[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 68 (Tuesday, May 5, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H5122-H5123]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  SUPPORTING GLOBAL YOUTH SERVICE DAYS

  Mr. POLIS. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (H. Res. 353) supporting the goals and ideals of Global 
Youth Service Days.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 353

       Whereas Global Youth Service Days is an annual public 
     awareness and education campaign that highlights the valuable 
     contributions that young people make to their communities 
     year-round;
       Whereas the goals of Global Youth Service Days are to--
       (1) mobilize the youth of the United States to identify and 
     address the needs of their communities through community 
     service and service-learning opportunities;
       (2) support young people in embarking on a lifelong path of 
     volunteer 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 Days, a program of Youth 
     Service America, is the largest service event in the world 
     and in 2009 is being observed for the 21st consecutive year 
     in the United States and for the 10th year in more than 100 
     countries;
       Whereas young people in the United States and in many other 
     countries are providing more volunteer service to their 
     communities than in any other generation in history, thereby 
     demonstrating that children and youth not only represent the 
     future of the world, but are also leaders and assets today;
       Whereas recent research shows that high quality, semester-
     long service-learning, when used as a teaching and learning 
     strategy that integrates meaningful community service with 
     academic curriculum, increases students' cognitive 
     engagement, motivation to learn, school attendance, and 
     academic achievement scores;
       Whereas a fundamental and conclusive correlation exists 
     between youth service, character development, lifelong adult 
     volunteering, philanthropy, and other forms of civic 
     engagement;
       Whereas community service and service-learning provide 
     opportunities for youth to apply their knowledge, idealism, 
     energy, creativity, and unique perspectives to improve local 
     communities by addressing critical issues such as poverty, 
     hunger, illiteracy, education, natural disasters, climate 
     change, and many others;
       Whereas a growing number of Global Youth Service Days 
     projects involve youth working collaboratively across 
     national boundaries to address global issues, to increase 
     intercultural understanding, and to promote the sense that 
     they are global citizens;
       Whereas Global Youth Service Day engages millions of young 
     people worldwide with the support of 50 International 
     Coordinating Committee member organizations, over 150 U.S. 
     National Partners, 75 local and statewide Global Youth 
     Services Days lead agencies, and thousands of local 
     organizers; and
       Whereas both young people and their communities will 
     benefit greatly from expanded opportunities for youth to 
     engage in volunteer community service and service-learning: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) recognizes and commends the significant contributions 
     of youth of the United States and encourages the cultivation 
     of a civic bond between young people dedicated to serving 
     their neighbors, their communities, and the Nation;
       (2) supports the goals and ideals of Global Youth Services 
     Days 2009; and
       (3) calls on the citizens of the United States to--
       (A) observe the day by encouraging youth to participate 
     community service and service-learning 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 community service, service-
     learning, and decision-making opportunities today as an 
     investment in the future of the United States.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Colorado (Mr. Polis) and the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Colorado.


                             General Leave

  Mr. POLIS. Madam Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which 
Members may revise and insert extraneous materials on H. Res. 353 into 
the Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Colorado?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. POLIS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 353, a 
resolution to support the goals and ideals of Global Youth Service 
Days.
  Global Youth Service Days is an annual global event that highlights 
and celebrates the ongoing contributions of youth to their communities 
through volunteer service and service learning. Just last month, 
President Obama signed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, which 
reauthorized programs that support national and community service, 
including the goal of tripling the number of youth volunteers in our 
communities.
  Service learning extends the classroom into the community. It 
provides young people with the opportunity to give back locally, as 
well as offer real-life applications to prepare them for their lives.
  Global Youth Service Days takes that one step further by promoting 
projects that encourage youth to work collaboratively across national 
boundaries to address global issues, to increase intercultural 
understanding and to promote the sense that they are global citizens.
  Global Youth Service Days is the largest service event in the world, 
and in 2009 it's being observed for the 21st consecutive year in the 
United States, as well as for the 10th year in more than 100 countries. 
Over the past 21 years, Global Youth Service Days has brought together 
more than 40 million people in thousands of communities worldwide.
  The benefits of service for young people are countless. High quality 
semester-long service learning, when used as a teaching and learning 
strategy that integrates meaningful community service with academic 
curriculum, increases students' cognitive engagement, motivation to 
learn, school attendance and academic achievement.
  Opportunities like Global Youth Service Day provide avenues for youth 
to apply their knowledge, idealism, energy, creativity and unique 
perspectives to improve local communities by addressing critical issues 
such as poverty, hunger, illiteracy, education, natural disasters, 
climate change and more. Past Global Youth Service Days have taken 
place in the United States as well as around the world.
  In Colorado's Second Congressional District that I have the honor to 
represent, the weekend before last I celebrated Global Youth Service 
Days with Project YES in Lafayette, which hosted one of 75 major 
worldwide events and joined over 600 volunteers, who helped out Boulder 
County organizations such as the Emergency Family Assistance 
Association, Kids' Park in Lafayette, Sister Carmen Community Center 
and several local schools. I was thrilled to see the motivation and 
excitement that these young people had for improving our communities.
  Young people and teachers in Tarija, Bolivia, addressed the public 
health issues surrounding unsanitary drinking water. Young people and 
teachers in Kuchinarai, Thailand, engaged 55 children who were orphaned 
by AIDS in a week-long summer camp focused on education, life skills, 
leadership, and self-esteem.
  Both young people and their communities benefit greatly from expanded 
opportunities for youth to engage in community service and service 
learning.
  Madam Speaker, this resolution serves to recognize and commend the 
significant contributions of the youth of the United States and to 
support the goals and ideals of Global Youth Service Days 2009 
internationally.
  I would like to thank Representative DeLauro for introducing this 
legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support the bill.
  I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1415

