Good afternoon and thank you for joining us. I’m Desiree Sayle, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director, USA Freedom Corps. As you all know, in 2002 the President asked all Americans to engage in more volunteer service, and he created USA Freedom Corps to help Americans answer that call.

We are so pleased that you are joining us to hear about the first federal survey of youth volunteering in more than a decade.

I just came from a wonderful Helping America’s Youth event with Mrs. Bush where we observed young people from a service-learning program at Cardozo High School prepare meals for the homeless. The students we met with today exhibit how volunteer service by young people is taking shape in America.

Service is a habit, and like most habits, it is more effectively developed at an early age. Today we get to shine the spotlight on our nation’s young people who all too often, are seen as the recipients of service. Instead, they should be seen -- as leaders and assets, not as problems or victims.

We know that service – especially when tied to the curriculum through service-learning can help improve academic performance, increase civic responsibility, and help solve community problems. This new study by the Corporation for National and Community Service shows that youth contribute 1.3 billion hours of community service each year.

Importantly, the study shows that the social institutions of family, school, and religion are key factors in determining whether – and to what degree – youth become volunteers.

As Mrs. Bush pointed out earlier today, youth service helps the community and it also helps young people themselves. Research shows that when young people are introduced to service opportunities, they are less likely to engage in risky behavior and they are more likely to feel connected to their communities. Youth service is a perfect complement to Mrs. Bush's Helping America’s Youth initiative.

We at USA Freedom Corps are working hard every day to increase the volunteer level of young people – and all Americans.

Our website usafreedomcorps.gov has many resources to connect Americans to volunteer opportunities, including the largest and most comprehensive volunteer search engine in the world that allows Americans to search by their zip code for millions of volunteer opportunities.

We also link to Mrs. Bush's Helping America's Youth webpage where Americans and educators can find the guide she unveiled at her conference in October.

I’d like to hand the phone over to my friend and colleague David Eisner, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service to discuss the Youth Helping America Study in greater detail.

(Click here to read Eisner's remarks)