Youth Engaged in Service

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National

America's Promise
Founded by General Colin Powell in 1997, America's Promise Alliance is the largest youth-serving alliance in the country. Youth engagement is a critical part of our goal to impact 15 million disadvantaged young people over the next 5 years. One of our national action strategies is called "Ready for the Real World". This strategy seeks to engage middle school-aged students in service-learning, civic engagement and career exploration. Through these activities, middle school students become more engaged in their schools, communities, environments and enhance the likelihood that they will complete high school. Finally, the Youth Partnership Team allows young leaders from around the country to help direct and advise the activities with the Alliance.
www.americaspromise.org
http://15in5.americaspromise.org/

Boys & Girls Clubs of America
The Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) have a long-standing commitment to service and civic engagement and service is embedded in their mission: "To enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens." Additionally, service and civic engagement are critical components of Boys & Girls Clubs of America's strategic plan for the next five years: Impact 2012.  BGCA is dedicated to reach beyond their walls to enhance effectiveness in Clubs and communities not only to increase civic engagement of Club members, but to strengthen families while building stronger communities and changing the world around them. They currently avidly recognize exemplary service through the prestigious President's Volunteer Service Award and participate in a vast number of drives, campaigns and volunteer efforts in support of combating malaria in sub-Saharan Africa; contributing to Hurricane Katrina relief; actively participating in the remarkable Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service.
www.bgca.org

Boys Town
Participation in volunteer service projects enables Boys Town youth to focus on others.  By serving those in need, the youth help their own emotional and social healing, while building character traits.  Named one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People by America's Promise, Boys Town was acknowledged for providing youth with "opportunities to help others", which helps them become better citizens through improved well-being, stronger family relationships and increased productivity.  By teaching and modeling how to help others and promoting opportunities of growth and learning, our youth exceed national norms by volunteering 30 or more hours and contributing over 15,000 hours of service annually among all youth.
www.boystown.org

Camp Fire USA
Camp Fire USA is one of the nation's leading nonprofit youth development organizations, serving 750,000 boys and girls annually.  Founded in 1910 as the first nonsectarian, interracial organization for girls in the United States, Camp Fire USA now provides all-inclusive, coeducational programs in hundreds of communities.  By design, Camp Fire's programs build confidence in younger children and provide hands-on, youth-driven leadership experiences. The outcome-based programs include small group experiences, camping and environmental education, after-school programs, and service and service-learning.
www.campfireusa.org

Citizen Schools
Citizen Schools engages volunteer Citizen Teachers from all walks of life and pairs them with trained educators for ten afternoons each semester, leading low-income middle-school students in real-world projects. Together, they design parks, film public-service announcements, or cook meals for the neighborhood–enabling kids to learn by doing and create authentic value for the community. Founded in 1995, Citizen Schools now engages 2,800 volunteers and serves 3,800 students in sixteen cities nationwide.
www.citizenschools.org

Communities In Schools
Communities In Schools (CIS) is the nation's leading community-based organization helping kids stay in school and prepare for life. With nearly 200 local CIS affiliates operating in 27 states and the District of Columbia, CIS has a presence in more than 3,400 school and education sites across the country. In addition, CIS is active in the community service and service-learning areas with 90 percent of its affiliates offering service opportunities to youth in approximately 1,126 sites.
www.cisnet.org

Corporation for National and Community Service
The Corporation for National and Community Service was formed to engage Americans of all ages and backgrounds in service to meet community needs. Each year, more than 1.5 million individuals of all ages and backgrounds help meet local needs through a wide array of service opportunities. These include projects in education, the environment, public safety, homeland security and other critical areas through the Corporation's three major programs: Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America.
Senior Corps - Senior Corps offers a network of programs that tap the rich experience, skills and talents of older citizens to meet community challenges.
AmeriCorps - Through its programs, AmeriCorps provides opportunities for Americans to make an ongoing, intensive commitment to service.

