Our young people need to know they matter and are craving meaning, belonging, purpose, and hope. They want more connections with their peers, caring adults, and community institutions.

Our communities need strong nonprofits and willing volunteers more than ever. Demand for services in health, education, human services, human rights, and the environment is up and funding is down.

Our democracy needs a renewal of a civic spirit where working together for the common good becomes the common opportunity, common expectation, and common experience of every citizen.

As we enter America’s Semiquincentennial year, youth service is a solution to all these needs. Youth participation in volunteering and service, voting and civic engagement, joining and philanthropy, and youth voice and leadership opportunities helps ensure that our young people, our communities, and our democracy thrive.

In 2025, over 140,000 young people ages 5-25 participated in these kinds of opportunities through Youth Service America’s programs, including:

41,055 youth served on MLK Day of Service, including 81 students from Perry, OH Local Schools who participated in their “Student Philanthropy Project”. They researched over 70 local nonprofits and selected three to receive proceeds from their fundraising activities. Their teacher said, “This hands-on experience empowered the students to make informed decisions, advocate for causes they care about, and directly support meaningful change within their community.”
71,576 youth served on Global Youth Service Day, including 60 youth from Long Lake, MN who volunteered for Doing Good Together’s “Birthday Bag Kits for Kids” project. The organizer reported, “This project helped people feel connected as families engaged in service and learning together. I saw a parent explaining to their child why birthday bags might be needed for a family, and the child went from being disengaged to wanting to help other kids.
21,356 youth served on 9/11 Day of Service, including 226 kids from military families at 10 Boys & Girls Clubs Military Youth Centers. These projects honored first responders, military personnel, educators, and community members while teaching youth the values of civic responsibility, gratitude, and leadership.

As YSA looks forward to America 250 as a once-in-a-lifetime civic moment, we know that only 1 in 4 young people regularly participate in their communities. That means 64 million young Americans are left out of participating in our democracy. This is especially true for young people from low-income families and neighborhoods, young people of color, and young people who are often served, but not usually asked to serve. Imagine the benefits if we could double, triple, or even quadruple the number of youth engaged in service in the next decade.

Help sustain YSA’s work in 2026 and beyond, including founding “A New Era of Youth Service in America” as part of our celebration of America 250 by building on America’s history of service and civic participation to inspire, ask, and support the next generation of Americans to get involved in their communities.

Help kids discover that they belong, they have purpose, and they matter.

Help YSA make service to others a common expectation and common experience of every young person in America.

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