Intergenerational National Service by, With, and for All Ages

Abstract

Deep divisions existed in the United States well before 2020, but the risk they pose to American democracy brings new urgency to bridging them. We have entered a period that President Biden has called an “uncivil war.” In addition, our country’s current economic and social challenges, which also began well before this past year, have been inflamed by a pandemic that has already taken more lives than the two World Wars and the Vietnam War combined, and infected tens of millions more. Americans have witnessed the largest increase in poverty in six decades. School shutdowns are causing learning losses that could hobble an entire generation. Social isolation has exacerbated loneliness—most seriously affecting the mental health of younger and older adults.