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[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 158 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 158

  Designating April 20, 2007, as ``National and Global Youth Service 
                                 Day''.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 18, 2007

 Ms. Murkowski (for herself, Mr. Akaka, Mr. Alexander, Mr. Baucus, Mr. 
 Bayh, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Brown, Mr. Burr, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Casey, Mrs. 
Clinton, Mr. Cochran, Mr. Coleman, Ms. Collins, Mr. Corker, Mr. Craig, 
   Mr. Dodd, Mrs. Dole, Mr. Domenici, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Feingold, Mrs. 
    Feinstein, Mr. Gregg, Mr. Hagel, Mr. Kennedy, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. 
   Lautenberg, Mr. Levin, Mr. Lieberman, Mrs. Lincoln, Mr. Lott, Mr. 
   Martinez, Mr. Menendez, Ms. Mikulski, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Nelson of 
 Nebraska, Mr. Nelson of Florida, Mr. Obama, Mr. Salazar, Mr. Sanders, 
  Mr. Specter, Ms. Stabenow, and Mr. Stevens) submitted the following 
             resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
  Designating April 20, 2007, as ``National and Global Youth Service 
                                 Day''.

Whereas National and Global Youth Service Day is an annual public awareness and 
        education campaign that highlights the valuable contributions that young 
        people make to their communities;
Whereas the goals of National and Global Youth Service Day are to--

    (1) mobilize the youth of the United States to identify and address the 
needs of their communities through service and service-learning;

    (2) support young people in embarking on a lifelong path of 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 National and Global Youth Service Day, a program of Youth Service 
        America, is the largest service event in the world and is being observed 
        for the 19th consecutive year in 2007;
Whereas young people in the United States and in many other countries are 
        volunteering more than in any other generation in history;
Whereas children and youth not only represent the future of the world, but also 
        are leaders and assets today;
Whereas children and youth should be valued for the idealism, energy, 
        creativity, and unique perspectives that they use when addressing real-
        world issues such as poverty, hunger, illiteracy, education, gang 
        activity, natural disasters, climate change, and myriad other issues;
Whereas a fundamental and conclusive correlation exists between youth service 
        and lifelong adult volunteering and philanthropy;
Whereas, through community service, young people of all ages and backgrounds 
        build character and learn valuable skills sought by employers, including 
        time management, decisionmaking, teamwork, needs-assessment, and 
        leadership;
Whereas service-learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates 
        meaningful community service with academic curriculum;
Whereas service-learning supports young people in mastering important curriculum 
        content by helping them make meaningful connections between what they 
        are studying and the challenges that they see in their own communities;
Whereas high quality service-learning has been found to increase student 
        academic engagement, academic achievement scores, civic engagement, 
        character development, and career aspirations;
Whereas a report by Civic Enterprises found that 47 percent of high school 
        dropouts reported boredom as a primary reason for dropping out;
Whereas service-learning has been found to increase students' cognitive 
        engagement, motivation to learn, and school attendance;
Whereas several private foundations and corporations in the United States 
        support service-learning as a means to develop the leadership and 
        workforce skills necessary for the competitiveness of the United States 
        in the 21st century;
Whereas a report by America's Promise found that 94 percent of young people want 
        to be involved in making the world a better place, but 50 percent say 
        there should be more volunteer programs for people their age;
Whereas the same report found that one-third of young people say they lack adult 
        role models who volunteer and help others;
Whereas a sustained investment by the Federal Government, business partners, 
        schools, and communities could fuel the positive, long-term cultural 
        change that will make service and service-learning a common expectation 
        and a common experience for all young people;
Whereas National and Global Youth Service Day engages millions of young people 
        worldwide with the support of 51 lead agencies, 40 international 
        organizations, and 110 national partners;
Whereas National Youth Service Day inspired Global Youth Service Day, which 
        occurs concurrently in more than 100 countries and is now in its 8th 
        year;
Whereas a growing number of Global Youth Service Day projects involve youth 
        working collaboratively across national and geographic boundaries, 
        increasing intercultural understanding and promoting the sense that they 
        are global citizens; and
Whereas both young people and their communities will benefit greatly from 
        expanded opportunities to engage youth in meaningful volunteer service 
        and service-learning: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes and commends the significant contributions 
        of the youth of the United States and encourages the 
        cultivation of a common civic bond between young people 
        dedicated to serving their neighbors, their communities, and 
        the Nation;
            (2) designates April 20, 2007, as ``National and Global 
        Youth Service Day''; and
            (3) calls on the people of the United States to--
                    (A) observe the day by encouraging youth to 
                participate in civic and community service 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 learning and 
                decisionmaking opportunities today as an investment in 
                the future of the United States.
                                 <all>
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