By Gabriella Termont, Texas Youth Advisory Counci

The U.S. Public Service Academy Youth Advisory Council has proven that young leaders with a strong interest in making this dream come true have a huge impact on government officials.

After a Youth Conference in D.C., several high school and college students worked to gain additional support for the Academy, and they sure have succeeded. The USPSA now has 114 co-sponsors in the House and 21 co-sponsors in the Senate. The numbers continue to rise, but additional help in spreading the word is always needed.

What can be done?

All it takes is a five minute phone call and a 30 minute meeting. Trust me, it’s worth it. Martie Serna and I made a phone call to Congressman Chet Edward’s office. We scheduled a meeting, and a week later we were sitting in his office on Capitol Hill talking to him face-to-face. Although it was a bit overwhelming at first, we got the ball rolling and showed him how excited we were to have his attention and be able to share with him our interest in the Academy.

We shared with him that our belief that the Public Service Academy needs to be established stems from wanting to give other people what we couldn’t have – a free education with a five year public sector service commitment. Since we couldn’t have the chance to go to such an institution and do what we want to do after, the least we can do is work as hard as we can to ensure that future generations have the opportunity.

The meeting with Rep. Edwards was an experience I’ll never forget – Martie and I left his office feeling accomplished and after one meeting, we wanted more. Meetings will not always be successful, but in time, the Academy itself will be a success.

From The Daily Sentinel

The SFA student body president has kicked off a “local movement” to inform Nacogdoches residents about the United States Public Service Academy, a proposed undergraduate institution designed to develop “civilian leaders.”

Kent Willis, SFA graduate student, said he is in full support of the academy, because it will get more people involved in public service careers.

“There’s federal legislation in both the House and the Senate supporting the idea of the United State Public Service Academy,” Willis said. “Over time, there’s been a deterioration of faith in public service. But this is an effort and a way to get people energized and more focused on going into those kinds of careers.”

Read the whole story here

If you are interested in writing a letter to the editor in support of the Academy please contact our communications staff.

From Minnesota Campaign Report…

This election cycle has been a landmark year for a new generation of young voters. All over Minnesota, young people are volunteering for campaigns, donating at fundraisers, and taking more interest in politics than ever before. Often politicians do little more than pay lip service to young constituents, but recently, two members of the Minnesota delegation have gone a step further: they are willing to stand up for what the youth want.

Within the last two weeks Congresswoman Betty McCollum and Congressman Collin Peterson have signed onto the U.S. Public Service Academy bill.  The U.S. Public Service Academy is an initiative to create a four-year undergraduate institution focused on public service. Academy students would receive a free education in exchange for five years of government service after degree completion.  Graduates would serve at the local, state, or federal levels of government.

In a nationwide poll of young people (ages 18-29) 88% of young people said they would support the creation of the U.S. Public Service Academy; youth are dedicated to making this initiative a reality.  Young people in Minnesota are also getting involved: youth from Crookston to Minneapolis are pushing this initiative forward.

In total, the Academy bill has 113 co-sponsors in the House and 20 co-sponsors in the Senate. Representatives Peterson and McCollum join Minnesota Democratic Representatives Walz and Ellison, who have already sign onto the bill.  You can check www.uspublicserviceacademy.org to learn more about the Academy.