As high school graduates enter adulthood, some may be unsure of what to do next. They might not be ready to attend college. They might not have the skills to get a job. And some do not know what kind of career they want.
随着高中毕业生进入成年期，有些人可能不确定下一步该做什么。他们可能还没有准备好上大学。他们可能没有找到工作的技能。有些人不知道他们想要什么样的职业。
 
Wes Moore is a Democratic candidate for governor in the American state of Maryland. As part of his campaign, Moore proposed to create a paid community service year for such graduates who are unsure of their next steps.
韦斯摩尔是美国马里兰州州长的民主党候选人。作为竞选活动的一部分，摩尔提议为这些不确定下一步行动的毕业生设立一个有偿社区服务年。
 
Moore said the graduates would volunteer with non-profit groups and community organizations. In exchange for their service, they would receive job training and mentorship. They can also get money to pay for college.
摩尔说，毕业生将自愿加入非营利组织和社区组织。为了换取他们的服务，他们将接受职业培训和指导。他们还可以获得钱来支付大学费用。
 
Before his run for governor, Moore was involved with Service Year Alliance, an organization that works to connect those looking to serve with groups across the country in need of volunteers.
在竞选州长之前，摩尔参与了服务年联盟，该组织致力于将那些希望服务的人与全国各地需要志愿者的团体联系起来。
 
Kristen Bennett is the president of Service Year Alliance. She said national service or community service, should be a "common expectation and opportunity" for all Americans. She compared it to getting an internship or attending college. And she suggested that Moore's plan could make that happen.
Kristen Bennett 是服务年联盟的总裁。她说，国民服务或社区服务应该是所有美国人的“共同期望和机会”。她将其比作实习或上大学。她建议摩尔的计划可以实现这一目标。
 
Moore's program would be similar to the existing Americorps program. It is a federal government program that connects volunteers with organizations nationwide. Volunteers can do things like cleaning up disaster areas, helping environmental efforts, working in afterschool programs, or assisting military veterans. Many are also involved in COVID-19 programs.
摩尔的计划将类似于现有的美国陆军计划。这是一项联邦政府计划，将志愿者与全国各地的组织联系起来。志愿者可以做一些事情，比如清理灾区、帮助环保工作、参加课外活动或帮助退伍军人。许多人还参与了 COVID-19 计划。
 
Americorps volunteers receive very little money for their work. Bennett said that makes it "impossible for youth from marginalized backgrounds and communities to participate without financial support." She added that "this is something we think is really important to see change."
Americorps 志愿者的工作收入很少。贝内特说，这使得“来自边缘化背景和社区的青年在没有经济支持的情况下无法参与”。她补充说：“这是我们认为看到变化非常重要的事情。”
 
Bennett said states like Washington and California have also provided more money for Americorps volunteers. And she applauded Moore's plan to start a large service program for high school graduates, calling it "really unique."
贝内特说，华盛顿和加利福尼亚等州也为美国志愿人员提供了更多资金。她对摩尔为高中毕业生启动大型服务项目的计划表示赞赏，称其“非常独特”。
 
Public studies show that voluntary service is a popular idea across political lines. Voices for National Service found that 88 percent of Democrats and 74 percent of Republicans favor an expansion of voluntary national service in a 2020 study.
公共研究表明，志愿服务是跨越政治界线的流行理念。国民服役之声发现，在 2020 年的一项研究中，88% 的民主党人和 74% 的共和党人赞成扩大志愿国民服役。
 
Supporters like Bennett see national service as a way to make the country less divided. "Service year brings people from different backgrounds together around a shared experience that builds empathy and understanding," she said. "When…you're working together to address a very challenging issue in the community it becomes easier to put aside your political or religious or socioeconomic differences."
像贝内特这样的支持者将国民服役视为减少国家分裂的一种方式。“服务年将来自不同背景的人们聚集在一起，共同分享经验，建立同理心和理解，”她说。“当……你们一起努力解决社区中一个非常具有挑战性的问题时，抛开你们的政治、宗教或社会经济差异会变得更容易。”
 
Several candidates for president, including John McCain, Hillary Clinton and Pete Buttigieg, proposed to expand national service programs. And a bill that would have required young Americans to do two years of national service failed in Congress.
包括约翰·麦凯恩、希拉里·克林顿和皮特·布蒂吉格在内的几位总统候选人提议扩大国民服务计划。一项要求年轻美国人服两年兵役的法案在国会失败。
 
Critics say requiring national service is a bad idea. They say the government should not force anyone to do work and doing so might violate the U.S. constitution.
批评人士说，要求国民服役是一个坏主意。他们说政府不应该强迫任何人工作，这样做可能违反美国宪法。
 
Doug Bandow is with the Cato Institute. The organization supports "individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace." In 2019, Bandow wrote, "Mandatory universal national service would conflict with deeply held American values, violate the Constitution, create an administrative nightmare, and undermine its own objective of creating a more caring America."
Doug Bandow 在卡托研究所工作。该组织支持“个人自由、有限政府、自由市场与和平”。班道在 2019 年写道，“强制性的全民服役将与根深蒂固的美国价值观相冲突，违反宪法，制造一场行政噩梦，并破坏其创造一个更有爱心的美国的目标。”
 
He concluded: "Such an approach is a bad idea whose time has not come."
他总结道：“这种方法是一个糟糕的主意，时机尚未成熟。”