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Youth Service America

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Areas of expertise & Fields of activity:	Economic and Social: Children Education Volunteerism Youth Social Development: Youth Sustainable Development: Capacity-building Climate change Education Partnerships Poverty
Geographic scope:	International
Millennium Development Goals:	Develop global partnership for development
Mission statement:	Youth Service America (YSA) improves communities by increasing the number and the diversity of young people, ages 5-25, serving in substantive roles. Founded in 1986, YSA supports a global culture of engaged youth committed to a lifetime of service, learning, leadership, and achievement. The impact of YSA’s work through service and service-learning is measured in student achievement, workplace readiness, and healthy communities. Our goals are to: 1. Educate youth, teachers, community organizations, media, and public officials in the power of youth as problem solvers. 2. Engage children and youth as volunteers, as academic achievers, and as community leaders. We do this through: 1. Public Mobilization Campaigns such as Global Youth Service Day, Semester of Service, and engaging public officials; 2. Funding through grants and awards geared toward youth, educators, service-learning coordinators, and program partners. 3. Resources and Training includes the GYSD Planning Tool Kit translated into multiple languages, the Semester of Service Service-Learning Curriculum and issue-specific Guides, the National Service Briefing, the Youth Service Institute, webinars, and individual support. Our world faces profound challenges that require the engagement of all people, including those 5 to 25 years old, if we are to effectively overcome them. Now more than ever, young people crave the opportunity to participate in the civic and political life of their communities. If performed within structured programs and organizations, youth service is a proven intervention strategy that helps young people navigate childhood and transition to adulthood: building connections to their communities, making academics interesting and relevant, providing resiliency when circumstances inevitably change, promoting positive social behaviors, preparing youth for the workplace, and providing them with lifelong habits of leadership, problem-solving, empathy, and self-reliance. Our 27 years of work to scale up the engagement of children and youth continues, with young people today volunteering at record rates, more than any generation in history. As we expand the concept of positive youth development, community organizations and schools must see youth as assets and partners, providing them access to opportunities that will give them the skills to succeed in school, and address community and global issues with confidence. Youth Service America Believes... 1. Service should be the common expectation and common experience of all young people. 2. Children and youth are community assets and resources possessing unique perspectives, idealism, energy, creativity, and commitment. 3. The earlier youth are asked to serve, the better prepared they are to embrace the virtue of lifelong service and philanthropy. 4. Youth-led service projects are most effective because decision-making gives young people ownership for the solutions. 5. Youth can be authentic leaders during childhood and adolescence. 6. The civic responsibilities of volunteering and voting, and the critical links between them, must be taught to all children. 7. Young people have a right to participate in the formulation of public policy, particularly where it directly affects their lives and their future. 8. Public officials and the media play crucial roles in the campaign to increase the effectiveness and sustainability of youth service. 9. Meaningful youth service activities create strong, diverse communities of inspired, intelligent, civically-engaged young people. 10. Youth from all backgrounds must have the opportunity to serve and lead in their communities. 11. Quality service-learning practices should be widely adopted and implemented to advance student achievement and civic engagement.
Year established:	1986
Year of registration:	1986
Organizational structure:	YSA is headquartered in Washington, DC and is run by a staff of 13 employees. YSA functions under the leadership of our President and CEO and a senior staff that includes the Senior Vice President, the Vice President of Engagement, and the Vice President of Operations. The Sr. Vice President oversees the organization's programs' strategic direction and goals achievement. The Vice President of Engagement oversees the Communications, Outreach, Education, Grants and Communications Departments. The Vice President of Operations oversees human resources, finances, operations, and technology infrastructure. The organization as a whole is overseen by a Board of Directors responsible for the organization's governance, fiduciary and financial sustainability. YSA also has a Youth Council that includes outstanding youth leaders from around the United States that provide feedback on YSA programs and resources, serve as a representatives of YSA, and assist with YSA's policy agenda.
Number and type of members:	YSA does not have a membership structure. The Global Youth Service Network, coordinated by YSA (Youth Service America), is an expansion of our work with our partners to take the global youth service movement to a bold new level of visibility and impact. The Global Youth Service Network, convened by YSA (Youth Service America), is a coalition of local, state, national, and global organizations in 135 countries committed to engaging children and youth to solve problems and lead communities through volunteering, community service, service-learning, national service, and civic engagement. The Network represents a continued and growing commitment to engage even more partners in our collective work of engaging young people in changing their communities through service and to continue to find new ways to partner with other organizations that engage youth in service and service-learning. We currently work the following partners: 1. National Partners are national organizations, often with state or local chapters or affiliates, who promote YSA programs, mobilize their members or chapters to participate or support the work of YSA through collaborative programming with YSA. We currently work with 170 U.S. National Partners, including City Year, Earth Day Network, Girl Scouts of America, and the Special Olympics. 2. Global Partners are international organizations, often with offices or affiliates around the world. Global Partners promote YSA and disseminate information through their networks, encourage participation in Global Youth Service Day (YSA’s largest program) by their members or affiliates, and contribute their experience and connections to increase the scale and impact of Global Youth Service Day. We currently work with multiple Global Partners, including American Councils for International Education, United Nations Foundation, United Nations Millennium Campaign, United Nations Volunteers, United Nations Programme on Youth, iEARN, Inter-American Development Bank, Organization of American States' Young Business Trust, International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE), International Youth Foundation, and People to People International.(www.gysd.org/national_global_partners). 3. Country Partners promote Global Youth Service Day or year-round youth service in their respective countries, mobilize partners and local project organizers, lead high profile events, engage local media and government officials, and coordinate project registration and reporting. We currently work with over 50 Country Partners including National Federation of Youth Organisations in Bangladesh, United Way Brasil, CCREAD-Cameroon, Joven360 in Costa Rica, PIDT in India, the Irish Youth Foundation, Russian Association of Girl Scouts, National Youth Development Agency (South Africa), Cooperation for Peace and Development in Afghanistan, and many others (www.gysd.org/countrypartners) 4. Local and Statewide Partners (United States) are state or local organizations that coordinate Global Youth Service Day projects that engage at least 600 youth volunteers, and engage local media and elected officials. 5. YSA Grantees are schools or community-based organizations that have received a grant from YSA for youth-led volunteer community projects. YSA distributes approximately $1 million per year in grants to support youth engagement to improve communities worldwide.
Affiliation with NGO networks:	Member of Global Campaign for Education-US; The Franklin Project;International Association for Volunteer Efforts
Funding structure:	Fundraising campaigns Fees for education and training services Grants from Governments Donations and grants from domestic sources

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