• AmeriCorps*State and National: AmeriCorps*State and National offers grants that support a broad range of local service programs that engage thousands of Americans in intensive service to meet critical community needs. AmeriCorps*State and National also administers grants for Indian tribes and U.S. territories, who are eligible for funding that is set aside to address critical needs within their communities.
• AmeriCorps*VISTA: AmeriCorps*VISTA provides full-time members to community organizations and public agencies to create and expand programs that build capacity and ultimately bring low-income individuals and communities out of poverty.
• AmeriCorps*NCCC: The AmeriCorps*National Civilian Community Corps is a full-time residential program for men and women aged 18-24 that strengthens communities while developing leaders through direct, team-based national and community service.

Learn and Serve America - Learn and Serve America provides grants to schools, higher education institutions and community-based organizations that engage students, their teachers and others in service to meet community needs.
www.nationalservice.gov

Corps Network
The Corps Network seeks to sustain and grow the Corps movement. Member Corps operate in 42 states and the District of Columbia, annually engaging 21,000 youth and young adults in full-time service, training, and education. Corps are community-based programs engaging crews of young people in service, giving them the chance to make a difference. Corps members are guided by caring adults with high expectations who provide education, mentoring, life skills and workforce development. The results are high quality service projects–among them environmental conservation, community improvement, and disaster relief–and young people prepared for responsible, competent adulthood and lifelong civic engagement.
www.corpsnetwork.org

Federal Citizen Information Center
Federal Citizen Information Center (FCIC), a one-stop source for answers to questions about consumer problems and government services for over 35 years. Consumers can get the information they need in three ways: by calling toll-free 1 (800) FED-INFO, through printed publications available from Pueblo, CO, or through information posted on FCIC's family of websites: USA.gov, Pueblo.gsa.gov, Kids.gov, and ConsumerAction.gov, GobiernoUSA.gov, and Consumidor.gov.
www.kids.gov

Helping America's Youth Initiative
Helping America's Youth is a nationwide effort to raise awareness about the challenges facing our youth, particularly at-risk boys, and to motivate caring adults to connect with youth in three key areas: family, school, and community.  As the leader of the Helping America's Youth effort, Mrs. Laura Bush is highlighting programs which are effectively helping America's young people.  Research has shown that supportive relationships are crucial to youth well-being.  President and Mrs. Bush believe that parents and family are the first and most important influence in every child's life.   By becoming actively involved in the lives of young people in their community, teachers, mentors, clergy members, neighbors, coaches, and others can support parents and help youth make better choices that lead to healthier, more successful lives.
www.helpingamericasyouth.gov

Innovation Center
The Innovation Center for Community and Youth Development unleashes the potential of youth, adults, organizations, and communities to engage together in creating a just and equitable society. The Center offers tool kits, research, training, and best practices on engaging young people as full partners in social justice efforts, including service learning, youth development, community development and civic engagement. With a particular focus on marginalized youth and communities, the organization works to address the issues that underpin the lives of young people in these communities, such as development of individual identity and leadership skills.
www.theinnovationcenter.org

KIDS HOPE USA
KIDS HOPE USA is a simple idea: give hope to at-risk children through caring relationships. We pledge to do all we can to reach more kids whose teachers and principals know they need love and attention. Our strategy is to expand the network of KHUSA church-school partnerships in the United States, and to support each and every partnership to the extent possible.
www.kidshopeusa.org

MENTOR
For two decades, MENTOR has led the national movement to connect America's young people with mentoring.   As a national advocate and expert resource for mentoring, MENTOR is dedicated to delivering the research, policy recommendations, and practical performance tools that mentoring organizations need to effectively serve young people and make mentoring a reality for more of America's youth. MENTOR works in collaboratively with a strong national network of Mentoring Partnerships throughout the country and with more than 4,100 mentoring programs nationwide. MENTOR helps to connect young Americans who want and need caring adults in their lives with the power of mentoring.
www.mentoring.org

