The future does not belong to those who are content with today, apathetic toward common problems and their fellow man alike, timid and fearful in the face of new ideas and bold projects. Rather it will belong to those who can blend vision, reason and courage in a personal commitment to the ideals and great enterprises of American society. Every generation of Americans must renew its commitment to democracy. This involves more than studying about government and history.
Citizenship requires practice through active involvement in the community.
Students acquire a greater sense of civic empowerment and responsibility when they learn and practice citizenship skills in real-life situations. Americans have a long tradition of public service, through governmental and private agencies. Government programs include the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s, the Peace Corps begun by John F. Kennedy in the 1960s, and the Job Corps of the Johnson administration's War on Poverty. Youth were also actively involved in the civil-rights struggles of the 1960s. By 1990, the Federal National Community Service Act distributed grants to help build service learning into the curriculum of every school in America.