But achieving that goal, ironically, has clashed with the goal of expanding access to college, some AmeriCorps officials argue. We would probably have more people using the award if this were more of a middle-class program and we had an upper age limit. But some people are doing AmeriCorps for the sake of doing it. A few people join the program simply because they need a job. At Energy Express, an AmeriCorps project with 68 sites in West Virginia, traditional college-age students help needy children maintain their reading skills during the summer.
Several participants say they joined the program to gain experience for future teaching careers.
Or maybe not. Many students could earn more than an AmeriCorps stipend if they took traditional student jobs, particularly in a strong economy, argues Barmak Nassirian, a policy analyst for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and a long-time critic of AmeriCorps. But unless asked, AmeriCorps participants rarely talk about the financial benefits of their service. Surveys show that about half of AmeriCorps alumni volunteer at least six hours a month, and more than a third now work for non-profit groups. Nearly all AmeriCorps members speak of the program with the same fervor as their Peace Corps counterparts.