Building a Pathway to Serve with MD’s Service and Civic Innovation Secretary Paul Monteiro

A few weeks ago, Paul Monteiro, Maryland’s new and first Secretary of Service and Civic Innovation, stopped by the Spy studio to discuss his department’s new efforts to coordinate and fully encourage volunteerism and civil engagement.

That’s a pretty tall order these days.

Year after year, the state of Maryland, like the rest of the country, has seen a serious decline in volunteer service and opportunities. Due to a number of complex socio-economic and demographic factors, some can’t find a way to serve or have simply decided not to engage at all with their community.  In other cases, young people who don’t engage lose internship and mentoring opportunities that put them on a pathway to a decent job.

Governor Wes Moore wants to change this grim outlook. On his first full day in office, Moore signed his second executive order creating the Department of Service and Civic Innovation. The goal is to consolidate and elevate the agencies of state government that support service opportunities in Maryland.

One of the first people he recruited to lead that effort was Paul Monteiro, who had a significant background. That has included being on the Obama White House staff as an associate director in the Office of Public Engagement.

In our interview, Secretary Monteiro highlights two of the primary initiatives being rolled out this year. The first, which came with the introduction of the Serve Act, which stands for Serving Every Region Through Vocational Education, is designed to leverage and enhance existing resources in Maryland, aiming to facilitate a smoother transition for young adults into their subsequent phases of life. The second, called the Maryland Corps, is aimed at all ages.

Both organizations and companies interested in participating in these pilot programs are requested to apply here by April 1.

This video is approximately seven minutes in length.