[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 528 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 528

      Designating April 25, 2008, as ``Global Youth Service Day''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 22, 2008

Ms. Murkowski (for herself, Mr. Akaka, Mr. Bayh, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Brown, 
   Mr. Burr, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Casey, Mrs. Clinton, Mr. 
Cochran, Mr. Coleman, Ms. Collins, Mr. Craig, Mr. Dodd, Mrs. Dole, Mr. 
   Durbin, Mr. Feingold, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Gregg, Mr. Inouye, Mr. 
  Isakson, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Kerry, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. 
  Levin, Mr. Lieberman, Mrs. Lincoln, Mr. Martinez, Mr. Menendez, Ms. 
 Mikulski, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Nelson of Nebraska, Mr. Nelson of Florida, 
  Mr. Obama, Mr. Specter, Mr. Stevens, and Mr. Tester) submitted the 
        following resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
      Designating April 25, 2008, as ``Global Youth Service Day''.

Whereas 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 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 Global Youth Service Day, a program of Youth Service America, is the 
        largest service event in the world and in 2008 is being observed for the 
        20th consecutive year in the United States and for the 9th year globally 
        in more than 100 countries;
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 
        critical global issues such as poverty, hunger, illiteracy, education, 
        gang activity, natural disasters, climate change, and myriad others;
Whereas a fundamental and conclusive correlation exists between youth service, 
        lifelong adult volunteering, and philanthropy;
Whereas service-learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates 
        meaningful community service with mastery of academic curricula by 
        helping young people make important connections between what they are 
        studying and the challenges that they see in their communities;
Whereas several private foundations and corporations in the United States 
        support service-learning as a means for young people to build character 
        and develop the leadership and career-preparedness skills that are 
        necessary for the United States to be competitive in the 21st century, 
        including time management, decision-making, teamwork, and problem 
        solving;
Whereas a report by Civic Enterprises found that 47 percent of high school 
        dropouts reported boredom as a primary reason for dropping out;
Whereas high quality, semester-long service-learning has been found to increase 
        students' academic engagement and achievement, motivation to learn, 
        school attendance, civic participation, character development, and 
        career aspirations;
Whereas Global Youth Service Day engages millions of young people worldwide with 
        the support of 75 lead agencies, 45 international organizations, and 120 
        national partners;
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 for youth to engage in volunteer service and 
        service-learning: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes and commends the significant contributions 
        of the youth of the United States and encourages the 
        cultivation of a civic bond among young people dedicated to 
        serving their neighbors, their communities, and the Nation;
            (2) designates April 25, 2008, as ``Global Youth Service 
        Day''; and
            (3) calls on the citizens 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 decision-
                making opportunities today as an investment in the 
                future of the United States.
                                 <all>