Service/Volunteer

Some graduating seniors may elect to take a break before applying to graduate school or seek full time employment. There are many ways to spend your time during this year that can be fun, rewarding, challenging and even help direct you towards a new career path. There are both domestic and international opportunities for students.

Alliance for Catholic Education
ACE is a two-year service program offering college graduates the opportunity to serve as full-time teachers in under-resourced Catholic schools across the southern United States. ACE prepares its teachers in an innovative Master of Education program at Notre Dame.

Americorps
Each year, AmeriCorps offers 75,000 opportunities for adults of all ages and backgrounds to serve through a network of partnerships with local and national nonprofit groups. As an AmeriCorps member, you'll gain new skills and experiences-and you'll also find the tremendous satisfaction that comes from helping others. In addition, full-time members who complete their service earn a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $4,725 to pay for college, graduate school, or to pay back qualified student loans; members who serve part-time receive a partial Award. Some AmeriCorps members may also receive a modest living allowance during their term of service.

Break Away
Break Away's mission is to train, assist, and connect campuses and communities in promoting quality alternative break programs that inspire lifelong active citizenship.

Catholic Network of Volunteer Service
Catholic Network of Volunteer Service (CNVS), established in 1963, is a non-profit membership organization of 200 domestic and international volunteer and lay mission programs. Currently, more than 10,000 volunteers and lay missioners serve in these programs throughout the U.S. and in 108 other countries.

City Year
City Year unites young people of all backgrounds for a year of full-time service, giving them the skills and opportunities to change the world. As tutors, mentors, and role models, corps members make a difference in the lives of children, and transform schools and neighborhoods in the U.S. and South Africa

Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity Seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. To accomplish these goals, they invite people of all backgrounds, races and religions to build houses together in partnership with families in need.

Jesuit Volunteer Corps
Hundreds of grassroots organizations across the country count on JVs to provide essential services to low-income people and those who live on the margins of our society. JVs work for and with people who are homeless, unemployed, refugees, people with AIDS, the elderly, street youth, abused women and children, the mentally ill and the developmentally disabled. Since the first Jesuit Volunteers traveled to Copper Valley, AK in 1956, JVC has become the largest Catholic lay volunteer program in the country.

Notre Dame Mission Volunteers-AmeriCorps
Founded by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in 1992, has been placing volunteers at sites nationwide to work alongside God's people, especially the economically disadvantaged. The volunteers accomplish this mission by promoting literacy and education.

Peace Corp
Today's Peace Corps is more vital than ever, working in emerging and essential areas such as information technology and business development, and committing more than 1,000 new Volunteers as a part of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Peace Corps Volunteers continue to help countless individuals who want to build a better life for themselves, their children, and their communities.

Teach for America
Teach For America is the national corps of outstanding recent college graduates of all academic majors and career interests who commit two years to teach in urban and rural public schools and become leaders in the effort to expand educational opportunity. Teach for America is a very competitive process whose application period begins in August.