Global Youth Service Day Service Project Ideas Sheet
By Christina Wessell
Help for the Hungry/Homeless* •    Help cook, serve a meal or distribute food at a homeless shelter or food bank •    Spend time with/tutor homeless children •    Gather clothing from your neighbors and donate it to a local shelter •    Make “I Care” kits with combs, toothbrushes, shampoo, etc. for homeless people in your town or in another country •    If your community doesn’t have a food bank, work with local officials to start one •    Organize a letter-writing campaign to your Members of Congress to voice support for bills that give aid to the hungry and homeless •    Develop a plan for reducing hunger/homelessness in your community. Share it with others, and implement it •    Organize a neighborhood group to plant, tend, and harvest a vegetable garden. Donate the produce to a food bank. •    Participate in the Great American Bake Sale to raise money to fight childhood hunger. Visit www.greatamericanbakesale.org for more information. Senior Citizens* •    Rake leaves, shovel snow, clean gutters, or wash windows for senior citizens •    Write letters for or read to an elderly person •    Deliver meals to homebound individuals •    Offer to pick up groceries with/for a senior citizen •    Teach a senior friend how to use a computer or the internet •    Get a group together to sign, present a play, deliver small gifts, hold a dance, or play games with residents of nursing home •    Interview a senior citizen and write about his or her life. Get your story published in your school or community newsletter, local paper, etc. Health •    Create a fitness program to encourage physical exercise •    Create a slideshow about malaria and give presentations about raising funds for bed nets •    Create a chapter of students for organ donation at  your school Neighborhood Enhancement •    Create brochures and booklets about local history; house the finished products in local museums or libraries •    Clean up a vacant lot •    Organize a campaign to raise money to purchase and install new playground equipment in an area park •    Campaign for additional street lamps in poorly lighted areas •    Paint a mural or clean up a local park For Those with Special Needs •    Volunteer to help at a Special Olympics event •    Volunteer at an agency that works with emotionally disturbed children •    Read books or the newspaper on tape for visually impaired people •    Bring toys to children in the cancer ward of a hospital Politics and Government •    Contact your local League of Women Voters, voter registration office or, visit Freedom’s Answer on-line (www.freedomsanswer.org) to find out how you can help people register to vote •    Identify a local issue you are concerned about and contact someone in local government with your ideas on what to do about it •    Organize a public issues forum for your neighborhood •    Volunteer at a polling booth the day of an election •    Offer to pass out election materials •    Invite government officials to participate in your projects •    Write letters to your U.S. Members of Congress telling them about how you’ve addressed community needs The Environment* •    Plant a garden or tree where the whole neighborhood can enjoy it •    Set up a recycling system for your home and participate in your neighborhood curbside recycling pick-up •    Organize a carpooling campaign in your neighborhood to reduce air pollution •    Create a habitat for wildlife •    Create a campaign to encourage biking and walking •    Test the health of the water in your local lakes, rivers, or streams •    Calculate how much carbon you use.  Develop a plan to reduce the amount. Working with Younger Children* •    Tutor a student that needs help learning English or some other subject •    Read to younger children or encourage them to read to you. •    Teach younger children about a subject you care about —drug/ alcohol awareness, leadership skills, conflict resolution, nutrition, etc. •    Invite younger children to volunteer with you! Disaster Relief & Preparedness •    Host a safety fair •    Raise money or advocate for funding for groups that focus on disaster relief •    Assemble and donate emergency preparedness kits. *Access issue-based service-learning modules on this issue at: www.YSA.org/gysd for further ideas and resources. # # #
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