National 4-H
4-H is the nation's largest youth development organization, serving more than 6.5 million young people in urban, suburban, and rural communities nationwide. With its direct connection to technological research conducted at the nation's 106 land-grant universities, 4-H prepares youth with future workforce skills and aids them in becoming our next generation of great leaders. According to a study conducted by Tufts University, 4-H members contribute to their communities at a higher rate than their peers with more than 2.5 million 4-H members participating in and leading a variety of volunteer efforts in their communities each year. 4-H is open to all youth, ages 9-19.
www.4-H.org

National Dropout Prevention Center/Network
The mission of the National Dropout Prevention Center/Network is to provide knowledge and promote networking for researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and families to increase opportunities for youth in at-risk situations to receive the quality education and services necessary to successfully graduate from high school. Service-learning has been identified as one of the most effective strategies for dropout prevention. The Center's efforts to connect meaningful community service experiences with academic learning is evidenced through our annual Summer Institute on Service-Learning; the service-learning strand at our annual At-Risk Youth National Forum; resources such as our "Linking Learning with Life" series, staff development games, videos, and other tools and publications; and serving as the Southern Regional partner in the International Service-Learning Exchange network, which provides peer mentor support and training to new service-learning practitioners.
http://www.dropoutprevention.org/effstrat/service_learning/overview.htm

National Network for Youth
The National Network for Youth is a membership organization of over 450 youth serving organizations that work with homeless, runaway, at-risk, and unaccompanied youth in America.  Through a Learn and Serve America grant we are engaging community-based organizations in service learning using the elements of positive youth development.  Through adult-youth partnerships youth are learning about health topics that are important to their community, are raising awareness in their communities about these issues, and becoming empowered as youth leaders.  This year our youth will be sharing their stories about service-learning and promoting service with a broader community through the web.
www.nn4youth.org

National Youth Leadership Council
For 25 years, the National Youth Leadership Council (NYLC) has led the service-learning movement, training adults and youths, supporting public policy initiatives, developing curricula, and convening the field each year in the National Service-Learning Conference. NYLC's online resource center includes hundreds of downloadable articles, resources, and project examples.
www.nylc.org
www.sfprojectignition.com

Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory
The Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL) is a private nonprofit organization based in Portland, Oregon with nearly 40 years' experience improving educational results for children, youth, and adults. NWREL is organized under four Centers of Excellence, which house programs that foster and disseminate effective practices in volunteer leadership, mentoring, language and literacy, math and science, technology in education, family involvement and community partnerships, and others. With funding from federal, state, and local entities, NWREL staff support practitioners in high-needs schools, small nonprofits, community- and faith-based organizations.
www.nwrel.org

Points of Light & Hands on Network Kids Care Club
Kids Care Clubs, a program of Points of Light & Hands On Network, develops compassion and social responsibility in elementary and middle school children and inspires them to take action to change their communities and the world.  The program provides parents, teachers and youth leaders with tools and resources to implement meaningful hands-on service projects.
www.kidscare.org.

PTA
As the largest volunteer child advocacy association in the nation, National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) reminds our country of its obligations to children and provides parents and families with a powerful voice to speak on behalf of every child while providing the best tools for parents to help their children be successful students. National PTA does not act alone. Working in cooperation with many national education, health, safety, and child advocacy groups and federal agencies, National PTA collaborates on projects that benefit children and that bring valuable resources to its members.
www.pta.org

SEANet
The State Education Agency K-12 Service-Learning Network (SEANet) is a national network of professionals committed to advancing school-based service-learning initiatives in all K-12 schools and school districts across the country. SEANet's members work in a state education agency (SEA), or in an organization designated by a SEA, and provide leadership in their respective states for the advancement of school-based service-learning. They develop and expand school-based service-learning to K-12 schools and school districts; they provide direct assistance in the form of technical support and professional development opportunities to local school-community partnerships; and they administer and disseminate K-12 school-based state formula grants from Learn and Serve America - the primary federal funding source for service-learning.
www.seanetonline.org

