This book presents a theoretical rationale for youth involvement in community service. Its thesis is that youth participation in solving social problems has the potential to promote the development of personal and collective identity. Through community service, youth can acquire a sense that they can make a difference and a concern for society's welfare. The book is based on a qualitative study of the 1993-94 junior class of a Catholic high school in Washington, D.C. with a predominantly African-American student body. The researchers followed these students as they progressed through a required course on social justice in which service at a soup kitchen was a mandatory ane essential part. The book reports the results of the study, especially through anecdotes of discussions with the students and excerpts from their essays. The study demonstrates the following: volunteer work can be a key building block of self-development in youth; the youth learned much about homelessness and society and the political processes involved; and they changed their values and became more mature and caring people. The book contains 140 references. (KC)