[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 62 (Wednesday, April 18, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4717-S4719]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 NATIONAL AND GLOBAL YOUTH SERVICE DAY

  Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
now proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 158, which was submitted 
earlier today.

[[Page S4718]]

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 158) designating April 20, 2007, as 
     ``National and Global Youth Service Day.''

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President I commend to my colleagues this 
resolution designating April 20, 2007, as National and Global Youth 
Service Day. This resolution recognizes and commends the significant 
community service efforts that youth are making in communities across 
the country and around the world on April 20 and every day. This 
resolution also encourages the citizens of the United States to 
acknowledge and support these volunteer efforts.
  Over the weekend, beginning this Friday, April 20, youth from across 
the United States and the world will carry out community service 
projects in areas ranging from hunger to literacy to the environment. 
Through this service, many will embark on a lifelong path of service 
and civic engagement in more than 100 countries around the world.
  This event is not isolated to one weekend a year. 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 throughout the year.
  The participation of youth in community service is not just a nice 
idea for a way to spend a Saturday afternoon. Youth who are engaged in 
volunteer service, according to recent studies, do better in school 
than their classmates who do not volunteer. Youth who engage in 
volunteering and other positive activities are also more likely to 
avoid risky behaviors, such as drug and alcohol use, crime, and 
promiscuity.
  A recently released study conducted by the Corporation for National 
and Community Service points out some interesting findings about the 
attitudes and behaviors of youth toward volunteering and other forms of 
civic engagement.
  The study found that: 74 percent of youth who volunteer do so at 
least in part through a religious organization, a schoolbased group, or 
a youth leadership organization such as Scouts or 4H. A youth from a 
family where at least one parent volunteers is almost twice as likely 
to volunteer as a youth with no family members who volunteer, and 
nearly three times as likely to volunteer on a regular basis. Youth 
from disadvantaged circumstances who volunteer demonstrate more 
positive civic attitudes and behaviors than similar youth who do not 
volunteer.
  In an effort to recognize and support youth volunteers in my State, I 
would like to recognize some of the activities that will occur this 
year in Alaska in observance of National and Global Youth Service Day:
  No. 1, Anchorage's Promise, which works to mobilize all sectors of 
the community to build the character and competence of Anchorage's 
children and youth is again sponsoring the annual Kids' Day event in 
Anchorage this year. Seventy different nonprofits and businesses will 
provide free kid-friendly activities to help families build an 
understanding of the importance of safe places for kids, providing a 
healthy start and future, the value of having a caring adult in the 
life of each youth, and why effective education can ensure that all 
youth have the skills needed to pursue college, vocational training and 
the field of work that they are interested in.
  No. 2, Eielson Youth Programs will sponsor a Knit-a-Thon to benefit 
the women's shelter and the senior center. Volunteers will help 
instruct preteen and teenage knitters and will also knit projects. All 
participants are also asked to bring personal hygiene items to be 
donated to the shelter/center as part of the project.
  No. 3, Aurora Elementary School on Elmendorf Air Force Base will be 
sponsoring a canned food drive in conjunction with a school dance. The 
price of admission to the dance is one can of food.
  No. 4, Alaska Winter Stars, members of the cross-country ski teams 
from both Alaska Pacific University and University of Anchorage Alaska, 
will be hosting a fitness challenge and pledge booth at Kids Day this 
year. The goal is to bring awareness to the importance of good health 
and physical activity. Participants will be given the opportunity to 
test their fitness level and sign a pledge promising to be more active. 
More than 5,000 youth are expected to participate.
  No. 5, on April 8, annual Prudential Alaska Spirit of Community 
Student Volunteer Service Recognition Ceremony will honor more than 150 
Alaskan students for making a difference through outstanding volunteer 
service on National Youth Service Day. This ceremony highlights the 
outstanding partnerships between Alaskan nonprofit organizations and 
