Insights On Motivating Young People To Volunteer

Contributed by Service-Learning Northwest, this research study's findings conclude that young people are interested in active citizenship but don't always go out of their way to volunteer. The report identifies four themes:

• Role of technology in redefining "community"
• The gap between wanting to volunteer and actually doing so
• The support young people need for volunteering
• Strategies for moving young people from "wanting" to "doing" volunteer work

Insights from research

This resource contains short descriptions of two longer articles on the question, "Does service increase civic skills." Use this resource to learn more about civic engagement and as encouragement to incorporate civic engagement in your member training program.

This document was contributed by Service-Learning Northwest, a program of ESD-112 in Vancouver, WA.

A three-part activity to get members thinking about the underlying principles of the nation

In this activity, developed by Larry Fletch of Service-Learning Northwest, members break down a passage of the Declaration of Independence in an activity to determine what the words mean to them.

Principles of active citizenship as related to AmeriCorps members

Developed by Larry Fletch of Service-Learning Northwest, this four-page document asks the questions, "What is civic engagement and citizenship and why is it important for AmeriCorps members to increase civic engagement competencies? Aren't members civically engaged by virtue of their commitment to service?"

Planning and implementing a Community Action Project

This resource builds on the CAP, Section 1 document and guides members as they analyze policy, plan ways to implement their project, and evaluate the process.

Use this resource for brainstorming a similar project with your program.

This resource was created by the Northwest Service Academy — Lower Columbia Center (NWSA). NWSA addresses critical environmental and educational needs, partnering with 125 community agencies with members serving in individual placements or on field teams.

Implementing the first steps of a Community Action Project

Section 1 introduces the Community Action Project (CAP), in which members select individual projects in the community and implement them. It is the first of the three CAP documents and includes information for members on how to select a project.

Use this resource for brainstorming a similar project with your program.

This resource was created by the Northwest Service Academy — Lower Columbia Center (NWSA). NWSA addresses critical environmental and educational needs, partnering with 125 community agencies with members serving in individual placements or on field teams.

Looking at the effectiveness of the Roadmap tool

Use this resource to learn about how The Roadmap to Civic Engagement was used by practitioners in the field, as well as their level of success.

This executive summary was contributed by Service-Learning Northwest, a program of ESD-112 in Vancouver, WA.

A resource for involving young people

Use this resource to design activities to instill an ethic of service in your younger members, or provide it to your members as a resource for working with youths.

This 200-page resource was contributed by Service-Learning Northwest, a program of ESD-112 in Vancouver, WA.