Founded in 1986, Youth Service America® supports a global culture of engaged children and youth committed to a lifetime of meaningful service, learning, and leadership. With half the world’s population under age 25, their mission is to help all young people find their voice, take action, and make an impact on vital community issues. Starting in 2016, Youth Service America® will focus all their assets and outcomes on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

The YSA program model:

Activates through campaigns like Global Youth Service Day and Semester of Service;
Funds with YSA Grants;
Trains with resources and trainings offered in the YSA Learning Center; and
Recognizes through awards, storytelling, and visibility campaigns.

Youth Service America® delivers all programs to youth, educators, community organizations, and families through their Global Youth Service Network (GYSN) partners. The GYSN is a coalition of local, state, national, and international organizations committed to engaging children and youth as leaders through volunteering, community service, service-learning, national service, and voting/civic engagement.

Through Youth Service America’s programs, youth lead community change through:

 Awareness (educating others to change behaviors),
Service (using their passion, creativity, and idealism to solve problems through volunteerism),
Advocacy (to change policies and laws), and
Philanthropy (generating and donating financial and in-kind support).

Youth Service America® believes in the importance of impact and outcomes. The impact of YSA’s work is measured in terms of scale, diversity, visibility, impact on youth, and impact on community. As part of their 2015-2020 strategic plan, YSA has set ambitious goals to substantially increase the number of young people they engage in service, the number of partner organizations they work with, the number of youth-led projects they support that lead to measurable change in communities, the number of countries in which Youth Service America® is viewed as a resource center, and their annual revenue.