Word: ve
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...changed since then. The Kennedy Serve America Act has been passed, which is fantastic. And we've done this enormous national poll about national service, and one of the things that we discovered, and other polls have shown this, too, is that, in fact, volunteering is down as a result of the recession, and civic participation is down. And when we did that last year it was a kind of great moment for us, and since then, the economy has gone down. I'm wondering what you make of that and what you think the significance of that...
...like their neighbors are actually less involved in the community than they used to be; that people are hunkering down, as you say, they're looking out for their own. How do you make the argument in that kind of environment to people who are saying, like, hey, I've lost my job and you're telling me to volunteer? How does that work? Does it make it a lot more difficult? Mrs. Obama: As the President said, I think that these are challenging times, but one of the things that we've talked about and I talk about among...
...matter where you are economically, you're living in a community - you've got kids in the public school system, and we all know that the public schools need as much support as they can get: parents reading to kids, people going on field trips, people monitoring recess. Those are things that you can do if you have time on your hands that add value to your home base...
...engagement; that people are becoming kind of citizen consumers, and that is related to this idea of service. The President: Well, I think you especially see that in the next generation, even among our daughters. I remember Malia maybe three years ago - she was eight or seven - said, you've got to get a hybrid because this is polluting the air and killing polar bears. And you really start seeing, I think, a level of awareness about how decisions you make, about where you shop or what car you drive has an impact on the broader world...
...ve always had a strong tradition of individualism - "I'm going to make it on my own" - and self-reliance, and that's one of the most special, precious things about America. But you've also had a running thread of community that Alexis de Tocqueville wrote about, and voluntary associations and organizations. And that's been just as important in creating the bonds of trust and the community infrastructure that means kids are growing up healthy and Little Leagues have coaches, and churches and synagogues and mosques, religious institutions are out in the community and not just focused inward...