[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 62 (Wednesday, April 18, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4700-S4701]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 158--DESIGNATING APRIL 20, 2007, AS ``NATIONAL AND 
                       GLOBAL YOUTH SERVICE DAY''

  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, Mr. Kerry, 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:

                              S. Res. 158

       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

[[Page S4701]]

       Resolved, 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.

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