(NAME-MCE) Youth Service America Issues Call to Service on MLK Day - Make it a Semester of Service

[Christina Wessell Batcheler]

Please spread to your networks. Tools and resources are available at:
www.YSA.org/semester. 
 
YOUTH SERVICE AMERICA ISSUES CALL TO SERVICE ON MLK DAY - 
MAKE IT A SEMESTER OF SERVICE!
The Corporation for National and Community Service and YSA Partner on
New Semester of Service Initiative
 
 
WASHINGTON - (January 17, 2008) - Make it a Semester of Service! Youth
Service America and the Corporation for National and Community Service
are encouraging students, ages 5-25, to develop a 14-week
service-learning project that launches on the Martin Luther King Day of
Service, January 21, 2008, and culminates on the weekend of Global Youth
Service Day, April 25-27, 2008. 
 
"Recent research has shown that projects must be of sufficient duration,
typically at least a semester of 70 hours long to have an impact on
students," says Dr. Shelley Billig, Unpacking What Works in Service
Learning. "Fewer hours simply do not give the students enough time to
grapple with difficult issues or to have a deep enough experience to
make the learning endure," Billig adds. 
 
"Martin Luther King was interested in big results not the short-term,"
says Senator Harris Wofford, colleague and lawyer for Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr. "So, the idea of King Day being the signal for a long-term
commitment by millions of students, during or after-school, over a
semester would have warmed his heart.  Martin always asked us to do more
than we were doing because the Road ahead was still so long...the
Mountain to climb was still so tall.  The Semester of Service is just
that opportunity to do more," Wofford adds.
 
The Semester of Service is a new, public-private strategy to help young
people find their voice, take action, and have impact on the most
critical problems facing the world, such as climate change, hunger,
homelessness, malaria, water scarcity, disaster preparation, aging,
violence, and literacy. The Semester of Service will link each event'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. 
 
Projects will take place in classrooms as part of the academic
curriculum; in schools as part of the extra-curricular activities of
student councils, honor societies, student clubs, and sports teams; in
congregations of faith; and in youth development groups in neighborhoods
across the United States.  Resources for teachers, youth development
leaders, and students are available at: www.YSA.org/semester. The
Semester of Service Strategy Guide and other content include information
about Civic Engagement & Outcomes; Connecting to Academic Standards;
Rethinking the Teacher's Role; Curriculum Outline; and a 2008 Season of
Service Calendar January to June.
 
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. sought to forge the common ground on which
people from all walks of life could join together to address important
community issues. On January 21st, 2008, millions of Americans across
the country will once again honor his legacy by taking part in a wide
range of service projects <http://www.mlkday.gov/about/how/index.asp>
-conducting food drives, painting schools and community centers,
recruiting mentors for needy youth, and bringing meals to homebound
neighbors, to name but a few. For more information: www.MLKday.gov
<http://www.mlkday.gov/> . 
 
Global Youth Service Day is the largest service event in the world.
Global Youth Service Day is a year-round effort to expand the impact of
the youth service movement. The initiative launches new service
organizations, policy changes, and sustainable service programs to
create a culture of engaged youth. State Farm Companies Foundation is
the presenting sponsor. More than 120 national partners and 75 lead
agencies throughout the United States organize campaigns. Overseas,
national lead agencies in more than 100 countries participate. 
The Corporation for National and Community Service improves lives,
strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service
and volunteering. Providing service opportunities for millions of
Americans of all ages and backgrounds, Corporation programs include
Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America. For more
information, visit nationalservice.gov <http://www.nationalservice.gov/>
.
Youth Service America is a national nonprofit resource center that
partners with thousands of organizations in more than 100 countries and
is committed to increasing the quality and quantity of volunteer
opportunities for young people ages 5-25, to serve locally, nationally,
and globally. Founded in 1986, Youth Service America's mission is to
expand the impact of the youth service movement with communities,
schools, corporations, and governments. For more information:
www.YSA.org <http://www.ysa.org/> .
 
# # #
 
-- Christina Wessell Batcheler
Christina Wessell Batcheler  -  Director of Communications 
Youth Service America (YSA) 
Phone: 202-296-2992  x  128  |  Fax: 202-296-4030  |  Cell: 240-483-6288
| cwessell at ysa.org <mailto:cwessell at ysa.org>  | 1101 15th Street, NW,
Suite 200  |  Washington, DC  |  20005 
http://www.YSA.org <http://www.YSA.org>   |  http://
<http://www.servenet.org/> www.servenet.org <http://www.servenet.org>  |
*For the Media Room: www.YSA.org\news <http://www.YSA.org/news> .  
Join Us: 
20th annual Global Youth Service Day in the United States events take
place April 25-27, 2008 - www.YSA.org/NYSD <http://www.ysa.org/NYSD> 
 
Internationally, Global Youth Service Day events take place in more than
100 countries April 25-27, 2008 - www.GYSD.org <http://www.gysd.org/>