Democracy Is Not a Spectator Sport: The Ultimate Volunteer Handbook

by Arthur Blaustein

Overview

Democracy is not a spectator sport! Learn how to get in the game with this comprehensive collection of more than two hundred community service opportunities and experiences. More than a simple resource guide, this unique handbook includes interviews, anecdotes, and commentary from the top folks in nonprofit and service fields and ties together the strands of volunteering, community service, and civic engagement. Whether you have a specific cause in mind or are looking for volunteer work to beef up a resume or increase professional experience, here are short- and long-term ways to get involved.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781616080624
Publisher:	Skyhorse
Publication date:	03/28/2011
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Arthur Blaustein is a recently retired professor at the University of California, Berkeley, where he taught community development, public policy, and politics. He has served on the board of the National Endowment for the Humanities under President Bill Clinton and was chair of the President’s National Advisory Council on Economic Opportunity under President Jimmy Carter. Blaustein has written extensively for magazines and newspaper syndicates, including Harper's, Saturday Review, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Los Angeles Times and Knight-Ridder, as well as for academic and professional journals. He lives in Berkeley, California.

Table of Contents

Intorduction: A Nation Challenged 1

Part 1 Understanding Community Service 15

Volunteering, Public Policy, and Polities 17

American Values, Citizenship, and Civic Engagement 33

The Value of Service 55

Volunteer Stories 67

Part 2 Make It Happen: The List 97

Organization by Interest 99

Children 100

Civil Rights 106

Community Development and Economic Justice 112

Consumer Affairs 120

Education 122

Environment and Sustainable Communities 130

Free Speech and Government Accountability 140

Gay and Lesbian Rights 144

Health Care, Hunger, and Homelessness 146

Human Rights 156

People with Disabilities 160

Seniors 164

Social Welfare and Emergency Relief 168

Violence Prevention and Peace 175

Wildlife and Animal Rights 180

Women's Rights 190

Organizations by Type 197

Advocacy Organizations 198

Campus Organizations 202

General Resource Organizations 212

Faith-Based Organizations 217

Policy and Issues Analysis Organizations 228

Sevice Organizations 246

Part 3 On Your Own 251

The Reading Cure: How to organize a Book Group with a Social Conscience 252

Acknowledgments 263

Editorial Reviews

"Blaustein's effort will help a new generation of Americans approach community service—and their own lives—in a way that will strengthen our democracy."—Secretary of State John Kerry

"If you're wondering what the world is coming to...how to remain hopeful...where to begin. The answer is in your hands...Please take this book with you into the rest of your life."—Barbara Kingsolver

"Arthur Blaustein has kept the faith. His book will help us regain the heights and take democracy back!"—Bill Moyers

"A terrific resource."—Bob Chase, President, National Education Association

"Looking for creative and useful ways to benefit communities across America? Read this book."—Senator Edward M. Kennedy

From the Publisher