ERIC Number: ED493617
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2005-Nov
Pages: 24
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Building Active Citizens: The Role of Social Institutions in Teen Volunteering. Youth Helping America
Grimm, Robert, Jr.; Dietz, Nathan; Spring, Kimberly; Arey, Kelly; Foster-Bey, John
Corporation for National and Community Service
In an effort to better understand the attitudes and behaviors of young people in America around volunteering, service-learning and other forms of community involvement, the Corporation for National and Community Service, in collaboration with the U.S. Census Bureau and Independent Sector, conducted the Youth Volunteering and Civic Engagement Survey (the Youth Volunteering Survey), a national survey of American youth. Between January and March of 2005, 3,178 Americans between the ages of 12 and 18 were asked about their volunteer activities and experiences with school-based service-learning projects, as well as their involvement with school, family, religious congregations, and community associations. This report, the first brief in the "Youth Helping America Series," highlights the state of youth volunteering and considers the relationship between youth volunteer behavior and three primary environments where youth form their social networks: family, religious organizations, and school. These social institutions play an essential role in connecting youth to volunteer opportunities and encouraging them to become engaged in service. Fostering environments that encourage volunteer activities are critical to creating a commitment to service and community involvement that will remain with them for their lifetime. This analysis looks to build on existing research that has demonstrated that connections to the community and volunteering form a positive feedback loop, whereby opportunities provided to youth to engage with others leads to a greater sense of reciprocity and trust that in turn leads youth to develop a personal ethic of community engagement. (Contains 21 endnotes and 9 charts.) [This report also sponsored by: The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE); and the MetLife Foundation.]
Descriptors: Citizenship Education, Volunteers, Religious Organizations, Social Networks, Service Learning, Citizen Participation, Adolescents, Institutions, Family Influence
Corporation for National and Community Service. 1201 New York Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20525. Tel: 202-606-5000; e-mail: info@cns.gov; Web site: http://www.nationalservice.gov
Publication Type: Information Analyses; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Coca Cola Bottling Co. of Los Angeles, CA.; Levi Strauss Foundation, Inc., San Francisco, CA.; Lilly Endowment, Inc., Indianapolis, IN.
Authoring Institution: Corporation for National and Community Service, Washington, DC.
Identifiers - Location: United States
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A