III 110th CONGRESS 1st Session S. RES. 158 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES April 18, 2007 Ms. Murkowski (for herself, Mr. Akaka, Mr. Alexander, Mr. Baucus, Mr. Bayh, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Brown, Mr. Burr, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Casey, Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Cochran, Mr. Coleman, Ms. Collins, Mr. Corker, Mr. Craig, Mr. Dodd, Mrs. Dole, Mr. Domenici, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Feingold, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Gregg, Mr. Hagel, Mr. Kennedy, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Levin, Mr. Lieberman, Mrs. Lincoln, Mr. Lott, Mr. Martinez, Mr. Menendez, Ms. Mikulski, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Nelson of Nebraska, Mr. Nelson of Florida, Mr. Obama, Mr. Salazar, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Specter, Ms. Stabenow, and Mr. Stevens) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Designating April 20, 2007, as “National and Global Youth Service Day”.

Whereas National and Global Youth Service Day is an annual public awareness and education campaign that highlights the valuable contributions that young people make to their communities; Whereas the goals of National and Global Youth Service Day are to— (1)mobilize the youth of the United States to identify and address the needs of their communities through service and service-learning; (2)support young people in embarking on a lifelong path of service and civic engagement; and (3)educate the public, the media, and policymakers about contributions made by young people as community leaders throughout the year; Whereas National and Global Youth Service Day, a program of Youth Service America, is the largest service event in the world and is being observed for the 19th consecutive year in 2007; Whereas young people in the United States and in many other countries are volunteering more than in any other generation in history; Whereas children and youth not only represent the future of the world, but also are leaders and assets today; Whereas children and youth should be valued for the idealism, energy, creativity, and unique perspectives that they use when addressing real-world issues such as poverty, hunger, illiteracy, education, gang activity, natural disasters, climate change, and myriad other issues; Whereas a fundamental and conclusive correlation exists between youth service and lifelong adult volunteering and philanthropy; Whereas, through community service, young people of all ages and backgrounds build character and learn valuable skills sought by employers, including time management, decisionmaking, teamwork, needs-assessment, and leadership; Whereas service-learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with academic curriculum; Whereas service-learning supports young people in mastering important curriculum content by helping them make meaningful connections between what they are studying and the challenges that they see in their own communities; Whereas high quality service-learning has been found to increase student academic engagement, academic achievement scores, civic engagement, character development, and career aspirations; Whereas a report by Civic Enterprises found that 47 percent of high school dropouts reported boredom as a primary reason for dropping out; Whereas service-learning has been found to increase students’ cognitive engagement, motivation to learn, and school attendance; Whereas several private foundations and corporations in the United States support service-learning as a means to develop the leadership and workforce skills necessary for the competitiveness of the United States in the 21st century; Whereas a report by America’s Promise found that 94 percent of young people want to be involved in making the world a better place, but 50 percent say there should be more volunteer programs for people their age; Whereas the same report found that one-third of young people say they lack adult role models who volunteer and help others; Whereas a sustained investment by the Federal Government, business partners, schools, and communities could fuel the positive, long-term cultural change that will make service and service-learning a common expectation and a common experience for all young people; Whereas National and Global Youth Service Day engages millions of young people worldwide with the support of 51 lead agencies, 40 international organizations, and 110 national partners; Whereas National Youth Service Day inspired Global Youth Service Day, which occurs concurrently in more than 100 countries and is now in its 8th year; Whereas a growing number of Global Youth Service Day projects involve youth working collaboratively across national and geographic boundaries, increasing intercultural understanding and promoting the sense that they are global citizens; and Whereas both young people and their communities will benefit greatly from expanded opportunities to engage youth in meaningful volunteer service and service-learning: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate— (1)recognizes and commends the significant contributions of the youth of the United States and encourages the cultivation of a common civic bond between young people dedicated to serving their neighbors, their communities, and the Nation; (2)designates April 20, 2007, as National and Global Youth Service Day; and (3)calls on the people of the United States to— (A)observe the day by encouraging youth to participate in civic and community service projects and by joining them in such projects; (B)recognize the volunteer efforts of the young people of the United States throughout the year; and (C)support the volunteer efforts of young people and engage them in meaningful learning and decisionmaking opportunities today as an investment in the future of the United States.