About Semester of Service

"Martin Luther King was interested in big results not the short-term. So, the idea of King Day being the signal for a long-term commitment by millions of students over a semester would have warmed his heart. . . Martin always asked us to do more than we were doing because the road ahead was still so long. . . The Mountain to climb was still so tall. The Semester of Service is just that opportunity to do more."
- Former Senator Harris Wofford, Colleague and Lawyer of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Semester of Service encourages students, ages 5-25, to develop a semester-long service-learning project that launches on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service and culminates on Global Youth Service Day. Projects take place in classrooms as part of the academic curriculum; in schools as part of the extra-curricular activities; in congregations of faith; and in youth development organizations in neighborhoods across the United States. During these 12 weeks, young people from elementary schools to colleges & universities will identify a problem or unmet need that affects their community, the nation, or the world. They will prepare a plan, take action to implement their solution, reflect on their progress and next steps, and celebrate their success.

GOALS:
• To enable youth as change-makers, creating a quantum leap in the number of diverse young people addressing critical needs in their communities
• To sustain the quality, high-impact work done on MLK Day and GYSD, moving service projects from episodic acts into long-term service-learning experiences.
• To leverage existing partnerships around MLK Day and GYSD, advancing bold goals to expand the American youth service and service-learning movement

TOOLS & RESOURCES:
• Semester of Service Strategy Guide
• Semester of Service PowerPoint
• GYSD Service-Learning Curriculum Guide
• GYSD Project Planning Toolkit
• GYSD Classroom Poster
• Strategic Service Issue Modules
• Engaging At-Risk Youth In Service
• Effective Practices Guide to Creating Inclusive and Accessible Days of Service
• Tip Sheets

GLOBAL YOUTH SERVICE GRANTS
By putting funds directly into the hands of youth, YSA supports young people in making substantive change in communities. Grantees are required to demonstrate a community need and an ability to solve problems through innovative solutions, engage other youth and partners from different sectors, evaluate the results of their project, and envision future plans to continue their service. State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning Grants, Disney Minnie Grants, and UnitedHealth HEROES grants will all support Semester of Service projects.

PUBLIC MOBILIZATION
Media Campaign - In the last year, YSA’s work has generated more than 1.5 billion
media hits on radio, television, newspaper, and internet outlets. YSA will leverage our extensive media outreach capability to raise awareness and build participation.

Outreach - YSA will leverage its existing network, including 125+ National Partners, 75 GYSD Lead Agencies (including ten MLK Lead Agencies responsible for engaging at least 1,000 young people each), and hundreds of grant winners. Key partnerships include:

• The Corporation for National and Community Service has embraced Semester of Service as a strategy to meet its goals to expand overall participation in MLK Day of Service, engage more disadvantaged youth, and use the holiday as a gateway for ongoing service.
• America's Promise Alliance has adopted Semester of Service and Global Youth Service Day as key components of their Ready for the Real World National Action Strategy. This strategy seeks to engage every middle-school student in service learning and career exploration.
• Bank of America supports Semester of Service as the Lead Sponsor: “Bank of America believes today’s youth have an opportunity to positively impact the world we live in,” said Kerry Sullivan, National Philanthropic Executive, Bank of America. “By investing in student service, Bank of America invests in an infrastructure that benefits individuals in need, putting communities on the road to economic recovery.”

Semester of Service is a program of Youth Service America in collaboration with the Corporation for National and Community Service and with support from Bank of America as well as State Farm Companies Foundation, Disney, and United Healthcare.