Brookings Institution Panel Discussion 'United We Serve: National Service and the Future of Citizenship' Set for July 30

7/28/2003

From: Brookings Institution Office of Communications, 202-797-6105, or email: communications@brookings.edu, Web site: http://www.brookings.edu/

News Advisory:

What:

A panel discussion hosted by the Brookings Institution on the subject "United We Serve: National Service and the Future of Citizenship"

When:

Wednesday, July 30, 2-4 pm EDT; Reception to follow

Where:

The Brookings Institution, Falk Auditorium, 1775 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, D.C.

Panelists:

-- Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)

-- Kayla Meltzer Drogosz, co-editor, "United We Serve"; Senior Research Analyst, Governance Studies, The Brookings Institution

-- Jane Eisner, columnist, Philadelphia Inquirer

-- Leslie Lenkowsky, CEO, Corporation for National and Community Service

-- Will Marshall, president and founder, Progressive Policy Institute

-- Moderator: E.J. Dionne Jr., co-editor, "United We Serve"; Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution; Columnist, Washington Post

Details:

Service has always been a defining feature of American life, but the fight over funding problems at AmeriCorps has brought national service to the forefront of current political debates. Leaders including President Bush and Sens. Bayh, Kennedy, Kerry, and McCain have all offered proposals to expand national service.

On Wednesday, July 30, Brookings will host a discussion about these debates and their implications for the meaning of citizenship. Panelists will include contributors to the newly released Brookings book, "United We Serve: National Service and the Future of Citizenship." The book, edited by E.J. Dionne Jr., Kayla Meltzer Drogosz, and Robert E. Litan, is the first volume to deal comprehensively with the national service movement. It contains essays by Americans who have served their country in diverse ways -- in the military, the Peace Corps, VISTA, the civil rights movement, City Year, and in the executive and legislative branches of government. The book brings together the voices of politicians, activists, policymakers, journalists, and others who are both supporters and critics of the national service movement.

RSVP:

Contact the Brookings Office of Communications by phone at 202-797-6105, or by email at communications@brookings.edu, or visit the web site at http://www.brookings.edu/comm/events/20030730.htm.