Search Institute
Search Institute provides leadership, knowledge, and resources to promote healthy children, youth, and communities. Its framework of Developmental Assets is a guiding youth development and community change framework for thousands of programs, initiatives, organizations, and schools, including service-learning programs. Search Institute is the community-based program advisor for the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse. Together with Interfaith Youth Core, Search Institute leads a Learn and Serve America-supported project to build the capacities of churches, mosques, synagogues, and other faith-based organizations to engage in effective service-learning. The Institute offers resources, training, and other services that link asset building and service-learning.
www.inspiredtoserve.org

Teach for America
Teach For America is the national corps of outstanding recent college graduates who commit two years to teach in urban and rural public schools and become lifelong leaders in the effort to eliminate educational inequity. In the short run, our corps members go above and beyond to ensure that more students growing up in our nations lowest-income communities have the educational opportunities they deserve. In the long run, our alumni become leaders in education and every other sector, effecting the fundamental changes needed to ensure that all children have an equal chance in life.
www.teachforamerica.org

USA Freedom Corps
President Bush created USA Freedom Corps (USAFC) to build on the countless acts of service, sacrifice, and generosity that followed September 11th.  When he announced USAFC in his 2002 State of the Union Address, President Bush called on all Americans to serve a cause greater than themselves.  Since then, USAFC has helped Americans answer that call, and the American people are responding. As a White House office, USAFC is charged with building a culture of service, citizenship, and responsibility in America.  USAFC promotes and expands volunteer service in America by partnering with national service programs, working to strengthen the non-profit sector, recognizing volunteers, and helping to connect individuals with volunteer opportunities.
www.volunteer.gov

U.S. Dream Academy
The U.S. Dream Academy is an after-school program that aims to break the cycle of incarceration by giving children the skills and vision necessary to lead productive and fulfilling lives.  It was founded in 1998 by Wintley Phipps, who had witnessed firsthand in his work with prison inmates the destructive influence of incarceration on children, families and communities.  Since its inception, U.S. Dream Academy has served over 1,500 students in neighborhoods where incarceration is a major problem.  Our organization currently operates 11 Learning Centers in low income neighborhoods with high incarceration rates in 10 communities: Southeast Washington, D.C., East Baltimore, South Philadelphia, East Orange, Third Ward in Houston, Watts-Los Angeles, Memphis, Indianapolis, Salt Lake City, and Orlando.  Local collaborations are key to the success of a Dream Academy Learning Center.  We are proud to partner with other committed community groups, churches and public schools to provide more comprehensive programming for our students.  The U.S. Dream Academy's mission is to empower children who are at risk of incarceration to maximize their potential by providing them with academic, social and values enrichment through supportive mentoring and the use of technology.
www.usdreamacademy.org

United Way of America
United Way works to advance the common good in the areas of education, income, and health, investing more than a billion dollars annually to help children and youth achieve their potential. At the same time, United Way sees youth and young adults as essential community volunteers and advocates both today and in the future. United Ways across the country help youth engage in their community through volunteer projects, philanthropy and investment programs, and community education. United Way also works with young adults on college and university campuses through Alternative Spring Break, a United Way student organization, and special projects.
United Way Alternative Spring Break: http://www.unitedway.org/asb/

YMCA of the USA
The YMCA of the USA is the national resource office for the nation's YMCAs. Located in Chicago, with satellite offices across the country, the YMCA of the USA exists to serve YMCAs. It is staffed by about 350 employees. America's 2,663 YMCAs serve more than 20.2 million people each year, uniting men, women and children of all ages, races, faiths, backgrounds, abilities and income levels. At the heart of community life across America, mission-driven YMCAs are a place to belong and to live the values that guide and unite our members: caring, honesty, respect and responsibility. From cities to suburbs to small towns, YMCAs serve America's children, families and communities by "building healthy spirit, mind and body for all." Across the country, 67.7 million households and 33.7 million children 14 and under live within three miles of a YMCA. Fifty-eight percent of YMCAs (1,496) serve communities where the median family income is below the national average.
www.ymca.net

