Youth Service America

Youth Service America (YSA) is a leading international nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting youth service, youth voice, and youth volunteerism. Founded in 1986, YSA serves young people aged 5 to 25, focusing on national and international initiatives.

Purpose and Activities

YSA functions as a resource center that collaborates with various organizations to increase both the quantity and quality of volunteer opportunities for young individuals. It aims to support and promote youth voice, youth service, and service-learning through advocacy and resource sharing activities. Steve Culbertson has been the President and CEO of YSA since 1996.

Programs

YSA offers several key programs:

• Service Learning Programs: Encourages young people to engage in civic activities and acquire 21st-century skills. These programs integrate into classroom learning in subjects like civics and service-learning.
• Awareness, Service, Advocacy, and Philanthropy (ASAP) Strategies: Used in youth-led projects to address community needs through awareness, direct service, advocacy, and philanthropy.
• Grants and Funding: Provides microfinance grants to support high-quality service-learning projects initiated by young people globally.
• Campaigns: Includes events like Global Youth Service Day, MLK Day of Service, and September 11th National Day of Service & Remembrance. YSA also supports the ServiceVote campaign, which encourages young people to link their volunteering with voting and advocacy.
• Government Relations: Works to ensure ongoing federal and state investment in national service programs such as AmeriCorps.

Campaigns & Events

YSA organizes several national days of service to encourage youth participation. It also promotes the ServiceVote campaign, which connects volunteering with voting and policy advocacy. The organization supports the development of youth skills through programs like the Semester and Summer of Service.

Goals and Mission

YSA strives to increase youth participation in civic activities, aiming for 50% participation by America's 250th anniversary in 2026. It believes that when youth, communities, and democracy work together for the common good, everyone thrives. YSA's mission involves making collective work for the common good a common expectation and experience for all young people.

Impact

Over the past decade, YSA's campaigns have engaged more than 3.2 million young people in service activities. The organization has awarded over $5.8 million in grants to support state and local partner organizations and youth-led projects.