YOUTH MAKING A DIFFERENCE

WHAT WE KNOW

Volunteering is good for everybody. The following figures have been excerpted from information provided by Youth Service America .

More than 59% (13.3 million) of youth ages 12-17 volunteer. More young people are volunteering than adults are (only 49% of adults volunteer).

• More schools today require community service for students: 30% compared to 13% over the past decade.
• Teenagers volunteer 2.4 billion hours a year, which is worth more than $34 billion to the U.S. economy.
• Teens who volunteer are more likely to do well in school, graduate, vote, and be philanthropic.
• Volunteering for just one hour or more a week decreases a teen's chances of abusing drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes by 50%.
• Most kids believe that volunteering has a positive impact on their communities.
• Teens say they volunteer because they learn to respect others, to be helpful and kind, and to understand people who are different from them. Volunteering also helps them develop leadership skills.
• The main reason given for why teens volunteer is because they care, they have compassion for people in need, and they believe they can make a difference.

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