Youth Service America
Youth Service America (YSA) seeks to improve communities by increasing the number and diversity of young people, ages 5-25, serving in important roles.  YSA is an international nonprofit resource center that partners with thousands of organizations in more than 100 countries to expand the impact of the youth service movement with families, communities, schools, corporations and governments.  YSA uses three main strategies to engage diverse youth in service and service-learning: Public Mobilization Campaigns, Incentives and Recognition and Tools, Information and Training.  Youth Service America believes strongly that service should be the common expectation and common experience of all young people.
www.ysa.org

Youth Volunteer Corps of America
The Youth Volunteer Corps of America has four fundamental goals: 1) To engage young people in service projects that are challenging, rewarding and educational; 2) To serve the unmet needs of the community and its residents; 3) To promote among young people a greater understanding and appreciation for the diversity of their community; and 4) To promote a lifetime ethic of service among young people. YVCAs mission is to create and increase volunteer opportunities to enrich America's youth, address community needs and develop a lifetime commitment to service.
www.yvca.org

Statewide

Camp Fire Kansas
Camp Fire USA's motto is Give Service. Our approach to service learning gives youth a sense of competency; they see themselves as active contributors rather than passive recipients of adult support. For youth of all ages, service-learning is flexible. Volunteers are recruited and trained to assist youth through each step of their chosen project. Through our youth-adult partnership model our adult volunteers learn to give an increasing level of decision making and responsibility to the youth in our programs so that over time the adults change from leading the youth in service to acting as advisors to youth led projects.
www.kc-campfire.org

Linking Learning to Life
Linking Learning to Life (LLL) is a nonprofit organization in Vermont whose mission is to improve the educational success and career prospects for K-12 aged youth through school, business and community partnerships. The organization began 10 years ago serving students in the Burlington (Vermont) School District and since has expanded programs and services to all of Chittenden County. Three LLL programs have been replicated statewide. Today LLL engages over 4,000 youth each year statewide. LLL has recently been cited by Vermont's Next Generation Commission as a model for providing career development and dual enrollment options for youth. And it has earned recognition from four national awards programs as an exemplary youth-serving organization. Specific to community service and service learning, LLL programs include Community Outreach Coordinators at each of the Burlington middle schools who engage all students in a broad range of activities with community partners each year. The staff at LLL consists of 14 individuals. Three of these are AmeriCorps VISTA members who fill important professional roles with program development and organizational capacity building. Each year LLL engages over 200 volunteers who serve as individual mentors, assist students with career and college planning, conduct classroom presentations, host student interns, and assist with fundraising.
www.linkinglearningtolife.org

Serve DC
Serve DC strengthens and promotes the District of Columbia's spirit of service through partnerships, national service, and volunteering.  The organization develops partnerships with the DC Public Schools, Department of Parks and Recreation, Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services, and numerous community and faith based organizations to encourage youth voice and advocacy through our Learn and Serve America Program, Citizen Corps, AmeriCorps, and our episodic volunteering days.
www.serve.dc.gov

Volunteer Centers of Michigan
The Volunteer Centers of Michigan ensures all volunteer centers have the capacity to positively impact every Michigan community and their citizens through volunteering. We are a statewide network of 30 Volunteer Centers that serve 60 Michigan counties. Our members mobilize people and resources to deliver creative solutions to community problems. Through the convening of organizations, the promotion of community service, and the matching of volunteers to nonprofit programs and events, Volunteer Centers take a leadership role in addressing key community issues. The Volunteer Centers of Michigan works on behalf of volunteer centers, not as a trade association, but as a support to each Volunteer Center's efforts to promote voluntary civic involvement as a primary response and solution to local community problems. The Volunteer Centers of Michigan's story is one of partnering. All of our efforts are collaborative, because Michigan's statewide public and nonprofit organizations have learned the immense importance of working together. Sharing values, resources, staff and even the risks of projects keeps us focused on our missions. When we work to achieve common goals, we strengthen volunteering in strategic ways. We see our mission as bringing volunteer center services to every county in our state, and we only can do that through statewide cooperation.
www.mivolunteers.org

