Extending a Young Hand to America

President Clinton--who, supporters say, rarely gets enough credit when he keeps a campaign promise--certainly deserves a great deal of applause for pushing Congress to pass a national service program for young Americans.

AmeriCorps, sort of a domestic Peace Corps, will debut on Monday when Clinton swears in the first group of young participants. Under the nationwide, federally funded program, up to 20,000 graduates of high schools, colleges and professional schools will tackle community service projects.

Priority will be given to efforts that help schools, reduce crime, alleviate poverty or clean up the environment. More than 2,000 AmeriCorps participants will be assigned to projects throughout California. Their sponsors--businesses and groups that will develop programs--include the California Conservation Corps, the YMCA, the Los Angeles Unified School District, UC Berkeley, Occidental College, the Urban Corps of San Diego, Local Initiatives Support Corp., Teach for America and VISTA. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the federal Departments of Agriculture and the Interior also will coordinate programs.

Many participants will help children who are abused, disabled, hungry, homeless, poor, sick or illiterate. AmeriCorps members will also counsel youngsters who are in gangs, abuse alcohol or drugs, need day care or lack supervision after school. And that’s not all. Some examples:

--In Southern California, participants with special skills such as law school graduates will work for the Legal Service Corp. on Crenshaw Boulevard in Southwest Los Angeles. They will spend their first year attacking homelessness, encouraging equal educational opportunities and protecting the environment. That’s public service.

--In Central California, AmeriCorps members will help migrant and seasonal farm workers, and they will pay special attention to land and water projects.

--In Northern California, participants will teach teen-agers how to mediate conflicts, help people who are HIV-positive and encourage the arts.

In return for their activism, AmeriCorps participants will get the minimum wage, health benefits and nearly $5,000 in scholarship money per year for up to two years. They may use their scholarships for college or vocational training or to reduce student loans. That’s a fair exchange between these young Americans and the federal government.

President Clinton has successfully appealed to members of the MTV generation to get involved and use their talents to help their neighbors. The national service program is an idea well worth trying.