  Mr. CASTLE. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise in support of House Resolution 353, a Resolution Supporting 
the Goals and Ideals of Global Youth Service Days. Organized by Youth 
Service America, the National Youth Leadership Council, and Global 
Youth Action Network, and sponsored in the United States by the State 
Farm Companies Foundation, Global Youth Services

[[Page H5123]]

Day provides young people with an important opportunity to serve their 
local communities around the world.
  Held every year during one weekend in April, over 100 countries 
participate in Global Youth Service Days. This year, young people from 
around the world rolled up their sleeves and partnered with various 
nonprofits and faith-based organizations to dedicate their time during 
the weekend of April 24 through April 26. Some past events include the 
following projects:
  In Corona, California, youth studied and delivered reports on local 
areas' disaster preparedness. These reports led to an event dedicated 
to raising public awareness about homelessness and natural disasters.
  Here in Washington, D.C., youth from various faith-based communities 
partnered with Habitat for Humanity to help with housing needs in 
Northeast D.C. and worked on a shoreline cleanup along the Anacostia 
River.
  In Bolivia, with the help of a Disney Minnie Grant, youth were 
trained as public health educators to facilitate workshops to educate 
the community on public health issues surrounding unsanitary drinking 
water.
  In Zimbabwe, youth volunteers refurbished 35 rural schools, worked to 
clean up parts of one of the cities in the country, and conducted an 
HIV/AIDS awareness campaign.
  Introducing our young people to true volunteerism will help build a 
sense of civic duty early in their lives, which will lead them to 
become more civic-minded citizens, citizens who will continue to donate 
their time and skills to their local communities in the future as they 
get older. For that reason, I rise in support of House Resolution 353 
and urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. POLIS. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to recognize the gentlewoman 
from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro) for 4 minutes.
  Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this Resolution 
Honoring and Supporting the Goals and Ideals of Global Youth Service 
Days, held earlier this spring from April 24 through 26. With this 
resolution, we recognize the contributions that young people make to 
their communities and our Nation and across the globe.
  For generations, during times of great crisis and need throughout our 
Nation, Americans have stepped up and served their country and their 
communities. Today, with soaring unemployment, stagnant wages, rising 
health care costs, and the financial market in crisis, this is one of 
those moments. To confront its dire challenges, we have an urgent 
responsibility to act, but no one person or single solution will fix 
this crisis alone. If we are serious about getting our Nation back on 
track, we must give everyone the opportunity to do their part, 
especially young people, our next generation of leaders.
  Global Youth Service Day is a public awareness and education campaign 
led by Youth Service America, with the National Youth Leadership 
Council and the Global Youth Action Network, highlighting the valuable 
contributions that young people make to their communities all year 
long.
  The goals of Global Youth Service Day are to mobilize youth as 
leaders in identifying and addressing the needs of their communities, 
to support youth in community service and civic engagement, and to 
educate the public, the media, and the policymakers about the year-
round contributions of young people to their communities.
  On the weekend of April 24-26, young people across the United States 
and around the world designed and carried out community service and 
service learning projects in areas ranging from literacy and mentoring, 
to the environment and energy conservation, to hunger and homelessness; 
75 local and statewide Lead Agencies, 150 national partners, 50 
international organizations crossing old boundaries, building new 
partnerships.
  In addition to the tangible and positive results these projects have 
on our communities, research shows that sustained participation in 
community service and service learning leads to increased levels of 
academic achievement and increased civic engagement among our youth.
  Last month, President Obama signed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve 
America Act, expanded AmeriCorps, changing the face of national service 
as we know it. I am proud that a number of the initiatives I introduced 
to engage middle school students in service were included in the bill 
and enacted into law.
  Ultimately, it is all about the asking. People want to be asked to 
serve, and it is already paying off at a time when more Americans than 
ever are ready to help those left vulnerable by this devastating 
economic downturn. In the past 5 months, the Corporation for National 
Service has received 48,000 online applications, up 234 percent over 
the 14,000 applications it received during the same 5-month period a 
year ago.
  Shirley Chisholm said that, ``Service is the rent that you pay for 
room on this Earth,'' and that is true no matter what your age or place 
in this world.
  This is a transformational moment in our history. And so today, with 
efforts like Global Youth Service Day and amazing opportunities like it 
every day around the world, we hope to mark a new beginning, ready to 
meet the responsibility again to the greater good and to our shared 
community.
  Mr. CASTLE. Madam Speaker, I would encourage everyone to support the 
resolution.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. POLIS. I would like to encourage my colleagues to support the 
resolution.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Polis) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 353.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. POLIS. Madam Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a 
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not 
present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

                          ____________________