Encore: Work that matters in the second half of life.

The movement to vastly expand national service is recruiting hundreds of organizers for a fall campaign to mobilize public support.

The goal is spur the next president and Congress to quickly enact legislation that will engage 5 million or more Americans in service each year by 2012. The vision is to make the most common question Americans of all ages ask each other, “Where do you plan to do your service?”

The fall campaign will be kicked off at ServiceNation, a summit in New York City that will lay out a path to “universal service” – national and community service opportunities for all Americans who want to be engaged. The summit is being sponsored by Be the Change, City Year, Civic Enterprises and TIME Magazine, which published an influential cover story on national service last year.

As part of this effort, the campaign will run a three-day academy this summer to train grassroots organizers of all ages to mobilize people in their communities to participate in a national day of action after the summit and a campaign to have one million citizens sign the summit declaration expressing their willingness to serve if given the opportunity.

Applications are due April 15 for the summer program. The “Change Agent Academy” in Atlanta will run from May 30 through June 30 and continues with movement-building activities through September 28. Participants will receive a stipend of $3,750 for the full-time summer commitment. Expenses will be paid, including transportation to Atlanta and room and board. No organizing experience is necessary. (Click here for more information.)

Though typically targeted at young people, national and community service has emerged as a valuable pathway to encore careers for older adults. The Peace Corps is actively recruiting aging baby boomers to serve abroad, and Experience Corps enables thousands of adults over 55 to help children learn to read and with other life skills. The campaign’s goals for a vast expansion of national service include plans to expand opportunities for older adults as well as for young people.

“Many seniors are interested in careers that are influenced by a spirit of service. Over half want to work in education, health care and the nonprofit sector,” Marc Freedman, founder and CEO of Civic Ventures explained in Time’s cover story. Civic Ventures, publisher of Encore.org, is part of the ServiceNation organizing committee.

Opportunities for service would encompass existing programs that have a proven track record, such as AmeriCorps, the USA Freedom Corps and the Peace Corps, and might include new initiatives created to help strengthen education, health care, the environment and emergency responsiveness.

For more information about the summer program, contact Emily Cherniack at echerniack@bethechangeinc.org.