Max Finberg is the director of AmeriCorps VISTA. On February 22, he takes the stage of the JFK Jr. Forum to reflect on 50 years of the organization and what public service means in America today. The IOP asked Finberg five questions about advice for a career in public service, how young people create the future of politics, and the contributions national service makes to communities across America each year.
1. President Kennedy introduced the idea of Volunteers in Service to America to Congress in 1963. Since then, how have VISTA members fulfilled Kennedy’s call that as citizens, we must “ask what you can do”?
AmeriCorps VISTA is a national service program that has been fighting poverty in America since 1965. Created as the domestic counterpart to the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps VISTA and its members make a difference by strengthening community-serving nonprofits, agencies, and institutions. Over its 50 year history, more than 200,000 people have served with AmeriCorps VISTA. Last year, more than 8,000 VISTA members served at over 3,000 sites, answering the call of what they can do for their country.
AmeriCorps VISTA is a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that engages millions of Americans in service through its AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, Social Innovation Fund, and Volunteer Generation Fund programs, and leads the President's national call to service initiative, United We Serve. For more information, visit NationalService.gov.
2. You’ve dedicated your professional life to public service. What is your advice for current students who hope to do the same?
Find someone you believe in and look up to and do what you can to work with that person. If there is an opportunity to volunteer, take it. I learned a great deal from my first bosses, who were also role models and mentors, and am still in touch with them.
While it was difficult at first, I was able to focus on one issue I was passionate about – hunger – and work on that for most of my career. That provided me with experience and skills that have allowed me to go between the public and non-profit sectors throughout my career.
That’s what is so great about national service. If you have a passion, we can find you a purpose.
3. Findings from a Pew Research Center poll released earlier this month found that 59 percent of Americans say the federal government does not do enough to help poor people. How does VISTA work to meet this challenge?
Poverty continues to be a significant challenge for our country. AmeriCorps VISTA rises to this challenge by supporting nonprofit organizations and public agencies to serve more communities and lift people out of poverty. AmeriCorps VISTA attracts an immensely talented, motivated and resourceful group of Americans dedicated to country and community.
The value of our AmeriCorps VISTA members is two-fold – their work offers a multiplier effect for our partners. In 2015, AmeriCorps VISTA members secured over twice the annual budget in cash and in-kind resources, turning our $92 million appropriation into $223 million.
For an example of how AmeriCorps VISTA members are making a difference, watch how their service is changing the future for young men in Saint Paul, Minnesota here.
4. Can you talk about a turning point moment that defined you as a person and emboldened your choice of career?
About a year and a half after graduating from college, I was given the opportunity to design and run a national AmeriCorps VISTA program through the Congressional Hunger Center focused on fighting hunger by developing leaders. I was grateful for the responsibility early on to create and lead a program that still exists today. It gave me a foundation of confidence in the professional realm, it taught me some leadership lessons early and has been the springboard for my career ever since. I strive to provide those same experiences through our AmeriCorps VISTA projects.
5. What do you think the “Future of Politics” will look like?
There will always be ebbs and flows. Young people will always face the dilemma of changing the world and starting a career. Politics will continue to evolve as more diverse leaders are elected to office and use the instruments of power to respond to their constituents’ needs and demands. I look forward to the future with a politics that is more representative of our country. But as Frederick Douglass proclaimed, “power concedes nothing without a struggle.” I look forward to joining the next generation in ensuring more opportunity for all.
Follow Max and AmeriCorps VISTA at @AmeriCorpsVISTA to join the conversation and follow national service news and opportunities.
Watch the JFK Jr. Forum conversation on "JFK's Vision 50 Years Later: AmeriCorps in the Modern Century" with Finberg, moderated by Harvard Kennedy School Dean Douglas Elmendorf, live 2/22 at 6:00pm here.