the business community. The ceremony is conducted in partnership with 
the Points of Light Foundation, President's Council on Service and 
Civic Participation, USA Freedom Corps, Prudential Financial, 
Corporation for National Service, the National Association of Secondary 
School Principals, Prudential Jack White Vista Real Estate, Key Bank of 
Alaska, Anchorage Daily News, Wells Fargo Bank, Anchorage Municipal 
Light and Power, Home State Mortgage, Alyeska Title Guaranty Agency, 
Jewel Lake Tastee Freez, Friends of Alaska Prudential Youth Leadership 
Institute, and other caring community organizations and individuals.
  No. 6, teens in the Alaska Youth for Environmental Action program of 
the National Wildlife Federation will be urging individuals to take the 
``3-2-1 Pledge--change three incandescent lightbulbs to compact 
fluorescents, turn the thermostat down 2 degrees in cold weather, and 
unplug one appliance when not in use. The ``3-2-1 Pledge'' project has 
a goal to collect 5,000 signatures by April 2007. The goal will reduce 
carbon emissions in Alaska by an estimated 19.8 million pounds 
annually. Alaska Youth for Environmental Action is working in six 
communities: Sitka, Yakutat, Homer, Juneau, Anchorage and Fairbanks.
  No. 7, Nerf Balls for Soldiers of Foreign Turf--students across 
Anchorage are invited to help build positive relations between our 
soldiers and the children they come in contact with in Iraq. Youth are 
encouraged to bring or purchase a new Nerf toy to the Egan Center 
during Kids Day. Funds will be used to raise money for more shipping, 
and the Nerf Balls will be shipped to Iraq for soldiers to use for 
relationship building.
  No. 8, Pen Pal Cards For Kids--Clark Middle School students will help 
Anchorage's Promise Kids Day participants make cards and letters for 
children that can be used to encourage those who are over seas or in 
local hospitals.
  No. 9, Boy Scouts--Scouting for Food Project--Boy Scouts of Troop 205 
in Anchorage will be collecting canned food at Kids Day events for 
donation to the Alaska Food Bank.
  No, 10, students from the West High School Junior ROTC and King 
Career Center Public Safety and Security Assistants programs will be on 
hand for Kids Day to help monitor exit doors, assist with handing out 
door prize tickets, and monitor elevators for safety. Students will 
also have the opportunity to mentor with adults in a variety of 
settings such as first aid, search and rescue, fire fighters, and Egan 
Center security.
  No. 11, Cook Inlet Tribal Youth Council will share Alaska Native 
heritage by demonstrating Native games and by encouraging healthy 
active lifestyles at three locations in Anchorage on April 20.
  No. 12, Summer Reading Program Work Party involves teen volunteers 
from the Anchorage Municipal Libraries in stuffing 4,000 bags with 
materials for the summer reading program. This program will help 
maintain student progress in reading by keeping kids reading all summer 
long.
  No. 13, the Girl Scouts Susitna Council will be planting 95 tree 
seedlings in honor of Girl Scouts of the USA's 95th anniversary. The 
seedlings will be planted at the Bureau of Land Management's Campbell 
Creek Science Center in June. Every tree planted produces oxygen, 
removes air pollution, and fights soil erosion. In addition, the act of 
planting tree seedlings will instill a sense of stewardship among Girl 
Scouts that will be passed on to future generations. Future of Life, an 
organization whose mission is to ensure the future

[[Page S4719]]

of life on Earth for all species, is providing 95 tree seedlings to 
each Girl Scout council across the United States, beginning in April 
and scheduled to coincide with the planting season for each area.
  Many similar and wonderful activities will be taking place all across 
the Nation. I encourage all of my colleagues to visit the Youth Service 
America website--www.vsa.org_to find out about the selfless and 
creative youth who are contributing in their own States this year.
  I thank my colleagues--Senators Akaka, Alexander, Baucus, Bayh, 
Boxer, Brown, Burr, Cantwell, Casey, Clinton, Cochran, Coleman, 
Collins, Corker, Craig, Dodd, Dole, Domenici, Durbin, Feingold, 
Feinstein, Gregg, Hagel, Kennedy, Kerry, Landrieu, Lautenberg, Levin, 
Lieberman, Lincoln, Lott, Martinez, Menendez, Mikulski, Murray, Ben 
Nelson, Bill Nelson, Obama, Salazar, Sanders, Specter, Stabenow, and 
Stevens--for standing with me as original cosponsors of this worthwhile 
legislation, which will ensure that youth across the country and the 
world know that all of their hard work is greatly appreciated.
  Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to 
reconsider be laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 158) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              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
       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.

                          ____________________