In 1981, the Junior League of St. Louis and the Danforth Foundation began sponsoring the program, and in 1984 the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation funded a national demonstration effort by the Junior League of St. Louis. Since 1987, the AJLI has administered the program. By 1993-94, the program was offered in 114 classroom sites and served 1,500 students. From the program's inception, community service was viewed as an integral component in enhancing students' self-esteem and enabling them to see themselves as contributing members of their community. The YES project began in 1986 in response to community concerns about drug and alcohol abuse, teen pregnancy, and school dropouts.
Students participate in the program during the school year for two hours each week.
Students are usually arranged in groups of 15 to 20, and at some sites the program may be taken for credit. Interdisciplinary community service projects are integrated into and enhance the core academic curriculum. For example, a science class participating in a stream clean-up project also involves history, civics, and language arts learning as students study the history of the community and uses of the stream and activate community leaders to support changes that could eliminate pollution and restore stream life. Students reflect upon their learning and develop language arts skills through discussions and by writing articles, essays, and personal journals. Other service learning projects in Tuolumne involve composting, recycling, and cemetery clean-up.