The number of school systems that require volunteer activity in order to qualify for a diploma is already too great. Adding monetary incentive to the mix, and continuing that required volunteer activity beyond the high school level is just too statist for my mind.
The great problem I see in requiring youth to participate in government-sponsored volunteer activity is that the government gets to decide which activities to sponsor.
The Peace Corps, as an example, was relatively benign as it was in fact a voluntary activity even though the relatively benign government of the time chose which activities you could participate in, and IIRC there were no extremely rigid rules about what sorts of peace and culture you could bring to 3rd-world nations along with generators and water pumps.
I am highly distrustful of the current administration's motives, based on the activities to date. I see no reason not to believe that the mandatory volunteer programs will be focused more on prostelytizing the current administration's socialist bent than on actually delivering any service. Further, I have not seen - perhaps because it does not and may never exist - any plan to address the woes of the underclasses except to throw money at those who can build an infrastructure for accepting said thrown money.
To my mind, the most effective program for turning arould the plight of the underclass was Hurricane Katrina. Hundreds of thousands of folks were removed from economic and emotional blight to a place where actual opportunity existed. Some few thousands took advantage of those opportunities and seem to have actually prospered over time without continuing government assistance. A large portion of those who not only refused to take advantage of the newly-existing opportunities but continued to prey on society have been removed from said society and are being kept from continuing to rip it apart. Only because Cat5 hurricanes are difficult to conjur up on demand, the current economy is dropping further into the tank, and there is just so much Texas to go around, I will not support new Katrinas over settlement house-style programs as the most effective/efficient get-out-of-poverty-caused-by-lack-of knowledge/skills program devised.
The activities suggested for funding under the G.I.V.E. program are not those mentioned immediately above. Nor are they completely voluntary. Thus, I am more than a little leery of their purpose and possible product.
stay safe.
skidmark
