision to teach for two years. Fischer will teach in a Newark, N.J., bilingual classroom next year.

McCloskey, who thinks she might be placed in sub-Saharan Africa because of her French language skills, said serving those in need abroad is still at the root of her choice.