National Language Service Corps Pilot Program
In 2006, Congress called for a project to test the idea of a national corps of individuals
who spoke languages other than English to offer their support to Federal agencies
during times of crisis, such as relief efforts after hurricanes. The NLSC Pilot
Program will plan, build, and test a corps of on-call language-certified Americans
who are ready to serve the nation with their language skills.
The development of the NLSC, which addresses our need for individuals who speak
English and other languages, is essential for success in three areas:
- interaction with diverse communities residing within U.S. borders,
- competitiveness of the U.S., and
- valuable assistance to nations, who are friends and allies, during times of crises
and emergencies.
Because the Federal government has never set up an organization quite like this
before, we must test our procedures for recruiting, evaluating and enrolling members
as we attempt to build the initial corps of 1,000 individuals, who will be known
as Charter Members during this pilot phase. Charter Members help us test our processes
and procedures. We will use the results of those tests to refine our procedures
for future use.
In the initial phase of the NLSC Pilot Program, we will test the methods used to
recruit individuals certified in any of ten specific languages. These languages
represent areas of Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and the Pacific. During the pilot
phase, Charter Members may be called upon to participate in tests of our activation
procedures. They may also be asked to participate in focus groups and other activities.
The Pilot Program is underway. We are still looking for people just like you to
help build our organization. If you are looking for a way to make a positive contribution
to your country, if you are interested in coming in on the ground floor of this
exciting new organization, then learn more about what it means to be a Charter Member
by contacting 1-888-SAY-NLSC (1-888-729-6572).
