Does anyone know of any organizations similar to the Peace Corps but does work in the US? Not a youth thing but for someone in their 30’s.
It’d help to know more about this person- why do they want to volunteer? What education and skills do they have? Are they willing to relocate? Do they have financial obligations? What kind of time commitment are they interested in?
You might try looking in to Americorps. It’s mostly a younger crowd, but I’ve know people do it when they are older.
Don’t you remember this song? Jefferson Airplane - Volunteers (with Lyric) - YouTube
There’s the part of Americorps that is mostly high school age and slightly older kids working on projects during the summer and is sort of the descendent of the CCC. But there’s also the VISTA part of it, which is much more similar to the Peace Corps. It’s aimed at recent college graduates and basically gives you a job (ideally somewhat related to your field) serving some sort of underserved community while paying you a fairly small stipend. So, basically, serving the poor while also being poor, although the VISTA positions generally come with pretty good benefits.
ETA: According to the wiki page for it, apparently the VISTA program was actually explicitly created as the domestic counterpart to the Peace Corps. AmeriCorps VISTA - Wikipedia
Are you looking for a program like the Peace Corps that willl pay living expenses or at least give you a stipend, or are you just looking for programs where you can give back to the community? The opportunities for the second are going to be much more numerous - just start calling local charitable and religious groups.
Here are a couple of webpages with links to such programs:
http://www.grinnell.edu/offices/socialcommitment/postgradopps/browse
The person in question wants to make a change while at least earning enough to feed themselves. Religious groups are pretty much out as he, like me is a lifelong Atheist. And yes I know some atheists volunteer with church groups all the time, he is not that kind of atheist. Anywhere in the country is OK with him.
He asked me and I am not the volunteering type of person so I thought I would ask for help here where the diversity and knowledge know no bounds. My personal knowledge has lots of bounds.
Thanks for all the links and suggestions. Feel free to add more.
For the record the person has a strong back and a strong heart but very little academic skills.
Americorps VISTA is almost certainly what you’re looking for.
Make sure your friend does his (or her) homework in understanding the organizations that they apply for. For example, the American Friends Service Committee and the Christian Peacemaker Teams are heavily associated with the “Peace Churches” (the “Friends” are Quakers) and, in addition to potentially having a religious overtone, they have, at times, been treated as borderline subversive and seem to want to find the exact border between protected free speech and treason and stand half an inch behind it. I know a guy who needed a (US Federal) Security Clearance for his job and the investigators harassed him over his support of CPT. Although he got his clearance, I don’t doubt there is a note somewhere in his “file” over this. If your friend signs up with one of these groups and is asked to pick up a vanload of Amish people in Pennsylvania and drive them to the Pentagon to take part in an anti-war protest and be ready to confront a bunch of menacing guards with assault rifles by quoting a civil liberties court case establishing a citizen’s right to visit the Pentagon for protected free speech matters, don’t say I didn’t warn him.
CPT also has a reputation (though they deny it) of being pro-Palestine and anti-Israel, not something that’s likely to get you arrested but also won’t put you at the top of the list for a patriotism award.
One slight correction: you must be a college graduate or have five years of post-high school work experience after age 18. Given Lanzy’s friend is in their 30s, he should qualified.
My understanding is that it’s not just any work experience, though, but experience in some sort of skilled trade. it doesn’t sound like the OP’s friend has anything like that.
Americorps also does NCCC, which is a full-time residential service project for 18-24 year olds. He could apply to be a team lead.
There are also hundreds of Americorps part-time positions, many stipended, some with an age requirement, but also many that accept older folks as team leads given the proper enthusiasm and skills.
For broader volunteer opportunities (mostly unpaid), check out volunteer.gov, idealist.org, volunteermatch.org, or local Whatever Without Borders chapters.
If you can find local grantmakers, they can also probably connect you with groups that want help.