III 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 528 

Designating April 25, 2008, as ‘‘Global Youth Service Day’’. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 22, 2008 

Ms. MURKOWSKI (for herself, Mr. AKAKA, Mr. BAYH, Mrs. BOXER, Mr. 

BROWN, Mr. BURR, Ms. CANTWELL, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. CASEY, Mrs. 

CLINTON, Mr. COCHRAN, Mr. COLEMAN, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. CRAIG, Mr. 

DODD, Mrs. DOLE, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. FEINGOLD, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. 

GREGG, Mr. INOUYE, Mr. ISAKSON, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. KERRY, Ms. 

LANDRIEU, Mr. LAUTENBERG, Mr. LEVIN, Mr. LIEBERMAN, Mrs. LINCOLN, Mr. MARTINEZ, Mr. MENENDEZ, Ms. MIKULSKI, Mrs. MURRAY, 

Mr. NELSON of Nebraska, Mr. NELSON of Florida, Mr. OBAMA, Mr. 

SPECTER, Mr. STEVENS, and Mr. TESTER) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Designating April 25, 2008, as ‘‘Global Youth Service Day’’. 

Whereas 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 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; 


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•SRES 528 ATS 

and (3) educate the public, the media, and policymakers 

about contributions made by young people as community 

leaders throughout the year; 

Whereas Global Youth Service Day, a program of Youth 

Service America, is the largest service event in the world 

and in 2008 is being observed for the 20th consecutive 

year in the United States and for the 9th year globally 

in more than 100 countries; 

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 critical global issues such as poverty, hunger, illiteracy, education, gang activity, natural 

disasters, climate change, and myriad others; 

Whereas a fundamental and conclusive correlation exists between youth service, lifelong adult volunteering, and philanthropy; 

Whereas service-learning is a teaching and learning strategy 

that integrates meaningful community service with mastery of academic curricula by helping young people make 

important connections between what they are studying 

and the challenges that they see in their communities; 

Whereas several private foundations and corporations in the 

United States support service-learning as a means for 

young people to build character and develop the leadership and career-preparedness skills that are necessary for 

the United States to be competitive in the 21st century, 


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including time management, decision-making, teamwork, 

and problem solving; 

Whereas a report by Civic Enterprises found that 47 percent 

of high school dropouts reported boredom as a primary 

reason for dropping out; 

Whereas high quality, semester-long service-learning has been 

found to increase students’ academic engagement and 

achievement, motivation to learn, school attendance, civic 

participation, character development, and career aspirations; 

Whereas Global Youth Service Day engages millions of young 

people worldwide with the support of 75 lead agencies, 45 

international organizations, and 120 national partners; 

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 for youth to engage in volunteer service and service-learning: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) recognizes and commends the significant 

3 contributions of the youth of the United States and 

4 encourages the cultivation of a civic bond among 

5 young people dedicated to serving their neighbors, 

6 their communities, and the Nation; 


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•SRES 528 ATS 

1 (2) designates April 25, 2008, as ‘‘Global Youth 

2 Service Day’’; and 

3 (3) calls on the citizens of the United States 

4 to— 

5 (A) observe the day by encouraging youth 

6 to participate in civic and community service 

7 projects and by joining them in such projects; 

8 (B) recognize the volunteer efforts of the 

9 young people of the United States throughout 

10 the year; and 

11 (C) support the volunteer efforts of young 

12 people and engage them in meaningful learning 

13 and decision-making opportunities today as an 

14 investment in the future of the United States. 

Æ 


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