Local

Crossroads
PreTeen Promise is an intensive mentoring program serving girls, age 11-13. We are a new program – only open for 1 year. During that time we have developed all aspect of the program and recognized that service should be a part of assisting the girls in their character development. As an agency, we utilized a positive youth development – giving our kids as many opportunities to experience new things whenever possible. What better way than to give back instead of receiving assistance? Now our girls have experienced that wonderful feeling we all have when we do something for someone else.
www.crossroadsprograms.org

Desire Street Ministries
Desire Street Ministries (DSM) has provided a number of volunteer opportunities for youth from the community.  Desire Street Academy, DSM's 8-12th grade school, took a week long mission trip to Mexico in the summer of 2007 and is planning to do the same in Africa this summer.  St. Roch Community Church, a new church plant started by DSM, brings students to a local Senior Citizen's home to spend time with elderly persons on a regular basis. Desire Street Ministries has sponsored community work days to help clean up the neighborhood.  Youth have also severed as volunteers in our after-school programs, summer day camp program, out-of-town adventure camp, health fairs, and even in the production a music CD featuring churches from the neighborhood.  
www.desirestreet.org
www.strochcc.org

Elim Christian Fellowship
Elim Christian Fellowship (ECF), located in Buffalo, New York, has more than 1,800 congregation members and engages 400500 youth volunteers each year in a wide array of community projects based on real community needs. ECF believes that relationship building is key to tackling community needs and can smooth the way for other programs and ministries. Buffalos leadership encourages other faith-based and community organizations to conduct a needs assessment and map assets in their communities before embarking on service projects. All ministry leaders meet regularly to plan new service projects based on such assessments. They also take time to evaluate the impact of the projects once the work is done.

Jewish Family Services Detroit
Jewish Family Service (JFS) is dedicated to helping individuals and families cope, survive and thrive in an ever-changing world. JFS's programs and services are designed to meet the needs of each member of the family, from the very young to the elderly. Of the many programs JFS offers, volunteering is a key component. JFS offers a community-based mentor program and school-based mentor program to assist youth with their developmental needs.
www.jfsdetroit.org

Rocketown
Rocketown is a 40,000 square foot non-profit entertainment facility in downtown Nashville consisting of an indoor skatepark, coffeebar, and three stages. They provide a safe, alcohol, and drug-free environment for youth to enjoy concerts, classes, videogames, and skateboarding. While many classes offered are centered around ages 10-18, the concerts are all-ages events. This facility was completed in 2003 thanks to the original vision of singer Michael W. Smith who desired to have a place youth could go to hang out in a safe atmosphere.
www.rocketown.com

United Way of North Central Massachusetts
The United Way of North Central Massachusetts and Ashoka's Youth Venture joined in a collaborative partnership to implement a program called United Way Youth Venture, which empowers young people. We have learned through our program that young people can become "changemakers." The program is in ten school districts including nearly 800 young people. Students quickly realize that when they follow their passion, they can make a powerful impact on the community by building volunteer teams around their ideas to create change. This is a highly scalable and relatively low cost model that has been adopted by other communities around the country. We now partner with Mount Wachusett Community College to manage the program.
www.uwyv.org

Volunteer Services of Manatee County
The ManaTEEN Club was established through the Volunteer Center of Manatee County, Florida in 1994 to engage local youth in service.  Since that time, more than 85,000 youth have actively participated in the initiative which is recognized as one of the nation's largest, locally based youth volunteer programs.  ManaTEENs contribute in excess of 1.6 million hours annually to assist hundreds of organizations and thousands of residents along Florida's sun coast.
www.volunteermanatee.org