Youth have been progressively denied the opportunity to be engaged in work that is important to others and therefore denied the rewards that such work produces. In the past, young people typically contributed to the maintenance of their farm families by engaging in meaningful and valued work. With the industrial revolution, families moved to more urban areas and the adult male or males of the household worked outside the home. In the process, the adolescent's role as a contributor to the family economy diminished. Without this contributing role, adolescents are now searching for opportunities to become valued members of their families and their communities.
Adolescents lack a legitimate role or stake in the larger social framework in which they live.
Service and volunteering provide opportunities for adolescents to contribute to society in meaningful and valued ways. Young people need work experience, a higher sense of self-confidence, a chance to develop a service ethic, and opportunities to work with different kinds of people in common endeavors. The Service Learning Cycle includes all the steps of the experiential learning cycle. Step 1, Needs Assessment and Step 2, Plan and Prepare are just as significant experiential learning as is Step 3, Experience Meaningful Service. Each of the three steps includes Reflection as an important component.