Youth Service America

About Us

YOUTH SERVICE AMERICA (YSA) seeks to improve communities by increasing the number and diversity of young people, ages 5-25, serving in important roles. Founded in 1986, YSA is an international nonprofit resource center that partners with thousands of organizations in more than 100 countries to expand the impact of the youth service movement with families, communities, schools, corporations, and governments.

Our 21 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.

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.