Youth service refers to non-military, intensive engagement of young people in organized activity that contributes to the local, national, or world community. Youth service is widely recognized and valued by society, with minimal or no compensation to the server. Youth service also provides opportunities for youth development, youth voice

Youth voice

Youth voice refers to the distinct ideas, opinions, attitudes, knowledge, and actions of young people as a collective body. The term youth voice often groups together a diversity of perspectives and experiences, regardless of backgrounds, identities, and cultural differences...

 and reflection

Introspection

Introspection is the self-observation and reporting of conscious inner thoughts, desires and sensations. It is a conscious and purposive process relying on thinking, reasoning, and examining one's own thoughts, feelings, and, in more spiritual cases, one's soul...

. This may take the form of a youth program

Youth program

Youth programs are particular activities designed to involve people between the ages of 10 and 25. Activities included are generally oriented towards youth development through recreation, social life, prevention, intervention, or education...

 where young people are recruited, offered leadership opportunities, participate in activities that improve the community, and are trained and mentored.

Definitions

The general definition of community service

Community service

Community service is donated service or activity that is performed by someone or a group of people for the benefit of the public or its institutions....

 does not vary; however, the understanding of what youth

Youth

Youth is the time of life between childhood and adulthood . Definitions of the specific age range that constitutes youth vary. An individual's actual maturity may not correspond to their chronological age, as immature individuals could exist at all ages.-Usage:Around the world, the terms "youth",...

 is varies by country. The most common age group defined as ‘youth’ is 15-30 years of age. The United Nations defines youth as 15-24 years of age. The variation of whether or not youth service is "long range" depends on the setting. Some communities regard long-range youth service as being from six months to two years of service; however, this time range can vary with each country’s national youth service policy.

Configurations

There are various types of youth service programs worldwide. Servicio Social in Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

 is a required community service program for all Mexican university students. Students must serve 480 hours of voluntary activity over the course of a four-year undergraduate education. The goal is to build solidarity among youths and increase collaboration in community development. The National Youth Commission in South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

 is a national youth service program and government-sponsored national youth service program that enlists youth in combating the spread of HIV/AIDS and in reducing youth unemployment. Servicio País in Chile

Chile

Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

 is a competitive selection civil service

Civil service

The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....

 program for university graduates with the goal of decreasing rural poverty. Select professions are recruited to the program such as lawyers, engineers, and medical professionals. If chosen, graduates serve 13 months in a rural area. They practice their professions and also build relationships with local people. Other programs include Servicio País, YouthBuild USA and City Year

City Year

City Year is an education-focused nonprofit organization that partners with public schools to provide full-time targeted intervention keeping students in school and on track to graduate...

.

See also

• Service learning
• Volunteerism
• National service
  National service
  National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
  
  
• AmeriCorps
  AmeriCorps
  AmeriCorps is a U.S. federal government program that was created under President Bill Clinton by the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993 and later expanded by 50 percent under President George W. Bush...
  
  
• Global Youth Action Network
  Global Youth Action Network
  The Global Youth Action Network is an international network of youth NGOs spanning 180 countries, and headquartered in New York, near the United Nations. GYAN is a youth-led not for profit organization that incubates global partnerships and increases youth participation in decision-making...
  
  
• Youth Service America
  Youth Service America
  Youth Service America, or YSA, is a resource center that partners with thousands of organizations committed to increasing the quality and quantity of volunteer opportunities for young people, ages 5-25, to serve locally, nationally, and globally." YSA has a reputation for supporting and promoting...
  
  
• One World Youth Project
  One World Youth Project
  One World Youth Project is a non-profit 501 corporation founded in Massachusetts and currently based in Washington DC. The goal of One World Youth Project is to enhance education towards a more discerning, empathetic and empowered generation of global citizens...
  
  
• buildon
  Buildon
  buildOn is an international nonprofit organization that runs youth service afterschool programs in United States high schools, and builds schools in developing countries...
  
  

External links

• Global Service Institute
• Innovations in Civic Participation
• Center for Social Development
• International Association for National Youth Service
• Youth Service America
• National Youth Leadership Council
• The Freechild Project
• America's Promise - The Alliance for Youth