information for practice

In an effort to better understand the attitudes and behaviors of young people in America around volunteering, service-learning, and other forms of community involvement, the Corporation for National and Community Service, in collaboration with the U.S. Census Bureau and Independent Sector, conducted a national survey, the 2005 Youth Volunteering and Civic Engagement Survey (the Youth Volunteering Survey). Between January and March of 2005, 3,178 Americans between the ages of 12 and 18 were asked about their volunteering habits and experiences with school-based service-learning projects, as well as their attitudes and behaviors related to other forms of civic engagement. In the first two reports in the Youth Helping America Series, “Building Active Citizens: The Role of Social Institutions in Teen Volunteering” and “Educating for Active Citizenship: Service- earning, School-Based Service, and Civic Engagement,” we explored the role of social institutions in engaging youth in volunteering and service-learning.1 We were also able to show that there was a connection between school-based service and a youth’s sense of community and ability to make a difference.