Questions And Answers About Global Youth Service Day 2008
By Christina Wessell
WHAT ARE THE GOALS OF GLOBAL YOUTH SERVICE DAY? Global Youth Service Day has three primary goals: •    MOBIIZE youth as leaders to identify and address the needs of their communities through service and learning; •    SUPPORT youth on a lifelong path of service and civic engagement; •    EDUCATE the public, the media, and policymakers about the year-round contributions of young people as community leaders. WHO PARTICIPATES IN GLOBAL YOUTH SERVICE DAY? Over the past 20 years Global Youth Service has brought together more than 31 million youth in thousands of communities nationwide. In 2000, the program expanded to include youth projects in 27 countries for the f irst annual Global Youth Service Day and held in more than 100 countries today. WHAT HAPPENS ON GLOBAL YOUTH SERVICE DAY? Youth, businesses, families, schools, individuals, and local organizations plan activities that will serve and improve their communities. Millions of young people are introduced to volunteering on GYSD, and are inspired to begin a lifetime of service. Other youth are recognized for their year-round contributions. Finally, new initiatives are launched on GYSD that continue to improve communities long after GYSD is over. WHAT IS THE TOOL KIT? This Tool Kit is a comprehensive guide to creating effective projects for Global Youth Service Day or any other service event. Use it as a complete package, or refer to specific chapters that apply to your needs.  The tool kit and other resources can be found at: http://www.ysa.org/gysd. WHAT OTHER RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE? The following materials can be found at: http://www.ysa.org/gysd. • Service-Learning Curriculum Guide: Use this 8-lesson curriculum guide to develop youth’s project management skills while planning projects for Global Youth Service Day. The Guide is appropriate for youth, educators and community leaders. Available in English and Spanish. • Classroom Poster: Use these colorful posters to recruit volunteers, plan projects, and decorate project sites. The back contains project planning activity sheets for teachers and students that you can photocopy and disseminate. Available in English and Spanish (for download only). • Project Grants: Planning grants are available to help youth and organizations plan and carry out GYSD projects and on-going service throughout the year at: www.YSA.org/awards. • In 2008, Youth Service America and the Corporation for National and Community Service are encouraging students, ages 5-25, to link these two events by developing a semester long service-learning project that launches on Martin Luther King Day in January and culminates on Global Youth Service Day in April. The Semester of Service will link each program’s existing partnerships, create a quantum leap in the number of children and youth engaged in service, and advance bold quantitative goals that the Corporation and YSA have both set to expand the American youth service movement. For materials and toolkits, www.YSA.org/semester. • Tip Sheets: Tip Sheets provide quick and concise information and resources for frequently asked questions and common challenges at: www.ysa.org/nysd/resource. • Global Youth Service Day T-Shirts, Hats and Buttons: A perfect way to recognize and thank volunteers. • Issue-Specific Service-Learning Guides: These online guides on hunger and homelessness, the environment, and working with younger children link you to service-learning curricula, recommended reading, statistics, on-going initiatives, and more. • Online Advocacy Tools: Use these tools to identify and send messages to elected and appointed officials at the local, state, and federal level. # # #
Tag | Email | Rate It! | Print

Comments Currently, there are no comments. Be the first to post one! Post Comment Return